Debian Sid Remix (ppc32/ppc64)

[wicknix]

The PowerPC Debian Wiki

Mac OS X Tiger was released in 2005, its final security update being in 2009. Mac OS X Leopard was released in 2007, given its very last security update in 2011, and is the ultimate version of Mac OS X compatible with the PowerPC architecture, effectively marking the entire family EOL, even for...

forums.macrumors.com

 

[z970]

Where do I find that PowerPC version? I wasn't quite sure where to look. Thanks.

You can enter a terminal session by pressing Ctrl + Alt + F1 (you can also return to the GUI with Ctrl + Alt + F7). - You may need to include Fn if the key is present.

Log in using the credentials you chose while installing the operating system.

When you see $, enter in sudo apt update.

When it's finished updating the repositories, enter sudo apt install gparted.

This works because, since APT has already communicated with the distribution package repositories and has already automatically situated the intricacies of package selection for you, it is smart enough to download and install the special PowerPC version of gparted all by itself just by you telling it that you want to install gparted (via the aforementioned command of course). At the literal drop of a hat, if you will, and that's because it's already got a beat on where the software comes from. It knows things other installers don't... which works to your favor.

They don't call it the Advanced Package Tool for nothing, you know ...

 

[Amethyst1]

This works because, since APT has already communicated with the distribution package repositories and has already automatically situated the intricacies of package selection for you, it is smart enough to download and install the special PowerPC version of gparted all by itself

Well, a package manager that couldn't figure out the architecture used and download the appropriate packages would be pretty useless.

 

[z970]

Well, a package manager that couldn't figure out the architecture used and download the appropriate packages would be pretty useless.

It would be beginner-unfriendly, of course. On the other hand, an argument could be made for the modularity and control of one if you had to specify the architecture each time, and likewise to what extent the dependencies. There is merit to the idea...

 

[Amethyst1]

On the other hand, an argument could be made for the modularity and control of one if you had to specify the architecture each time, and likewise to what extent the dependencies.

Of course - you may want to install a 32-bit package on a 64-bit system (provided the architecture is the same), or have it not resolve dependencies automatically. But forcing installation of a binary package compiled for x86 on a ppc system, for instance, would be pointless.

With that being said, I had to wade through dependency mud on my first-ever Linux installation ages ago, and while the feeling of finally having "beaten" it was good, I'm glad I don't have to do that anymore unless I explicitly choose to.

 

[repairedCheese]

Of course - you may want to install a 32-bit package on a 64-bit system (provided the architecture is the same), or have it not resolve dependencies automatically.

This actually makes me wonder, would it be possible to use fairly stable Ubuntu 16.04 32-bit repositories alongside the far less stable Debian Sid ppc64 ones? I've used Linux enough to know 64-bit and 32-bit can coexist on x86, but might this give a little more stability to Sid where it needs it?

 

[wnlewis]

You can enter a terminal session by pressing Ctrl + Alt + F1 (you can also return to the GUI with Ctrl + Alt + F7). - You may need to include Fn if the key is present.

I can get to terminal through spotlight, but the key commands do not work. This is a 32 bit PowerPC computer and not, Intel.

I did the sudo apt update and then at the next $ sign, the sudo apt install gparted.

Gparted is a program to change the partitions on hard drives and SSD's, if I am correct.

What should I look for to see if Gparted has been installed?

Thanks.

 

[z970]

I can get to terminal through spotlight, but the key commands do not work. This is a 32 bit PowerPC computer and not, Intel.

I did the sudo apt update and then at the next $ sign, the sudo apt install gparted.

Gparted is a program to change the partitions on hard drives and SSD's, if I am correct.

What should I look for to see if Gparted has been installed?

Thanks.

Spotlight? You're talking about OS X? I thought you were on Debian Sid this whole time!

Linux systems have the ability to drop into a new terminal session with those commands. OS X has never had this feature, and has absolutely nothing to do with whether the machine in question is a PowerPC or Intel-based Mac.

GParted can also add and remove partitions, among quite a lot more as it is one of the most powerful graphical partitioning tools available.

If you're on OS X, why not just use the built-in Disk Utility? It's more user-friendly than GParted.

Alternatively, iPartition has recently become available as official abandonware, so if you prefer not to use Disk Utility, there is also that option as well.

Coriolis Systems

 

[wnlewis]

Spotlight? You're talking about OS X? I thought you were on Debian Sid this whole time!

Linux systems have the ability to drop into a new terminal session with those commands. OS X has never had this feature, and has absolutely nothing to do with whether the machine in question is a PowerPC or Intel-based Mac.

GParted can also add and remove partitions, among quite a lot more as it is one of the most powerful graphical partitioning tools available.

If you're on OS X, why not just use the built-in Disk Utility? It's more user-friendly than GParted.

Alternatively, iPartition has recently become available as official abandonware, so if you prefer not to use Disk Utility, there is also that option as well.

Coriolis Systems

In the past I have and have used iPartion, Drive Genius 2, Disk Utility and have used TestDisk followed by sudo pdisk /dev/rdisk1 since I did not think gparted applied to Mac OS 10.4.11 on a PowerPC Macintosh.

