Mac G5 can run Linux?

[lhoffstadt]

Hi, I was wondering if is possible that a Mac G5 1.6ghz with 4gb ram can run Linux to have a better performance has email server or something like that or would be best to stick with 10.5.8?

Not even sure if a Mac g5 can do this?

Thank you for your advice.

 

[DeltaMac]

Sure - you can use a PPC version of one of the Linux flavors.
MintPPC
Ubuntu (in various forms). I have run this at various times on an eMac that I use.
Debian
5 or 6 other Linuxes (Linusa? Linii? Linuu? whatever, lots of Linux )
Just search for your favorite, most are available in PPC versions. Some are better than others, depending on your use.

Maybe some other Linux users will chime in with their preferences.

 

[lhoffstadt]

Amazing, thanks for this information and help

 

[lhoffstadt]

currently I have 512MB of RAM, but I'm plan to upgrade to 4GB to used all the slots with 1GB.
Based on your experience, what do you think would be best, to re.install OSX 10.5.8 or to switch to a Linux distribution?

also in the case I keep OSX, I'm not sure if I have the recovery partition, can I try to install Leopard with a bootable USB from an ISO image from the OS?


thanks a lot

 

[128keaton]

currently I have 512MB of RAM, but I'm plan to upgrade to 4GB to used all the slots with 1GB.
Based on your experience, what do you think would be best, to re.install OSX 10.5.8 or to switch to a Linux distribution?

also in the case I keep OSX, I'm not sure if I have the recovery partition, can I try to install Leopard with a bootable USB from an ISO image from the OS?


thanks a lot

You only have two RAM slots, making your max 2.0GB

 

[lhoffstadt]

But I see 4 slots

 

[lhoffstadt]

the photo don´t see OK, but the are 3 DIMM populated , I know they need to work in pairs, but I have an empty slot still

 

[128keaton]

the photo don´t see OK, but the are 3 DIMM populated , I know they need to work in pairs, but I have an empty slot still

Ah, I see, i thought the title said iMac G5. Good luck

 

[lhoffstadt]

thanks

 

[SkyBell]

I've heard from a number of people that linux distributions on PPC are severely lacking in a number of areas compared to OS X; but you'd have to wait for more experienced users in this field to chime in, as I've only used Lubuntu on a PowerBook G4 and gave up pretty quickly on that idea.

 

[mzs.112000]

I have used Lubuntu before on a G3 iBook, and it had okay performance(only 256mb of ram), but wifi did not work, and graphics had some problems. Debian, MintPPC, and various Ubuntu flavours are great, but be prepared to fix graphical issues(some problem with radeon drivers on powerpc)

 

[lhoffstadt]

thanks all for your advice and help

 

[WalnutSpice]

currently I have 512MB of RAM, but I'm plan to upgrade to 4GB to used all the slots with 1GB.
Based on your experience, what do you think would be best, to re.install OSX 10.5.8 or to switch to a Linux distribution?

also in the case I keep OSX, I'm not sure if I have the recovery partition, can I try to install Leopard with a bootable USB from an ISO image from the OS?


thanks a lot

Just know, Linux does not support the 5200 64MB card, so if your G5 is running that card you will run into issues.

 

[lhoffstadt]

I have that card, I think I will have issues, thanks for this info

 

[happyfrappy]

GeForce 5200 is usable under Linux as I've ran it in the past on a 12" PB G4, just remember you'll need to grab drivers which are woefully limited in hardware acceleration as nVidia half-arsed the closed source 5-series GPU drivers after Ubuntu 9.xx and never truely opensourced that generation(ATI/AMD on the other hand opensourced certain aspects such as hardware MPEG-2 decoding support on the Radeon 8x00-9800 & All-In-Wonder model functions so you have slightly better video & 3D acceleration).

Since you have a PowerMac G5, you're lucky enough GeForce 6200 AGP cards are extremely common on the new/used market and the 6-series has great Linux support.

I've heard from a number of people that linux distributions on PPC are severely lacking in a number of areas compared to OS X; but you'd have to wait for more experienced users in this field to chime in, as I've only used Lubuntu on a PowerBook G4 and gave up pretty quickly on that idea.

Linux on G4/G5 is possible, however you need to use non-free source for the Airport Extreme drivers just like non-free codecs. Getting everything working is more time consuming than just buying a cheap $99 ECS Liva PC.

 

[lhoffstadt]

I was not aware that you can put a GeForce 6200 on a power mac g5 1.6. I was only aware that 5200 64mb was my only option

 

[happyfrappy]

You'd have to flash a GeForce 6200 to work on a Mac, not really too hard and gives you more flexibility on OS X & Linux.

 

[MacCubed]

I almost got my FX5200 working in Linux, got to the setup screen and then the video bogged out on me

 

[lhoffstadt]

Thanks for this information, this is great. I'm reading that are some options for video cards for Mac g5

 

[lowendlinux]

Just put Leopard on it..

If you were a Linux guy it might be a fun project but you're not and it won't be.

 

[jbarley]

Just put Leopard on it..

If you were a Linux guy it might be a fun project but you're not and it won't be.

Some years ago I tried hard to be "a Linux guy", but could never quite get it right, there was always something lacking.
So when I heard Apple had a new operating system based on UNIX I jumped right on it and have never looked back.

 

[lowendlinux]

Some years ago I tried hard to be "a Linux guy", but could never quite get it right, there was always something lacking.
So when I heard Apple had a new operating system based on UNIX I jumped right on it and have never looked back.

We all have things we like, it takes a while to be proficient and I don't think anyone is a master.

 

[Imixmuan]

We all have things we like, it takes a while to be proficient and I don't think anyone is a master.

Well, I've definitely met some Linux masters in my day....including his holiness Linus Torvalds himself, but as has often been stated here PowerPC Linux is not for the uninitiated, and its headache upon headache compared with x86 Linux. Full props to those who do it (like ppcluddite) of course. You are limited to just a handful of distros, most with community only or spotty as hell support/documentation. MintPPC had a lot of promise but is not under active development at the moment. Stick with OS X on PowerPC unless you are looking for a learning experience, in which case, have fun with that. If you have an old PC lying around here are my recommendations:

Best distro for old (five to ten years old) PC's: LXLE runner up: Lubuntu (lxle is based on lubuntu)
Best distro for really old (ten to fifteen year old) PC's: AntiX, runner up: Puppy
Best distro for newer (last five years) PC's: Linux Mint
Best overall Linux experience: Ubuntu or Mint on a ZaReason, System 76 or Think Penguin machine, as they are specifically designed to work out of the box with Tux. Kinda like how a mac is designed to work out of the box with OS X.

 

[lhoffstadt]

thanks for the info, I appreciated this