Some reason the boot loader is ugly on void Linux, as it’s not running right on my 1Ghz titanium.
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Void Linux for PowerPC
- Thread starter foxlet
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Well, it works fine -- at least it always boots Void on my G4Book, QuickSilver and early G5 DP, so it is doing this work right, the absence of verbose log is the only -- but for me, significant! - thing that it is not doing right (even I've tried to "Remove Everything" as it was recommended a few posts ago).
Also, it shows bootlog/dmesg in recovery mode, so I think I'm (or even we are) missing smth.
I’ve just installed voidlinux on MacMini, so here is my feedback.
First, I have a problem that is certainly due to my MacMini itself, about the « date » that didn’t help : it does not survive a reboot. And with a date in the past, xbps-install will on certificate verification.
I also had problems about network but finally it started to work.
The installation doc is rather simple but we find what is necessary. I like it.
What is missing in my opinion is how to install a Graphic Environment with a login screen … I had Xorg (failed because xterm was not installed) problems and finally succeeded into creating « .xinitrc » and modifying it to start mate. There is a post in this forum about that but with a broken link.
I found nowhere how to configure that. Kind of. After I spent hours and collected information here and there, and after I succeeded in installing mate, I found https://docs.voidlinux.org/config/graphical-session/xorg.html
But again, there are parts where accurate details miss and make the difference.
Are improvements planed ? I mean, at the end of the basic installation, information could be displayed about what to do to install a graphical environment with a login screen … what everybody uses on a computer. Or better, a package that allows to choose a graphical environment and that will configure things automatically?
I would also like an improved terminal because we may have some things to do manually but the root terminal has no history and no TAB completion (if I missed something, please tell me).
A last comment : once being under mate, my keyboard configuration switched to US (qwerty) instead of pc-fr choosen during the installation. I had to configure it again with dedicated preferences panel.
Hardware acceleration is enabled and so far I have not seen artifacts.
Thank you for voidlinux, I think it will perfectly suits my MacMini. Now that I know more with this installation, I will be able to test new versions or on other machines if that helps (G5 models on which I could install a dual boot with debian).
First, I have a problem that is certainly due to my MacMini itself, about the « date » that didn’t help : it does not survive a reboot. And with a date in the past, xbps-install will on certificate verification.
I also had problems about network but finally it started to work.
The installation doc is rather simple but we find what is necessary. I like it.
What is missing in my opinion is how to install a Graphic Environment with a login screen … I had Xorg (failed because xterm was not installed) problems and finally succeeded into creating « .xinitrc » and modifying it to start mate. There is a post in this forum about that but with a broken link.
I found nowhere how to configure that. Kind of. After I spent hours and collected information here and there, and after I succeeded in installing mate, I found https://docs.voidlinux.org/config/graphical-session/xorg.html
But again, there are parts where accurate details miss and make the difference.
Are improvements planed ? I mean, at the end of the basic installation, information could be displayed about what to do to install a graphical environment with a login screen … what everybody uses on a computer. Or better, a package that allows to choose a graphical environment and that will configure things automatically?
I would also like an improved terminal because we may have some things to do manually but the root terminal has no history and no TAB completion (if I missed something, please tell me).
A last comment : once being under mate, my keyboard configuration switched to US (qwerty) instead of pc-fr choosen during the installation. I had to configure it again with dedicated preferences panel.
Hardware acceleration is enabled and so far I have not seen artifacts.
Thank you for voidlinux, I think it will perfectly suits my MacMini. Now that I know more with this installation, I will be able to test new versions or on other machines if that helps (G5 models on which I could install a dual boot with debian).
Hey fellow Mac mini G4 Void Linux runner,
Yeah, I had to install a window manager AND XFCE to get things working. Installing XFCE4 alone gets you going, but there are missing things that it keeps looking for. I haven't messed with audio yet, but I've got an IRC client and a few word processor type apps installed. SpiderWeb is solid and ArcticFox works fine.
