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zhivago1955

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 11, 2012
33
1
Oregon
Is it possible to dual load Ubuntu and mac OS on a Powerbook G4 12" 1.5 Ghz? Or, can I exclusively use the OpenSource OS?

Thank You
zhivago1955
 

PowerPCMacMan

macrumors 6502a
Jul 17, 2012
800
1
PowerPC land
Hi, yes and no.. Say for instance you have Ubuntu on a separate drive.. In order for you to dual boot with OS X you would have to manually select Ubuntu by hitting OPTION key and selecting it from there.

Maybe rEFIT works on PowerPC.. I am not sure and never tried it. You can ask though.

Is it possible to dual load Ubuntu and mac OS on a Powerbook G4 12" 1.5 Ghz? Or, can I exclusively use the OpenSource OS?

Thank You
zhivago1955
 

zhivago1955

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 11, 2012
33
1
Oregon
Maybe rEFIT works on PowerPC.. I am not sure and never tried it. You can ask though.


I've seen a couple of tutorials with rEFIT on different mac devices but not on a PB G4. I did partition the 32GB SSD for both OS's. I was able to get Mac loaded but not ubuntu.
 

boneskid1

macrumors member
Sep 19, 2012
95
0
dont try to use rEFIt, i have done this on my 17" powerbook g4 with ubuntu 12.04 and it works pretty well with exception of some sleep bugs, but it may not pertain to you.

so......
1. you need to have a stable, working os x setup to begin with filling up the whole drive with no partitions
2. put the ubuntu/linux disc in the mac and reboot, boot to the disc by holding c right after you push the power button. this will kick you into installation
3. once you get to where it asks "Where would you like to install ubuntu" it should give you an option to install alongside os x which you will select and choose how big you want the partition.
4. if all goes well when you boot the openfirmware will give an option before booting os x to "press l to boot linux" "Press x to boot Mac os x"


if you have any more questions ask here or pop over the the mac section on the ubuntu forums http://ubuntuforums.org/forumdisplay.php?f=328

look for anything that has to do with the ubuntu version and your mac (power pc)
 

rjcalifornia

macrumors 6502a
Oct 4, 2012
668
7
El Salvador
Is it possible to dual load Ubuntu and mac OS on a Powerbook G4 12" 1.5 Ghz? Or, can I exclusively use the OpenSource OS?

Thank You
zhivago1955

You can. If you have enough hard drive space, partition it and install Ubuntu (wrong choice ever) in the new partition. It has to be a journaled partition.
 

boneskid1

macrumors member
Sep 19, 2012
95
0
You can. If you have enough hard drive space, partition it and install Ubuntu (wrong choice ever) in the new partition. It has to be a journaled partition.

not to sure why it would be a wrong choice? if the OP would like to try out ubuntu let them. sure it is not fully supported, and there is a few bugs. but most of them have work arounds/fixes.

oh. and btw there is more support for the powerpc linux community than there is for the powerpc os x community (as far as i can tell). quite a few applications in ubuntu are still updated vs. apple leaving us in the dust
 

wobegong

Guest
May 29, 2012
418
1
quite a few applications in ubuntu are still updated vs. apple leaving us in the dust

Virtually everything is updated :D

It's the only way to run modern software (Firefox 18 for example :eek:) on a PPC..
I was sorely tempted to give it a go (i use Linux on my work desktop now) but am happy with using my beloved PM as a XBMC centre now which it does perfectly.
 

rjcalifornia

macrumors 6502a
Oct 4, 2012
668
7
El Salvador
not to sure why it would be a wrong choice? if the OP would like to try out ubuntu let them. sure it is not fully supported, and there is a few bugs. but most of them have work arounds/fixes.

oh. and btw there is more support for the powerpc linux community than there is for the powerpc os x community (as far as i can tell). quite a few applications in ubuntu are still updated vs. apple leaving us in the dust

Yeah because why install Ubuntu when you have Kubuntu? :cool:
 

boneskid1

macrumors member
Sep 19, 2012
95
0
that is a vaild point, it is all within the linux scheme of things its just that (as far as i have noticed) each iteration of ubuntu (lubuntu, xubuntu, kubuntu) really are the same thing just with a different gui loaded by default. plus the linux os's with a lighter gui (lubuntu, xubuntu.......) use much less space on the internal disk and don't need as much ram to run quickly.

so......
what it comes down to is. what version do you want. stock ubuntu is a bit of a ram hog and i had 1.5gb when it was installed. i have not tried any other distros (i couldnt get xubuntu to work)
 

PowerPCMacMan

macrumors 6502a
Jul 17, 2012
800
1
PowerPC land
If the system requirements specify just G4 or G5 then YES.. If it gives a range, for example.. PowerPC G4(867mhz or higher), G5.. this means that it will only run on G4's that run at 867mhz or higher while all G5 series will work.


Is Kubuntu compatible with a Powerbook G4 ? I have 3 different PB's for tinkering. Which do you think might be best with Kubuntu installed in it? 867Ghz, 1.5 GHz, or 1.33?
 
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