The PowerPC Debian Wiki

[z970]

Could that be caused by an incorrect time and date setting? This iBook has no battery, so it may use the time that comes with the cd? Sounds stupid but what other time should it use?

Hmm... Make sure the date is correct now that you have LXDE in (the 'date' command works too). Other than that, I don't know what else to tell you.

Though it gets tricky when using pre Pentium 4 hardware like my "proof of concept fileserver" at home, a PIII 500 E (damn slow compared to any of my PowerPC Macs)

Yup. I've got a 600MHz P!!! web server that's waiting to serve a finished website, and it was very slow. Then, I maxxed the RAM to 1 GB, upgraded its graphics card, and removed a bottleneck network switch from '05 that was making all the computers download at <5 MBs. Now it's not bad, especially with Links2. I can only imagine how much better those 1.4 GHz revisions were, specced out and given the same tweaks and optimizations.

 

[juancarlosonetti]

EDITED

 

[juancarlosonetti]

So I just ended an installation of OpenBSD, and I must say the experience is light-years ahead of Linux on PowerPC. I just burned a USB, booted from it and it installed semiautomatically, asking for a user-defined option here and there.

Ten minutes later, I had the operating system, including an X server, already installed and running. I totally recommend it.

 

[z970]

Was this on a G5 or G4?

I can't get my G5 to boot a 6.5 CD. C, Opt, or OF.

 

[juancarlosonetti]

Was this on a G5 or G4?

I can't get my G5 to boot a 6.5 CD. C, Opt, or OF.

I installed it on a G3. I also had problems trying to boot the disk image (it was, in fact, the most complicated part of the installation). I finally found this page: https://www.openbsd.org/macppc.html, that explains quite well how the OS can be booted.

What worked for me while using a USB was "boot usb1/disk@1:,ofwboot /6.5/macppc/bsd.rd". You might have to change that command depending on your disk and the OpenBSD version you are using.

 

[z970]

Got it working via CD with their OF instructions. Maybe I did something wrong last time.

Installation went very well, but it hung at login. Some kind of problem with the HD (it's on an SSD). Are you supposed to format the drive as HFS or MBR?

I'm going to start over with HFS.

 

[juancarlosonetti]

Got it working via CD with their OF instructions. Maybe I did something wrong last time.

Installation went very well, but it hung at login. Some kind of problem with the HD (it's on an SSD). Are you supposed to format the drive as HFS or MBR?

I'm going to start over with HFS.

I actually don't know, because I just used the default partitions suggested by the installer. However, I remember reading that OpenBSD does not behave very well with SSDs. Maybe that's the problem.

 

[z970]

I actually don't know, because I just used the default partitions suggested by the installer. However, I remember reading that OpenBSD does not behave very well with SSDs. Maybe that's the problem.

Choosing HFS lead to manual partitioning, so it looks like MBR is the only choice.

Yeah, I'm gonna take the SSD out, put another drive in. OBSD should be fine on that.

By the way, what worked for me was to add a '1' at the end of 'cd'. Nothing else did it.

boot cd1:,ofwboot 6.5/macppc/bsd.rd

 

[2984839]

I actually don't know, because I just used the default partitions suggested by the installer. However, I remember reading that OpenBSD does not behave very well with SSDs. Maybe that's the problem.

I've been running OpenBSD on at least 8 laptops, many routers and firewalls, and 4 busy servers on SSDs since 2010 and there have been 0 problems. No TRIM support, but I always just over-provision
[doublepost=1558272657][/doublepost]

Got it working via CD with their OF instructions. Maybe I did something wrong last time.

Installation went very well, but it hung at login. Some kind of problem with the HD (it's on an SSD). Are you supposed to format the drive as HFS or MBR?

I'm going to start over with HFS.

It booted OpenBSD all the way to login and then stopped? If you selected to start X on login, that might be the issue if your GPU is not supported.

 

[z970]

It booted OpenBSD all the way to login and then stopped? If you selected to start X on login, that might be the issue if your GPU is not supported.

Hmm, that might be it.

I'm on a Late 2005 G5, and although the macppc section says the Quad is supported, the supported video card section does not list the GeForce 6600...

I don't suppose they're going to fix that anytime soon?

 

[2984839]

Hmm, that might be it.