Hi Nathan, I forgot to mention that I did read your (great) article and I though I was about about to find a solution to my problem where you wrote "sudo xbps-install xfce4 didn’t include all the packages I really needed. Luckily, fellow users in the voidlinuxppc channel on Freenode were able to help". I deeply hoped you have added the collected details.
About these "missing things that it keeps looking for", could you tell me more?
I would like to finish this experiment about installing Void Linux on Mac Mini for 2 things:
- check that this distribution works well on this cheap and tiny Mac Mini
- write a full report / article
About these "missing things that it keeps looking for", could you tell me more?
I would like to finish this experiment about installing Void Linux on Mac Mini for 2 things:
- check that this distribution works well on this cheap and tiny Mac Mini
- write a full report / article
I didn't keep accurate notes, unfortunately. There was a lot of tinkering and searching around.
One initial problem I had was with a PolicyKit error at launch. It would go away and not really bother anything, but it was related to not having a window manager launch on first boot.
I think there was another xfce4 package, like xfce4-extras that helped resolve some other things that were being looked for. I think I also installed xfce4-powermanager since there were some things not loading, although it's probably not necessary.
The compositor did not work, and it likely won't work with our ancient video cards. I spent some time on that.
I'll figure out what packages I have installed and maybe share that with you, although I could still do with some fine-tuning I think.
I have not tried xfce. I planed to use lxde and then, thinking that the problem could be due to it, I installed mate and
That would be great (maybe also with the help of @q66_ ) if we could ease the description of installation of 2 or 3 solid graphical environments in order to share that and save time for anyone that tries an installation.
I thought that the compositor was enabled and working with mate. I will have to check.
As you chose xfce, that reminds me that there is a dedicated image (with the suffix "-xfce"). Could have been easier to install it. Non-PPC Void Linux have an ISO file but graphical environment.
Edit : I just looked at all that and now that I understand better what I needed, I found some explanation in voidlinux post installation procedure at the "Graphical User Interface" section. The xinitrc configuration is still a bit hazardous for me (there are several ways to create or modify it).
That would be great (maybe also with the help of @q66_ ) if we could ease the description of installation of 2 or 3 solid graphical environments in order to share that and save time for anyone that tries an installation.
I thought that the compositor was enabled and working with mate. I will have to check.
As you chose xfce, that reminds me that there is a dedicated image (with the suffix "-xfce"). Could have been easier to install it. Non-PPC Void Linux have an ISO file but graphical environment.
Edit : I just looked at all that and now that I understand better what I needed, I found some explanation in voidlinux post installation procedure at the "Graphical User Interface" section. The xinitrc configuration is still a bit hazardous for me (there are several ways to create or modify it).
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Hi @dreadone,
I'm curious about your HD6970 in your Quad g5, I have an opportunity to get a 2GB Vram one and wanted to make sure it would work for me.
Does your card have 1 or 2 GB of vram ? also are you using the original GPU at the same time ?
Thanks,
Mitch
Hi,
i am using only a Sapphire 6970 2048MB in the quad, but for the installing the original 6600 was in the lowest pcie slot. After finishing the installation, i removed the original card, but leave the amd-card in the second pcie slot. I think, you can use nearly all 6970 cards with void.
At the moment i aḿ trying to boot from the sata2 card (seritek 2se2-e; bootable in a G5), but i am not able to get it working.
Attachments
How did you install Linux on the Quad when I can’t even get the nvidia 6800 to display the splash screen and also do the fans roar ?
Ok, i found all information about installation void64 on a G5 here in this threat. Also i read all the linuxthreats here on powerpc / macrumours. That helps.
And so: use the last void installer dvd; nvidia6600 in lowest slot and amd above. AmdCard needs a lot of power (6pin and 8pin). Take it from cdrom device; powercabel via adapter.
And if voidppc is installed, install amd firmware.
And with a nvidia6600 card, i had a bootscreen all the time.