Right now I am trying to get MintPPC up and running on a Sawtooth G4. One of the hard drives is 300 Gb (nominal size). It has been partitioned into 3 equal sized "disks". I want "dual boot" capability.

How do I do that?

wnlewis

P.S. The Debian site store has a book in Nederlands (the language) about getting started in Linux for beginners. I would gladly pay the money, but I don't speak Dutch. Barring a translated copy of that, what is the best book for beginners? Thanks, WNL

 

[z970]

In the past I have and have used iPartion, Drive Genius 2, Disk Utility and have used TestDisk followed by sudo pdisk /dev/rdisk1 since I did not think gparted applied to Mac OS 10.4.11 on a PowerPC Macintosh.

Right now I am trying to get MintPPC up and running on a Sawtooth G4. One of the hard drives is 300 Gb (nominal size). It has been partitioned into 3 equal sized "disks". I want "dual boot" capability.

How do I do that?

wnlewis

P.S. The Debian site store has a book in Nederlands (the language) about getting started in Linux for beginners. I would gladly pay the money, but I don't speak Dutch. Barring a translated copy of that, what is the best book for beginners? Thanks, WNL

The PowerPC Linux Wiki has a section on dual booting. It explains how to do things via the two partition method, but you could do the same with three.

The PowerPC Debian Wiki

Mac OS X Tiger was released in 2005, its final security update being in 2009. Mac OS X Leopard was released in 2007, given its very last security update in 2011, and is the ultimate version of Mac OS X compatible with the PowerPC architecture, effectively marking the entire family EOL, even for...

forums.macrumors.com

As far as books go, I really liked my copy of BDM's The Ubuntu Manual, which can be found here:

The Ubuntu Manual Vol 10 - Digital Download - BDM Tech Guidebooks

If you’ve ever wondered how Ubuntu works, how to install and use it, and how to experiment and tweak it, then this is the manual for you.

bdmpublications.com

BDM also seems to have a more general book on Linux. If I had the option, I probably would have gotten this one instead:

Linux and Open Source Manual Vol 28 - BDM Tech Guide Books

Linux and open source is a movement that’s gathering pace and embraces everything that’s good about the modern digital age.

bdmpublications.com

Alternatively, there is another project called The Ubuntu Manual, which also offers a free PDF. It seems to be a little outdated, but at the core, most Linux distros don't usually change much anyway.

Ubuntu Manual - Home

Getting Started with Ubuntu 12.10 is a free, comprehensive beginner’s guide for the Ubuntu operating system.

ubuntu-manual.org

Hope I was helpful.

 

[wnlewis]

I looked at the Power PC Linux Wiki early on in this effort. However, that discussion focuses on Ubuntu, which seems to no longer support PowerPC, or is going away from PowerPC.

The new version of MintPPC is being built on Debian. How much difference is there between Ubuntu and Debian?

Both books are out of stock from Black Dog Media (BDM). I found the second book on Amazon.

 

[repairedCheese]

I looked at the Power PC Linux Wiki early on in this effort. However, that discussion focuses on Ubuntu, which seems to no longer support PowerPC, or is going away from PowerPC.

Ubuntu still supports 16.04 which does have PowerPC support, at least on paper, until 2021. You can be forgiven for not being able to find any evidence for that on their site, they aren't exactly promoting it in any way whatsoever.

But they still supply isos from their site if you dig hard enough. The problem is that you really need to know it's there. The information and isos provided by this forum make things a lot easier.

 

[z970]

I looked at the Power PC Linux Wiki early on in this effort. However, that discussion focuses on Ubuntu, which seems to no longer support PowerPC, or is going away from PowerPC.

The new version of MintPPC is being built on Debian. How much difference is there between Ubuntu and Debian?

Both books are out of stock from Black Dog Media (BDM). I found the second book on Amazon.

Actually, the Wiki places slightly more focus upon Debian than Ubuntu, but currently, both are equally supported.

April 2016's Ubuntu 16.04 supports PowerPC just fine, until April 2021. Theoretically, it would be possible for someone to recompile the 18.04 and soon 20.04 repositories for PowerPC as everything is open source, but 16.04 was the last officially released Long Term Support version compatible with the PowerPC architecture, so that's what most here typically use.

For the purposes of the Wiki, the practical difference between Ubuntu and Debian is very little. In fact, as far as packaging, networking, setup, and configuration go, the two are even interchangeable.

The dual boot guide can be found within the Guides section under Dual Boot Between Linux / OS X.

 

[wnlewis]

Ubuntu still supports 16.04 which does have PowerPC support, at least on paper, until 2021. You can be forgiven for not being able to find any evidence for that on their site, they aren't exactly promoting it in any way whatsoever.

But they still supply isos from their site if you dig hard enough. The problem is that you really need to know it's there. The information and isos provided by this forum make things a lot easier.

I downloaded and burned: ubuntu-mate-16.04-desktop-powerpc.iso.

