Next on our list of best lightweight Linux distributions is Lubuntu. As the name suggests a member of Ubuntu family but based on LXDE desktop environment. In fact, it is one of the official flavors of Ubuntu. Lubuntu also supports older computers that had been buried (Just kidding! You can also use Lubuntu on modern hardware).
[ Ports ][ Debian for PowerPC ][ Development ][ Documentation ][ Installation ]Here are some highlights of the PowerMac installation of Debian. Fordetailed instructions, please studythe fine InstallationManual. TheDebian Installer team have spent many long hours attempting to answeryour questions in advance and give you excellent written guidance asyou install Debian.
It is certainly possible, and there are actually quite elegantsolutions for the NewWorld Macs, to dual boot your Debian PowerMacsystem with Mac OS and/or Mac OS X. If you are planning on doing a newinstallation of Mac OS X, though, do it before installing Debian. TheMac OS X installer is very unkind to existing systems when itinstalls. Shortly, you may also have the option of running Debianwithin a Darwin system.
The Debian installation uses a 2.6 series kernel. This kernel shouldsupport most PowerMac hardware. A 2.4 series powerpc flavour kernel isavailable for users with externally supplied modules that have notbeen ported to 2.6 kernels. However, the use of this kernel isstrongly discouraged.
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You will need to partition your disk; Linux must be installed on itsown partition(s). If you have a single-disk system, that will entailbacking up everything on your system and restoring it afterpartitioning is complete. Some third-party partitioning tools may beable to 'shrink' a partition so you have room for more partitions onyour disk without destroying what's already there, but they willundoubtedly advise a backup also. Drive Setup does not offer thatoption, it erases the entire drive.
1 GB is probably enough space for an experimental Linux system. You canget by with less, perhaps as little as 400 MB for a really basic system,but you'll more than likely want more than just the basics.
After partitioning your disk, you will need to obtain an installationCD or download the installer system. Once you finally sit down to dothe installation (preferably with installation manual in hand), youwill probably burn up 2 or 3 hours making it happen. An experiencedinstaller can get a basic install done in under half an hour.
If you're really uncomfortable with command lines, then install the Xdesktop after you've finished the basic system install. But give it asecond thought, too: there's a world of power in the Linux commandline. Some things that are very difficult to do in a graphicalinterface are very fast and efficient on the command line. Also, sincethe Linux system is command-line based, there are some functions whichare only accessible from the command line. The default system sets up6 command line consoles, and one graphical one. You can get a lot ofwork done in those other consoles while you're browsing the web... andthat way you can have the best of both worlds.
The PowerPC platform runs really well with Linux. It's highlyrespected in much of the Linux world. Enjoy, and remember to givesomething back!
For help with Quik on OldWorld Macs, seehttp://penguinppc.org/bootloaders/quik/
For detailed information on the various Mac models and in particularinfo on working with OpenFirmware with any given model, check out theNetBSDPowerPC Model list. Since their installation requires one to getOpenFirmware up first, they're the experts on that angle.