Greetings
And so: use the last void installer dvd; nvidia6600 in lowest slot and amd above. AmdCard needs a lot of power (6pin and 8pin). Take it from cdrom device; powercabel via adapter.
And if voidppc is installed, install amd firmware.
And with a nvidia6600 card, i had a bootscreen all the time.
Greetings
BTW, there is connector in G5Quad for this, you'll need mini-PCI-EX 6pin to PCI-Ex 6 pin cable (not really expensive).
I wrote a full report about my installation and test of Void Linux on my Mac Mini.
Globally, the good points are Void Linux installs well and there is no hardware incompatibility.
The downsides are Void Linux lacks an automatic installation of a Desktop Environment, that will unfortunately stop many potential users. And Internet browsing experience is poor (available browsers, slowness).
There are many things to improve (look at the list in the article) but I see a great potential with Void Linux (on 32-bit systems, if that requires time and efforts, I think it won't hurt removing support of little-endian mode and musl ... even if in theory I like to see they try new things).
Globally, the good points are Void Linux installs well and there is no hardware incompatibility.
The downsides are Void Linux lacks an automatic installation of a Desktop Environment, that will unfortunately stop many potential users. And Internet browsing experience is poor (available browsers, slowness).
There are many things to improve (look at the list in the article) but I see a great potential with Void Linux (on 32-bit systems, if that requires time and efforts, I think it won't hurt removing support of little-endian mode and musl ... even if in theory I like to see they try new things).
Hi. For each PPC architecture you can download a XFCE liveCD that will install a full desktop environment. Did you try this option?
No. I saw that late (as I write in the article) but I wanted to install LXDE or Mate. I don't know well XFCE and was not very attracted by it but if it is the recommended version, I could clearly understand that they chose one DE and put efforts on it.
I don't regret the time spent (even if it was much more than I wanted), I learned some things.
The default browsers on 32bit do suck. However there are multiple other Mozilla based browsers available for voidppc32 not found in voids repo.
4 found here: https://github.com/wicknix/SpiderWeb/wiki/Download
1 found here: https://github.com/wicknix/Arctic-Fox/wiki/Downloads
4 found here: https://github.com/wicknix/SpiderWeb/wiki/Download
1 found here: https://github.com/wicknix/Arctic-Fox/wiki/Downloads
I did not use the pre-installed XFCE image, because it didn't work, I think.
I had lots of issues getting it to actually format the internal SSD on the Mac mini. In the end, it worked better to use the base/barebones image which did work and then install XFCE from there. I have not tried MATE (except on the G5 and encountered a weird graphical glitch).
I'm open to a fresh install at some point maybe to trace my steps and get it to work even smoother.
Addendum: I realize that I am mixing up Adelie and Void a little, as I had the issue with Mate on an Adelie Linux live DVD. Sorry about that. I don't remember why I installed a base install of Void, but it's working.
I had lots of issues getting it to actually format the internal SSD on the Mac mini. In the end, it worked better to use the base/barebones image which did work and then install XFCE from there. I have not tried MATE (except on the G5 and encountered a weird graphical glitch).
I'm open to a fresh install at some point maybe to trace my steps and get it to work even smoother.
Addendum: I realize that I am mixing up Adelie and Void a little, as I had the issue with Mate on an Adelie Linux live DVD. Sorry about that. I don't remember why I installed a base install of Void, but it's working.
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How did the OP get an Intel Mac Graphics card to run under linux ? I am thinking this is fake news because there never was a PowerPC rom for the 5770 graphics cards, not even to run one under linux. I challenge this.. sounds like a another guy on here named Rabidz.
Explain.. so, for instance - G5 Quad I have and I removed all PPC cards and loaded Linux(remix, phenix, any distro), the OS will recognize the card with no modifications ?
No. You need to keep 1 PPC mac card in the machine to keep open firmware happy. Linux can then use the second non-mac card. So you need 2 graphics cards.
Ah ha... So, the Nvidia 6800 needs to stay in there. But, what about installing the OS ? Would the Nvidia card still be used up until Linux is installed ?