I put it in the G4, held down the C key and booted the computer. In a few minues, I had live Ubuntu Mate, including gparted.

A question I have at this time, is this: the dual boot option - in the Ubuntu Mate install routine - only lists Windows as a dual boot option. Is it likely to let me dual boot Mac 10.5.8 PowerPC?

If it is likely to do that, then I plan to disconnect all but the 300 Gb hard drive that has been partitioned into three equal sized "disks". Do I put the full 10.5.8 install on the first "disk"? Or, do I put I put it on another "disk"? Or do I install it and then let gparted wipe out all but an Apple boot partition on the selected "disk", in the process of making the necessary new partitions?

If the answer is to "go ahead", then I reboot with the CD. Should gparted be able to distinguish among the "disks" - if I have the option to dual boot with 10.5.8?

At that point I should be able to install Ubuntu Mate on the appropriate "disk". I would like to be able to have a shared partition so that files may be shared between the Mac OS and Linux.

And, if all that works, it seems that I might be able to install MintPPC in top of Ubuntu - MintPPC being a variant of Debian, and Debian and Ubuntu having similar structures.

I'm quite excited to have something go right. I has been a several weeks - actually several months - effort to get to this point.

 

[MoerBoer]

I've got everything up and running and it's working like a charm. I am however struggling to install the ATI non-free drivers.

Apologies for the screenshot, but I can't seem to be able to post here with Arctic Fox.

Any idea on why the ATI drivers fail?

I'm using this as the apt source:

deb [trusted=yes] http://snapshot.debian.org/archive/debian-ports/20190707T221412Z/ sid main

I've tried adding non-free at the end, but it still doesn't work.

EDIT: I'm an idiot that can't read.

This should also be added to the source list

deb [arch=all] http://ftp.debian.org/debian/ unstable main contrib non-free

Thanks

 

[Amethyst1]

I've got everything up and running and it's working like a charm. I am however struggling to install the ATI non-free drivers.

Apologies for the screenshot, but I can't seem to be able to post here with Arctic Fox.

Any idea on why the ATI drivers fail?

I'm using this as the apt source:

deb [trusted=yes] http://snapshot.debian.org/archive/debian-ports/20190707T221412Z/ sid main

I've tried adding non-free at the end, but it still doesn't work.

Thanks

Did you run apt-get update after adding the source?

 

[MoerBoer]

Did you run apt-get update after adding the source?

Just updated the original post, it helps if I RTFM ....

It's busy installing as I'm typing here on my other machine.

 

[MoerBoer]

AMD Acceleration sorted!

 

[Bea Groves-McDaniel]

An excellent remix,,, many thanks for the work. Added RAM to my old Ibook G4, installed your version, and then used OpenBox as a desktop. Works really well, and makes the old laptop really useful again.

I'm going to experiment with similar Sid modifications (mostly for fun).
But could you give the mkisofs command line you used to create the final ISO image?

 

[wicknix]

Thanks. The install instructions are slightly dated now, but it still works in a pinch. As for the mkisofs command i included it in the iso / burned cd in a hidden folder. You'll find it in /.disk. You'll need to edit the paths to fit yours, and you'll also need the hfs.map file (can be found on the net). I also used this guide as a template to extract/modify/create the new iso. Some things don't apply to powerpc, but 98% of this guide is accurate.

How to Customize an Ubuntu Installation Disc – The Right Way – nathanpfry.com

Cheers

 

[Jeroen Diederen]

The new installer images based on Debian Sid do not work with the mkisofs trick. They now use xorriso. I have not been able to spin an iso myself. Maybe @wicknix can solve this?

 

[wicknix]

I'll take a look next time i boot my dev machine. Although, i still prefer yaboot over grub, so i have no issue using this older snapshot to install, then simply updating the system/software after install. The end result is still the same.

Cheers

 

[timidpimpin]

@wicknix
I've been out of the PowerPC Linux game for a long time. How are things now generally, and do you think we'll see any growth in the future?

 

[wicknix]

Depends on the machine more than anything really. Some are better supported, others have slight issues, but all in all, things are probably better now than they've been for the last few years. Sad to see Ubuntu and Debian officially drop support, but debian-ports is still alive and kicking, and that helps keep other projects like MintPPC and Fienix around. Void-ppc is coming along nicely. I haven't tried Adelie yet, but those who use it seem to like it. I've been trying to keep Ubuntu 12 & 16 alive by rebuilding some software to newer/current versions and remixing the iso's by fixing post-install anoyances etc to make it usable out of the box. I think now with the Blackbird etc being modern machines, things will pick up on that front. Void-ppc supports it, Fedora 32 as well ( https://alt.fedoraproject.org/alt/ ). Hard to say, but i don't see ppc linux or *bsd going away any time soon.

Cheers

 

[Jeroen Diederen]

Try this as root:

wget http://ftp.ports.debian.org/debian-ports/pool/main/d/debian-ports-archive-keyring/debian-ports-archive-keyring_2019.11.05_all.deb

dpkg -i debian-ports-archive-keyring_2019.11.05_all.deb

You can then have the usual sources.list without the keyring problem.