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Yumiko Noua

macrumors regular
Original poster
May 24, 2022
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WARNING, you are going to modify your system with older drivers from debian 8.11(jessie), you have been warned!
WARNING YOU MUST HAVE 1GB OF RAM ON YOUR iMac G3.
This guide is intended for "who doesn't want OpenBSD and who are pleased not to have graphics acceleration on their mac" YOU ARE WARNED!


Hello, in this guide I will show you how to get the gui on iMac g3 with debian 12! here some example of it:
1)

2024-02-14-113315_1024x768_scrot.png

2)
IMG_20240214_113415_edit_7149750468881950.jpg


To get this we need to follow these steps:

1) [first, the system must don't have xorg or a desktop environment, with the netinstall, install a clear system without xorg and desktop environment, if you install it you need to remove it completely, now follow the guide] we need to downgrade the Xorg and video drivers(r128 driver), how? well, I saw that these drivers work from debian 8.11(aka jessie), and how we can install they? first, remove completely Xorg and r128 drivers from your system, after that put in your "sources.list" these repository (from archive.debian.org) and comment the debian sid repository, after that do "sudo apt update".
example of what your sources.list should look like:
#deb http://deb.debian.org/debian-ports/ sid main #deb http://deb.debian.org/debian-ports/ unreleased main #deb-src http://deb.debian.org/debian-ports/ sid main deb [trusted=yes] http://archive.debian.org/debian/ jessie main deb-src [trusted=yes] http://archive.debian.org/debian/ jessie main

2) install all these from debian jessie repository xorg xserver-xorg xserver-xorg-core xserver-xorg-input-all xserver-xorg-input-evdev xserver-xorg-input-synaptics xserver-xorg-input-wacom xserver-xorg-video-r128
after that, you need to hold these packages to avoid problems in future, to hold do:
sudo apt-mark hold xorg xserver-xorg xserver-xorg-core xserver-xorg-input-all xserver-xorg-input-evdev xserver-xorg-input-synaptics xserver-xorg-input-wacom xserver-xorg-video-r128

3) After the imac g3 end to install all of these packages, fix the sources.list by commenting the debian jessie(8.11) repositories and putting the default ones back, now do "sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade"(by hold those packages before, you can install new packages or upgrade the system without problems)

4) For the last one, to make work xorg just generate a xorg.conf with "Xorg -configure" copy the result to "/etc/X11/" and now modify these sections:
Section "Module" Disable "glx" Disable "dri" Disable "dri2" EndSection Section "Monitor" Identifier "Monitor0" VendorName "Monitor Vendor" ModelName "Monitor Model" HorizSync 58-62 VertRefresh 75-117 EndSection Section "DRI" Mode 0666 EndSection