I'm on a Late 2005 G5, and although the macppc section says the Quad is supported, the supported video card section does not list the GeForce 6600...

I don't suppose they're going to fix that anytime soon?

It's almost certainly not going to happen. Nvidia is notoriously unhelpful for open source projects and there is likely little interest in these older GPUs.

The good news is that you should be able to drop in an ATI/AMD GPU and it should be very well supported.

To rule the GPU out as the problem, try installing without selecting to start X at login and see if you get to a console.

 

[z970]

Added software section and complimentary installers.

 

[dextructor]

Added software section and complimentary installers.

Thanks it was very useful the installation guide for the apps!

 

[z970]

Added Firefox ESR 45.9 + complimentary installer to Web Browsers in the Software category.

Also changed the Debian 7 and 8 images to netinstalls for quicker downloads.

 

[sheich0608]

Hi z970mp et al.

Thank you so much for your work! I have a 1.67 GHz PB G4. I've got a question--in the guide, you mention that it may be possible to reinstate suspend in other (than Wheezy) configurations. I'd like to run Ubuntu 16.04, or something with better security and updates than Wheezy. What would it take to allow suspend in newer distros?

Thanks!

 

[z970]

Hi scheich,

Thank you. I made the change I wanted to see, and now I'm just happy it seems to be making a difference.

Natively, I'm not sure. That's why I left the possibility up in the air.

However, I would imagine that the easiest way to get that functionality in newer distributions could be to try installing kernel version 3.2 (which is what Wheezy uses), and append Yaboot.conf to tell Yaboot to boot that specific kernel over the newer revisions, much how it needed to be appended on G5s running Debian Jessie.

I could even list out the process to doing that, if anyone wants to give it a shot. But even so, I've only ever seen 3.2 successfully (go into and get out of) suspend on a DLSD. Theoretically, this may be the case for all G4s, or it could be machine specific; I haven't the experience.

I understand, but remember that Leopard was last touched with a security update over a decade ago. Compare that with Wheezy, which was last touched in 2016; comparable in lifespan to OS X Mavericks. By default, you're much safer with any of the distribution choices listed here than with OS X on this architecture. And even if it did catch any viruses, they would not only need to be written for PowerPC, but also for Linux as well, in turn effectively narrowing the list of possible attacks to an insanely small margin.

Part of the reason I made this wiki is to make life on older distributions easier and more compatible, so people wouldn't waltz in and jump to the conclusion that the newest versions are automatically better, as they each have their pros and cons. So in that sense, it's all about what ends up working best for you.

Hope I helped.

(Sent from Debian 8.11)

 

[sheich0608]

Hi scheich,

Thank you. I made the change I wanted to see, and now I'm just happy it seems to be making a difference.

Natively, I'm not sure. That's why I left the possibility up in the air.

However, I would imagine that the easiest way to get that functionality in newer distributions could be to try installing kernel version 3.2 (which is what Wheezy uses), and append Yaboot.conf to tell Yaboot to boot that specific kernel over the newer revisions, much how it needed to be appended on G5s running Debian Jessie.

I could even list out the process to doing that, if anyone wants to give it a shot. But even so, I've only ever seen 3.2 successfully (go into and get out of) suspend on a DLSD. Theoretically, this may be the case for all G4s, or it could be machine specific; I haven't the experience.

I understand, but remember that Leopard was last touched with a security update over a decade ago. Compare that with Wheezy, which was last touched in 2016; comparable in lifespan to OS X Mavericks. By default, you're much safer with any of the distribution choices listed here than with OS X on this architecture. And even if it did catch any viruses, they would not only need to be written for PowerPC, but also for Linux as well, in turn effectively narrowing the list of possible attacks to an insanely small margin.

Part of the reason I made this wiki is to make life on older distributions easier and more compatible, so people wouldn't waltz in and jump to the conclusion that the newest versions are automatically better, as they each have their pros and cons. So in that sense, it's all about what ends up working best for you.

Hope I helped.

(Sent from Debian 8.11)

Thank you so much for your quick response! It would be very interesting to test newer distros with the older kernel.

I totally get your point about security—Leopard looks nice, but it’s rather painfully slow and insecure. I like Tiger, but web browsing is also rather difficult, even with optimizations.

