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Why bother with VPC. Linux has several distros that work on a PPC. Gentoo, YellowDog, and I am sure there are more that I can't think of off the top of my head.

Or you could do what I do and just use the FreeBSD core of OS X to run *nix apps. Look at the Fink or OpenDarwin projects to get a listing of available packages (apps).
 
I've done it. It works pretty well but VPC is still slow. The nice part is that you don't have to burn CDs--just mount the iso and run it from the hard drive.

Now that Microsoft owns Virtual PC, what are the chances that they somehow disable the possibility of installing Linux in future versions? I give it about 100% Why allow competition?
 
Horrortaxi said:
I've done it. It works pretty well but VPC is still slow. The nice part is that you don't have to burn CDs--just mount the iso and run it from the hard drive.

Now that Microsoft owns Virtual PC, what are the chances that they somehow disable the possibility of installing Linux in future versions? I give it about 100% Why allow competition?
Because VMWare would eat them for lunch. Besides, running another OS under VPC doesn't cost them anything, you still have to buy THEIR software. And since they will develop and promote the Windows version much more heavily than the Mac version, you will be buying 2 pieces of their software.
 
vpc is an emulator, doesnt matter what OS as long as its the right architecture. the only way MS can make the Windows part of VPC better is if they add a whole bunch of Mac OS X/Windows goodies to it.

I have tried gentoo, WAYYY too slow though.
but knoppix is usable.
 
übergeek said:
vpc is an emulator, doesnt matter what OS as long as its the right architecture.
Not necessarily true; although the original VPC was, as far as I know, a hardware emulator (meaning it pretends to be the PC hardware and as such can in theory run anything compatible), it's quite possible to build an emulator in such a way that it only works with one OS.

Although few enough people bothered to run Linux on VPC for the Mac that MS might not bother specifically disabling it, they might well build in a lot of specific optimizations for Windows to the point it won't run anything else (or at least not run anything else well).

I do wonder how heavily MS is going to tweak Windows for VPC, and I haven't heard much about what tack they're taking; they might just take VPC as it is and build in enough optimizations to make it useable on the G5, orthey might install some tweaked low-level components in Windows to make it run better on the PPC--Connectix already did a bit of that, after all, and MS coud certainly do a lot more if they wanted.

If my guess is right, by VPC9 it'll probably be more like Virtual Windows, and it'll run great, but it'll also be running the only version of Office we're going to get. Hope I'm just paranoid.
 
Makosuke said:
Not necessarily true; although the original VPC was, as far as I know, a hardware emulator (meaning it pretends to be the PC hardware and as such can in theory run anything compatible), it's quite possible to build an emulator in such a way that it only works with one OS.

Although few enough people bothered to run Linux on VPC for the Mac that MS might not bother specifically disabling it, they might well build in a lot of specific optimizations for Windows to the point it won't run anything else (or at least not run anything else well).

I do wonder how heavily MS is going to tweak Windows for VPC, and I haven't heard much about what tack they're taking; they might just take VPC as it is and build in enough optimizations to make it useable on the G5, orthey might install some tweaked low-level components in Windows to make it run better on the PPC--Connectix already did a bit of that, after all, and MS coud certainly do a lot more if they wanted.

If my guess is right, by VPC9 it'll probably be more like Virtual Windows, and it'll run great, but it'll also be running the only version of Office we're going to get. Hope I'm just paranoid.
The ability to run multiple Intel-compatible OSes on the Mac is a feature of Virtual PC. We all know that Microsoft has never seen a feature that it doesn't like. On a more serious note, the ability to run multiple OSes is the most important feature of the Windows port of VPC. Even for Mac users, it is an important feature. If VPC were to become a Windows-only emulator, its sales would plummet.
 
I agree that multiple OSes a very important feature of VPC. If I understand Microsoft's reasoning, I think they would say that allowing VPC to run operating systems other than Windows will hurt consumers by limiting choice and stifling competition. They always say that. Microsoft is all about choice.
 
So how do you use a version of linux through VPC? I'v tryed a couple of time before, and it never seems to work. Does anybody know where I could get a detailed guid on install linux on VPC 6?
 
First, download the iso files for whichever Linux you want to use. Then open VPC and create a new VPC. In VPC, capture iso #1 and reboot the PC. It wll boot from the iso and you can install Linux. When you're prompted to insert the 2nd and 3rd disks, uncapture the current CD and capture the one you need. It's easy.
 
Horrortaxi said:
First, download the iso files for whichever Linux you want to use. Then open VPC and create a new VPC. In VPC, capture iso #1 and reboot the PC. It wll boot from the iso and you can install Linux. When you're prompted to insert the 2nd and 3rd disks, uncapture the current CD and capture the one you need. It's easy.

I'm confused by what you mean when you say cacpture iso #1 and reboot the PC. What I've done is opened up VPC, select new.., then select 'boot off of existion hard drive date.' It gives me a prompt to select my iso (in the pic below) that I have, but I can't select it, the icon is dimmed. What am I doing wrong?
 

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Create your new PC manually. Go through all the steps about giving it RAM, undoing the drive, etc. Then boot that PC. It will give you a boot error, but that's okay. At the bottom of the VPC window is a CD icon. Click that, select "capture image" and navigate to wherever your iso is.
capture.jpg
 
Horrortaxi said:
Create your new PC manually. Go through all the steps about giving it RAM, undoing the drive, etc. Then boot that PC. It will give you a boot error, but that's okay. At the bottom of the VPC window is a CD icon. Click that, select "capture image" and navigate to wherever your iso is.
capture.jpg

Ok, Horrortaxi, I finally got it. What was wrong was I was going up to the top and clicking Drives>Capture CD Image. Thanks for the help ( I finally have Knoppix runnig! :D ).
 
musicpyrite said:
Ok, Horrortaxi, I finally got it. What was wrong was I was going up to the top and clicking Drives>Capture CD Image. Thanks for the help ( I finally have Knoppix runnig! :D ).

I love Knoppix!
 
Yeah, I kinda wish Apple would use Knoppix's Networking strategy. You know, integrating Network mounting into the web browser so that when the Network freezes (like my Mom's PC loosing the wireless connection grrrr) it's easier to force quit the browser than the Finder. My Finder has trouble force quitting sometimes. I also like how you don't have to mount each share, instead you actually mount the computer and then-probably invisibly-all the shares mount (keeps from having to mount multiple shares and cluttering up the sidebar/desktop). It's nifty, I did a thread on it a while back with pics.

http://www2.truman.edu/~jps137/web/asus1.jpg
http://www2.truman.edu/~jps137/web/knoppix.jpg
 

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Horrortaxi said:
I love Knoppix!


I do to, but the only beef I have with it is that it's slow; but the same thing happens when when I use Windows 98 SE.

*sigh*

The only thing that runs remotly fast on Virtual PC is DOS...
 
It runs off a CD, so it'll be slow. You can install it to the hard drive, but I hear it's not for the faint of heart--or at least not a noob move.
 
Horrortaxi said:
It runs off a CD, so it'll be slow. You can install it to the hard drive, but I hear it's not for the faint of heart--or at least not a noob move.


Faint of heart? I've use alot of the popular kinds of Linux (they were on a different comp) and find Knoppix one of the easiest to use. Why do you think it's so hard?
 
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