the xorg.conf file will look like this
Section "ServerLayout" Identifier "X.org Configured" Screen 0 "Screen0" 0 0 InputDevice "Mouse0" "CorePointer" InputDevice "Keyboard0" "CoreKeyboard" EndSection Section "Files" ModulePath "/usr/lib/xorg/modules" FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/misc" FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/cyrillic" FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/100dpi/:unscaled" FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/75dpi/:unscaled" FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/Type1" FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/100dpi" FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/75dpi" FontPath "built-ins" EndSection Section "Module" Disable "glx" Disable "dri" Disable "dri2" EndSection Section "InputDevice" Identifier "Keyboard0" Driver "kbd" EndSection Section "InputDevice" Identifier "Mouse0" Driver "mouse" Option "Protocol" "auto" Option "Device" "/dev/input/mice" Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5 6 7" EndSection Section "Monitor" Identifier "Monitor0" VendorName "Monitor Vendor" ModelName "Monitor Model" HorizSync 58-62 VertRefresh 75-117 EndSection Section "Device" ### Available Driver options are:- ### Values: <i>: integer, <f>: float, <bool>: "True"/"False", ### <string>: "String", <freq>: "<f> Hz/kHz/MHz", ### <percent>: "<f>%" ### [arg]: arg optional #Option "NoAccel" # [<bool>] #Option "SWcursor" # [<bool>] #Option "Dac6Bit" # [<bool>] #Option "Dac8Bit" # [<bool>] #Option "DMAForXv" # [<bool>] #Option "ForcePCIMode" # [<bool>] #Option "CCEPIOMode" # [<bool>] #Option "CCENoSecurity" # [<bool>] #Option "CCEusecTimeout" # <i> #Option "AGPMode" # <i> #Option "AGPSize" # <i> #Option "RingSize" # <i> #Option "BufferSize" # <i> #Option "EnablePageFlip" # [<bool>] #Option "Display" # <str> #Option "PanelWidth" # <i> #Option "PanelHeight" # <i> #Option "ProgramFPRegs" # [<bool>] #Option "UseFBDev" # [<bool>] #Option "VideoKey" # <i> #Option "ShowCache" # [<bool>] #Option "VGAAccess" # [<bool>] #Option "AccelMethod" # <str> #Option "RenderAccel" # [<bool>] Identifier "Card0" Driver "r128" BusID "PCI:0:16:0" EndSection Section "Screen" Identifier "Screen0" Device "Card0" Monitor "Monitor0" SubSection "Display" Viewport 0 0 Depth 1 EndSubSection SubSection "Display" Viewport 0 0 Depth 4 EndSubSection SubSection "Display" Viewport 0 0 Depth 8 EndSubSection SubSection "Display" Viewport 0 0 Depth 15 EndSubSection SubSection "Display" Viewport 0 0 Depth 16 EndSubSection SubSection "Display" Viewport 0 0 Depth 24 EndSubSection EndSection Section "DRI" Mode 0666 EndSection

5) Install a desktop environment or a window manager and enjoy your new system (without graphic acceleration...)

ENJOY!! (If you have any problems or I forgot something let me know)
 
Last edited:
with the latest update (for fix the 2038 problem) this guide will not work anymore, in future maybe can but for now no.
 
WARNING, you are going to modify your system with older drivers from debian 8.11(jessie), you have been warned!
WARNING YOU MUST HAVE 1GB OF RAM ON YOUR iMac G3.
This guide is intended for "who doesn't want OpenBSD and who are pleased not to have graphics acceleration on their mac" YOU ARE WARNED!


Hello, in this guide I will show you how to get the gui on iMac g3 with debian 12! here some example of it:
1)

View attachment 2349261
2)
View attachment 2349262

To get this we need to follow these steps:

1) [first, the system must don't have xorg or a desktop environment, with the netinstall, install a clear system without xorg and desktop environment, if you install it you need to remove it completely, now follow the guide] we need to downgrade the Xorg and video drivers(r128 driver), how? well, I saw that these drivers work from debian 8.11(aka jessie), and how we can install they? first, remove completely Xorg and r128 drivers from your system, after that put in your "sources.list" these repository (from archive.debian.org) and comment the debian sid repository, after that do "sudo apt update".
example of what your sources.list should look like:

#deb http://deb.debian.org/debian-ports/ sid main
#deb http://deb.debian.org/debian-ports/ unreleased main
#deb-src http://deb.debian.org/debian-ports/ sid main
deb [trusted=yes] http://archive.debian.org/debian/ jessie main
deb-src [trusted=yes] http://archive.debian.org/debian/ jessie main


2) install all these from debian jessie repository
xorg xserver-xorg xserver-xorg-core xserver-xorg-input-all
xserver-xorg-input-evdev xserver-xorg-input-synaptics
xserver-xorg-input-wacom xserver-xorg-video-r128

after that, you need to hold these packages to avoid problems in future, to hold do:
sudo apt-mark hold xorg xserver-xorg xserver-xorg-core xserver-xorg-input-all xserver-xorg-input-evdev xserver-xorg-input-synaptics xserver-xorg-input-wacom xserver-xorg-video-r128

3) After the imac g3 end to install all of these packages, fix the sources.list by commenting the debian jessie(8.11) repositories and putting the default ones back, now do "sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade"(by hold those packages before, you can install new packages or upgrade the system without problems)

4) For the last one, to make work xorg just generate a xorg.conf with "Xorg -configure" copy the result to "/etc/X11/" and now modify these sections:

