Is Linux still worth it on a G3? Anyone currently doing this?

[Appleuser201]

I know nothing about linux on intel or ppc... never used it, only seen videos about it. Ive seen threads posted here on linux and I am now wondering, A G5 quad is very fast on linux and G4s are actually quite usable (from videos ive seen), but can a G3 be made usable today for light internet/youtube on Linux?
G3's can be slow on tiger and when it comes to internet browsing. would linux fix this possibly? there are light weight browsers available for linux/ppc. It would be cool to use my 600mhz iMac daily without too much frustration...

I found a video from early 2015 showing a 400mhz G3 playing a youtube video (in the broswer!) The OS was linux Mint PPC 11. If anyone still uses linux on a g3, is this still possible? youtube playback with Adobe Flash was still a thing back in 2015 but now its only HTML 5. The video did not specify if it was playing using Flash or HTML 5.

 

[z970]

I found a video from early 2015 showing a 400mhz G3 playing a youtube video (in the broswer!) The OS was linux Mint PPC 11. If anyone still uses linux on a g3, is this still possible? youtube playback with Adobe Flash was still a thing back in 2015 but now its only HTML 5. The video did not specify if it was playing using Flash or HTML 5.

I would not imagine this to still be possible on the same hardware in the same environment. YouTube has gotten far more bloated over the years, and the HTML5 player it currently uses is extremely resource intensive.

Mint PPC died years ago and is now a relic. The Wiki details the most modern user-friendly distributions currently available, and G3 YouTube may be possible with SurfTube. Although, provided your G3 can support Quartz Extreme, YewTube and TigerTUBE on 10.4 will do a fine job for YouTube playback.

Light browsing, however, I would certainly think possible on a G3 running Arctic Fox in a lightweight desktop environment, though I haven't been able to get my stubborn B/W to boot an install disc so I can actually try...

G3's can be slow on tiger

I've decided to do something about that.

Wait until Friday.

 

[Isaac_Coker]

Wait for Friday.

that sounds oddly threatening.

 

[sparty411]

I've decided to do something about that.

Wait for Friday.

Dude, you're giving me blue balls teasing this ****

 

[z970]

Dude, you're giving me blue balls teasing this ****

 

[Appleuser201]

I would not imagine this to still be possible on the same hardware in the same environment. YouTube has gotten far more bloated over the years, and the HTML5 player it currently uses is extremely resource intensive.

Mint PPC died years ago and is now a relic. The Wiki details the most modern user-friendly distributions currently available, and G3 YouTube may be possible with SurfTube. Although, provided your G3 can support Quartz Extreme, YewTube and TigerTUBE on 10.4 will do a fine job for YouTube playback.

Light browsing, however, I would certainly think possible on a G3 running Arctic Fox in a lightweight desktop environment, though I haven't been able to get my stubborn B/W to boot an install disc so I can actually try...
What exactly is SurfTube? I can't find any results on Google... As for Youtube, it has changed a lot, they have a new website design that the have been using for a couple years now which can be seen using TenFourFox only. Leopard Webkit and older browsers displays the old design of YouTube, which has not changed since 2015, only the logo. Gotta keep looking for a way to play YouTube in a browser on a G3... it has to be possible somehow...

 

[z970]

What exactly is SurfTube? I can't find any results on Google... As for Youtube, it has changed a lot, they have a new website design that the have been using for a couple years now which can be seen using TenFourFox only. Leopard Webkit and older browsers displays the old design of YouTube, which has not changed since 2015, only the logo. Gotta keep looking for a way to play YouTube in a browser on a G3... it has to be possible somehow...

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/surftube-a-new-ultra-fast-youtube-browser-for-linux.2187988/

You can get the less resource-intensive old design in TFF by switching TFF's user agent to Internet Explorer 11 in the preferences.

 

[Appleuser201]

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/surftube-a-new-ultra-fast-youtube-browser-for-linux.2187988/

You can get the less resource-intensive old design in TFF by switching TFF's user agent to Internet Explorer 11 in the preferences.

Will try that. I didn't know I could do that, that explains why some videos on TenFourFox show the browser rendering the old style Google homepage with the apps at the top of the screen (see picture for reference).
Does this mean Leopard Webkit also uses the IE11 UI? Thats what @Dronecatcher mentioned before but it doesn't make sense as Webkit is Safari based not Microsoft.

 

[z970]

Does this mean Leopard Webkit also uses the IE11 UI? Thats what @Dronecatcher mentioned before but it doesn't make sense as Webkit is Safari based not Microsoft.

