Install modern Linux on Old World Mac?

[DearthnVader]

I have a Biege G3 Rev 1 and a PowerMac 9600 so I figured I start the quest to install a modern Linux PPC on these old machines.

Years ago I had a PowerMac 8600 and installed Yellowdog Linux using BootX( Linux not the OS X boot loader ). So I am moderately familiar with that, but researching installing modern Linux PPC, it seems newer Kernels and initrd images won't work with BootX on Old World machines.

So that leaves us with a newer boot loader called iQuik:

GitHub - andreiw/iQUIK: An OldWorld PowerPC Linux bootloader for the 21st century

An OldWorld PowerPC Linux bootloader for the 21st century - andreiw/iQUIK

github.com

Sadly there doesn't seem to be any step by step instructions for installing later Linux PPC using iQuik on the Old World machines that I have found. Only some instructions on booting qemu-system-ppc:

iQUIK - the new old PowerMac bootloader for OldWorld machines

About three quarters of a year ago I found a PowerBook 3400c in the trash pile at work. Given my ongoing nostalgia for PowerPC and OpenFirmw...

osdevnotes.blogspot.com

So, anyone want to take this quest on with me, simply because it is there?

I'm unsure exactly what I need to do as the first step to get the Linux PPC installer to boot on the Old World machines using iQuik?

 

[666sheep]

I'm completely not the Linux guy, but it seems Ubuntu is installable on Old World Macs: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Installation/OldWorldMacs

 

[galgot]

Hi, I installed Debian Sid Remix on a Powerbook Wallstreet, using BootX for bootloader. I think these together with the PDQs are the last OldWorld PowerBooks...

Debian Sid Remix (ppc32/ppc64)

Just to report that I'm quite happy to have this running on a Wallstreet 250Ghz , double boot mandatory with BootX . Had difficulty copying the installed kernel files to the MacOS partition as it wouldn't show on the linux side, had to copy the Kernel files to my home directory, then remove HD...

forums.macrumors.com

Didn't tried installing a recent linux on older than that recently, But have a Kanga running Ubuntu 9.10, and remember that when trying what distro would boot on it, nothing more recent than that would do.

Edit: Ahaahh... From your second link, he says he could run Debian Wheezy on a 3400c. Never managed that... interesting !

 

[swamprock]

Years ago, when MintPPC upgraded to Jessie, I created a self-bootable Old World Mac CD to install it on my Wallstreet. Unfortunately, my old forum post on his forum disappeared with the original distro and website, and I've long forgotten how I did it. I had followed the procedure of another post on that forum to create it. I do remember having to remove my WS drive and copying over the kernel and initramfs from another Mac, but I forget the details on how to actually create the CD. I would have posted it here, but I wasn't a member or visitor of this forum yet.

There is a post on this forum where I was able to boot the Ubuntu 12.04 Live CD on the Wallstreet using BootX and a command line. Maybe this post would help.

 

[Sergione78]

hello everyone, I see that the topic is old but I'm very interested, since I've been trying for days to install debian 3.0 on my old performa 5400/180. So far my progress has stopped at installing the base system from the net. When I try to restart the system, after the part in which we "make the system bootable" the screen remains dark. I know this issue depends on OF. Since I don't have any suitable cable to access OF, I've tried at least 30 times to change command line parameters from command line using the nvsetenv program as suggested, but nothing. When I change any of the default parameters, the system couldn't boot and the screen go black.
Does anyone here have experience on how to install iquik or otherwise how to use it? Ah, I state that I tried to create boot floppies but none of these work and they are spat out as if they had leprosy ...

 

[Sergione78]

clearly I know bootx but I'm not interested in using it except as a last resort, since I don't want to have an old macOS on the hard drive