Section "Module"
Disable "glx"
Disable "dri"
Disable "dri2"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Monitor0"
VendorName "Monitor Vendor"
ModelName "Monitor Model"
HorizSync 58-62
VertRefresh 75-117
EndSection

Section "DRI"
Mode 0666
EndSection


the xorg.conf file will look like this

Section "ServerLayout"
Identifier "X.org Configured"
Screen 0 "Screen0" 0 0
InputDevice "Mouse0" "CorePointer"
InputDevice "Keyboard0" "CoreKeyboard"
EndSection

Section "Files"
ModulePath "/usr/lib/xorg/modules"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/misc"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/cyrillic"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/100dpi/:unscaled"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/75dpi/:unscaled"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/Type1"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/100dpi"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/75dpi"
FontPath "built-ins"
EndSection

Section "Module"
Disable "glx"
Disable "dri"
Disable "dri2"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Keyboard0"
Driver "kbd"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Mouse0"
Driver "mouse"
Option "Protocol" "auto"
Option "Device" "/dev/input/mice"
Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5 6 7"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Monitor0"
VendorName "Monitor Vendor"
ModelName "Monitor Model"
HorizSync 58-62
VertRefresh 75-117
EndSection

Section "Device"
### Available Driver options are:-
### Values: <i>: integer, <f>: float, <bool>: "True"/"False",
### <string>: "String", <freq>: "<f> Hz/kHz/MHz",
### <percent>: "<f>%"
### [arg]: arg optional
#Option "NoAccel" # [<bool>]
#Option "SWcursor" # [<bool>]
#Option "Dac6Bit" # [<bool>]
#Option "Dac8Bit" # [<bool>]
#Option "DMAForXv" # [<bool>]
#Option "ForcePCIMode" # [<bool>]
#Option "CCEPIOMode" # [<bool>]
#Option "CCENoSecurity" # [<bool>]
#Option "CCEusecTimeout" # <i>
#Option "AGPMode" # <i>
#Option "AGPSize" # <i>
#Option "RingSize" # <i>
#Option "BufferSize" # <i>
#Option "EnablePageFlip" # [<bool>]
#Option "Display" # <str>
#Option "PanelWidth" # <i>
#Option "PanelHeight" # <i>
#Option "ProgramFPRegs" # [<bool>]
#Option "UseFBDev" # [<bool>]
#Option "VideoKey" # <i>
#Option "ShowCache" # [<bool>]
#Option "VGAAccess" # [<bool>]
#Option "AccelMethod" # <str>
#Option "RenderAccel" # [<bool>]
Identifier "Card0"
Driver "r128"
BusID "PCI:0:16:0"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
Identifier "Screen0"
Device "Card0"
Monitor "Monitor0"
SubSection "Display"
Viewport 0 0
Depth 1
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Viewport 0 0
Depth 4
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Viewport 0 0
Depth 8
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Viewport 0 0
Depth 15
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Viewport 0 0
Depth 16
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Viewport 0 0
Depth 24
EndSubSection
EndSection
Section "DRI"
Mode 0666
EndSection

5) Install a desktop environment or a window manager and enjoy your new system (without graphic acceleration...)

ENJOY!! (If you have any problems or I forgot something let me know)
WARNING, you are going to modify your system with older drivers from debian 8.11(jessie), you have been warned!
WARNING YOU MUST HAVE 1GB OF RAM ON YOUR iMac G3.
This guide is intended for "who doesn't want OpenBSD and who are pleased not to have graphics acceleration on their mac" YOU ARE WARNED!


UPDATE: After a while, i got again Xorg working on my iMac G3, the method is the same of the last time, but now I used Fienix distro (still a debian based).
So, after the installation of Fienix, i add some "modification" of the desktop environment (from MATE to awesome wm) with the debian ports repo(modify the desktop environment is optional), and after used my guide with the same method, I got the gui without acceleration, here some screenshot:
1) desktop
Screenshot_20250307_090157.jpg
Screenshot 2025-03-07 08_32_48.png
2) Sealion Browser
IMG_20250307_084039_edit_45989920726836.jpg

If I missed something or you have some doubts feel free to let me know!
 
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