No. LeoWebKit uses the Safari 11 user agent. It renders YouTube in the default layout most modern browsers are getting.

If you want to increase TFF performance, switch the user agent to iOS Safari (iPad) instead. That will yield more effective results than IE11.

 

[Dronecatcher]

Does this mean Leopard Webkit also uses the IE11 UI? Thats what @Dronecatcher mentioned before but it doesn't make sense as Webkit is Safari based not Microsoft.

You're getting confused - I talk of the UA - user agent and in Safari/Webkit that's accessible via the Develop menu - switching to different one makes different websites load better - I often use IE 9/11 for Youtube.
[doublepost=1564643245][/doublepost]"Gotta keep looking for a way to play YouTube in a browser on a G3... it has to be possible somehow..."

Why is it so important to be "in a browser" (And I take it you mean the full desktop browser not one with a mobile device UA?) Isn't the important part just watching the video - which is entirely possible by various other means?

 

[z970]

"Gotta keep looking for a way to play YouTube in a browser on a G3... it has to be possible somehow..."

Why is it so important to be "in a browser" (And I take it you mean the full desktop browser not one with a mobile device UA?) Isn't the important part just watching the video - which is entirely possible by various other means?

Because that's the finest damn determination I've ever seen. The same determination that gave us TenFourFox for TenFourYears. The very same that puts us and this forum at the top of all the PowerPC resources the modern Web has to offer (closely followed by Macintosh Garden).

If he wants to watch YouTube in-browser on his G3, well, by God he's gonna get it. He might just do something about it, which you can bet your money will benefit us and everybody else as well.

Damn it, where there is a will, there is a way. 600mhz or not.

 

[Appleuser201]

You're getting confused - I talk of the UA - user agent and in Safari/Webkit that's accessible via the Develop menu - switching to different one makes different websites load better - I often use IE 9/11 for Youtube.
[doublepost=1564643245][/doublepost]"Gotta keep looking for a way to play YouTube in a browser on a G3... it has to be possible somehow..."

Why is it so important to be "in a browser" (And I take it you mean the full desktop browser not one with a mobile device UA?) Isn't the important part just watching the video - which is entirely possible by various other means?

The important thing is watching the video, you are right, but I am trying to find or make a way for desktop youtube on a g3... just because... mostly because at a time it was possible years ago. why cant it be again?
[doublepost=1564708609][/doublepost]

Because that's the finest damn determination I've ever seen. The same determination that gave us TenFourFox for TenFourYears. The very same that puts us and this forum at the top of all the PowerPC resources the modern Web has to offer (closely followed by Macintosh Garden).

If he wants to watch YouTube in-browser on his G3, well, by God he's gonna get it. He might just do something about it, which you can bet your money will benefit us and everybody else as well.

Damn it, where there is a will, there is a way. 600mhz or not.

And hopefully 400mhz. who says a 400mhz G3 with a 8mb video card can't play YT in a desktop browser? it was certainly possible in 2011 and it used flash... flash can be worse than HTML5 on a ppc machine. Just depends on the browser. Please take a look at these 2 videos from 2011. YT played great on the second video.

Ignore this guys beard

 

[Dronecatcher]

who says a 400mhz G3 with a 8mb video card can't play YT in a desktop browser? it was certainly possible in 2011 and it used flash...

That was 8 years ago - Youtube used flash video then, had a lower bitrate and the site didn't have all the background code running that it does now - code designed for computers much, much faster than a G3. HTML5 video playback is more CPU intensive on PPC than flash plus the only way to get adequate in browser playback of it is with QuickTime 7.7 - which is Leopard only.
That's why working solutions use mobile device user agents, turn off javascript, use the raw video file at lower resolutions where possible.
You can keep wanting to recreate the past all you want but the online world has changed - there is no simple solution here.

 

[Appleuser201]

That was 8 years ago - Youtube used flash video then, had a lower bitrate and the site didn't have all the background code running that it does now - code designed for computers much, much faster than a G3. HTML5 video playback is more CPU intensive on PPC than flash plus the only way to get adequate in browser playback of it is with QuickTime 7.7 - which is Leopard only.
That's why working solutions use mobile device user agents, turn off javascript, use the raw video file at lower resolutions where possible.
You can keep wanting to recreate the past all you want but the online world has changed - there is no simple solution here.

Everything has become more bloated on the web. The only thing giving me hope is the 2015 video of 360p youtube playing on a 400mhz g3 running linux. the video did not play well, but if lowered to 240p I think it should play a lot better. The old Youtube design that older browsers render, hasnt changed much at all since 2015. Gonna have to try the same browser used in the video assuming it still even works at all...