Kubuntu on Mac G3 [was: please help]

[James Tappin]

On Thu, 11 Dec 2008 20:17:39 +0000
Graham Todd <grahamtodd2 at googlemail.com> wrote:

GT> On Thu, 11 Dec 2008 08:11:20 +0100
GT> Nils Kassube <kassube at gmx.net> wrote:
GT> 
GT> > jacobo smeke wrote:
GT> > > the thing is that i have a mac g3, it crashed so i wanted to
GT> > > install kubuntu.
GT> > > i put the cd and it didnt worked, so i took the hard drive disk,
GT> > > and formated on a xp machine, then i installed kubuntu and it
GT> > > worked perfectly. then i took the disk and connected it on the
GT> > > mac, but im still having the same problem.
GT> > 
GT> > IIRC the Mac G3 has a PowerPC CPU. Then it can't work with the
GT> > i386  version of Kubuntu. You would need a Kubuntu version for
GT> > PowerPC but I don't know if that exists.
GT> > 
GT> > 
GT> > Nils
GT> > 
GT> The Ubuntu family no longer support PPC (PowerPC), but it used to do
GT> so.  The last version of Kubuntu for which you can obtain a version
GT> for the PPC is 7.04 ("Feisty Fawn").
GT> 
GT> I have a version of an earlier version of Kubuntu for PPC
GT> architecture (6.10) which I got from the Linux Shop.  If you go to:
GT> http://www.thelinuxshop.co.uk/catalog/index.php
GT> and then look down the Categories list you will find an item which
GT> reads something like "Linux for the PPC".  Kubuntu is listed on that
GT> page so you might consider purchasing a disk for about £3.00.
GT> 
GT> For all things Linux on PPC, you should visit:
GT> 
GT> http://www.penguinppc.org

This isn't quite accurate.

There are no offical (Canonical-backed) PPC versions anymore. However
there are "community" releases which can be found on
http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/ they are found under the ports directories
(however note that for (say) kubuntu the path is kubuntu/ports not
ports/kubuntu). That said, I have an old G3 iBook and I've found that
X-configuration is a real pain (the only solution I found was to boot an
old (Gutsy I think) live-cd and copy the xorg.conf generated by that to
a memory stick and then copy it onto the new system -- this applies to
both Hardy & Intrepid) this might not be a problem on a desktop box as
the problem seems to be that the iBook display doesn't return all the
information about its capabilities [actually quite a common problem with
laptops].

I'd strongly advise against trying Kubuntu Intrepid on such an old box
as it is unbelievably slow, Hardy was tolerable but not quick. Support
for the "lesser" variants like Xubuntu is flakey at best (many XFCE
applications just crashed on startup).

-- 
+------------------------+-------------------------------+---------+
| James Tappin           | School of Physics & Astronomy |  O__    |
| sjt at star.sr.bham.ac.uk | University of Birmingham      | --  \/` |
| Ph: 0121-414-6462. Fax: 0121-414-3722                  |         |
+--------------------------------------------------------+---------+