#Suse linux on a mac g4 update
#Suse linux on a mac g4 software

Ubuntu’s installation scheme packs some core components onto a single CD-ROM. Performance of both OS X 10.3 Panther and 10.4 on this Cube was okay, but definitely on the sluggish side. I also upped the RAM from the stock 64 MB to 768 MB.

When I acquired it a while back, it had a bum 20 GB hard drive, so I replaced it with a 7200 RPM 40 GB drive. That’s a topic for another column, but if anyone’s experienced a “no Unix” B&W G3 and fixed it, please let me know how you did it!įor comparison’s sake, my Ubuntu box is a 450 MHz G4 Cube with a CD-RW drive (a relatively rare configuration, as most Cubes have DVD-ROM).

#Suse linux on a mac g4 update

Sometimes applying the latest G3 firmware update helps (always a good idea anyway), but other times it doesn’t. Much to my puzzlement, I’ve run across several blue and white G3s in the past few years that refuse to take not only Linux, but also OS X, even though this is Apple-supported hardware for OS X 10.4 Tiger and earlier. It installs and runs fine, just a little slower – but usually faster than OS X on the same hardware.

Ubuntu only mentions “G4 and G5” on their front page, but I’ve read many success stories with Ubuntu on G3 hardware. So if you’ve got open source fever after reading Ubuntu’s public commitment, it’s time to get down and pick out that old Mac on which you’re going to try Liinux. The importance of this cannot be overstated – with other distros, you may find yourself compiling packages by hand to stay up-to-date while you’re waiting for your vendor to put out an official patch. This’s important, because some vendors just don’t take the time to optimize their PPC Linux, if they make one at all.Īnother big plus is that Ubuntu releases a new version every six months and is committed to providing updates to the current version in the meantime. This means they have put considerable effort into making their PPC version on par with its x86 counterpart.

#Suse linux on a mac g4 software

First and foremost, in my mind, is their credo that everyone with a computer should have access to free, usable software no matter what platform they use. The front page of Ubuntu’s website contains a declaration of principles that they call their “public commitment”. Indeed, their slogan is “Linux for human beings”, and I don’t think I’ve ever come across a Linux distribution that’s as easy to set up, maintain, and use for daily tasks as this one. Ubuntu Linux has done some of the best work in the open source community at making Linux palatable for the average end user. In last week’s column, I outlined the requirements for setting up a useful and fast PowerPC (PPC) Linux desktop, and I’m going to start with what I consider the best of the bunch.