I could use a newer distro without suspend—just shutting down when I need to move—but of course that’s not ideal. So I guess Wheezy it is haha.

What do you use on your DSLD?

Thanks again for this wonderful resource!

 

[Dronecatcher]

I totally get your point about security—Leopard looks nice, but it’s rather painfully slow and insecure. I like Tiger, but web browsing is also rather difficult, even with optimizations.

You do know every Linux distro with a GUI on a Powerbook is slower than Tiger and Leopard?

 

[sparty411]

You do know every Linux distro with a GUI on a Powerbook is slower than Tiger and Leopard?

Quite the opposite, in my experience. Debian with LXDE has been lightning fast on my Powerbooks.

 

[sheich0608]

Quite the opposite, in my experience. Debian with LXDE has been lightning fast on my Powerbooks.

That had been my experience as well when MintPPC was still a thing. I’ve heard web browsing is noticeably faster under Linux.

 

[Dronecatcher]

Quite the opposite, in my experience. Debian with LXDE has been lightning fast on my Powerbooks.

My experience with Debian on my 17" DLSD I could only get close to OSX speed using Openbox ie a desktop devoid of anything but a right click menu.
When someone posts a video out there showing Linux (and I don't mean an ancient variant) being double fast I'll retract my claim
[doublepost=1561398445][/doublepost]

I’ve heard web browsing is noticeably faster under Linux.

I suspect 64bit on a Dual G5 - not so on a single G4...someone prove otherwise!

 

[sheich0608]

My experience with Debian on my 17" DLSD I could only get close to OSX speed using Openbox ie a desktop devoid of anything but a right click menu.
When someone posts a video out there showing Linux (and I don't mean an ancient variant) being double fast I'll retract my claim
[doublepost=1561398445][/doublepost]

I suspect 64bit on a Dual G5 - not so on a single G4...someone prove otherwise!

MintPPC used LXDE and was based on Wheezy so it’s not ancient. My iMac G3 could even load some newer pages under Iceweasel. There’s a video somewhere around here of Debian Sid running on an iBook G4 1.33 with XFCE remarkably well.

 

[sparty411]

My experience with Debian on my 17" DLSD I could only get close to OSX speed using Openbox ie a desktop devoid of anything but a right click menu.
When someone posts a video out there showing Linux (and I don't mean an ancient variant) being double fast I'll retract my claim
[doublepost=1561398445][/doublepost]

I suspect 64bit on a Dual G5 - not so on a single G4...someone prove otherwise!

I didn't claim that it is "double as fast."

 

[z970]

Thank you so much for your quick response! It would be very interesting to test newer distros with the older kernel.

I totally get your point about security—Leopard looks nice, but it’s rather painfully slow and insecure. I like Tiger, but web browsing is also rather difficult, even with optimizations.

I could use a newer distro without suspend—just shutting down when I need to move—but of course that’s not ideal. So I guess Wheezy it is haha.

What do you use on your DSLD?

Thanks again for this wonderful resource!

I agree. It would be interesting to see what could come of it.

It's all relative to what system you're running on which machine. Compared to a Power Mac G4 MDD, of course Leopard would be painfully slow on an '02 iMac G4, for example. If you're on a G5, on the other hand, Tiger and Leopard are typically very quick on their feet. So when on the subject of speed, it can vary.

Yes, Tiger not only has less browsing options than Leopard, it also has older media libraries and frameworks, making it slower on the Web. But, it is much quicker than Leopard for offline usages, which is part of its appeal around here.

If you have time, I would try slotting 3.2 into one of the newer releases first. If that doesn't work out, then yeah, Wheezy would probably be best for portable use, at least out of the box.

It used to be on Wheezy, which worked well. But at the moment, it's on Tiger, as most of these laptops are generally treated better on OS X. Not only that, Tiger was what shipped on this model, and for the moment, I'm contented with just using Apple's greatest laptop on their greatest OS.

But it could go back to Wheezy, or one of the newer ones with this theoretical fix.

No problem, buddy.

Let me know how it all goes.

 

[Dronecatcher]

I didn't claim that it is "double as fast."

Sorry, "double fast" (which is what I said) is a British slang term meaning faster, not literally double.

I've used MintPPC too and with the same opinion - not as fast as OSX