Ubuntu Decides to Axe PowerPC Version, Cites Lack of Resources

[bifter]

http://digg.com/linux_unix/Ubuntu_Decides_to_Axe_PowerPC_Version_Cites_Lack_o f_Resources

Is this something that we should be worried about?

I have a nice setup and everything I need to work works. I do not have any really important/personal info on my PPC/Ubuntu would simply turning off the auto updates allow me to keep things going as it is? If it ain't broke etc...

[bodek]

Guess what, I am just finishing installation of 6.06.1 on my powerbook G4. And it will stay there as long as it can. There will always be a place to get updates, even if you end up having Debian :)
Hope the forums will remain and maybe we shall come with something.

[moof]

This is very odd, I was kind of upset when I first read it. However, I can actually see both sides of the argument, and can understand the need to focus resources on active hardware versions. At the same time I also see myself as a loyal user whose platform is being abandoned.

I ca understand (and I don't really doubt) that there will be community support. However I'm really frustrated that one of the very few "legit" and mature PPC versions of Linux that works right off the bat on my computer will no longer be officially supported.

I love Ubuntu, but I believe I will be switching back over to Yellow Dog Linux for my Macs in the future instead of upgrading to Feisty. I guess Ubuntu/Xubuntu will remain an option only for x86 PCs from now on..

[dpny]

This is very odd, I was kind of upset when I first read it. However, I can actually see both sides of the argument, and can understand the need to focus resources on active hardware versions. At the same time I also see myself as a loyal user whose platform is being abandoned.

I ca understand (and I don't really doubt) that there will be community support. However I'm really frustrated that one of the very few "legit" and mature PPC versions of Linux that works right off the bat on my computer will no longer be officially supported.

I love Ubuntu, but I believe I will be switching back over to Yellow Dog Linux for my Macs in the future instead of upgrading to Feisty. I guess Ubuntu/Xubuntu will remain an option only for x86 PCs from now on..

I will probably end up putting Debian on my G5 when I retire it.

[3rdalbum]

I ca understand (and I don't really doubt) that there will be community support. However I'm really frustrated that one of the very few "legit" and mature PPC versions of Linux that works right off the bat on my computer will no longer be officially supported.

I love Ubuntu, but I believe I will be switching back over to Yellow Dog Linux for my Macs in the future instead of upgrading to Feisty. I guess Ubuntu/Xubuntu will remain an option only for x86 PCs from now on..

Don't do that! The Community Preview of Copland will be out very soon; Copland is a distribution exclusively for PowerPC, that I am working on right now. When the ISO comes out I'll tell the forum straight away. Not too many changes from Xubuntu Edgy really, but when there's some community involvement I expect the distribution to divert a bit more and become more interesting.

[rol1]

That's a shame when so many of the iBookG3s are selling so cheap now.

[madmetal]

damn! just when i decided to use ppc mac :(

[kmoffat]

Ach! just got a basically free G4 iBook, and installed 6.10 on it. Pretty sweet. The disk drive was fouled up, but when I figured out how to boot ubuntu, it installed fine, replacing the messed up Mac OS. I'm a bit dissappointed now that I see it will be abandoned.

[Kateikyoushi]

A bit sad but I am not surprised to hear it, I can even understand them luckily we do not own a mac now so can live with it.

[3rdalbum]

Ach! just got a basically free G4 iBook, and installed 6.10 on it. Pretty sweet. The disk drive was fouled up, but when I figured out how to boot ubuntu, it installed fine, replacing the messed up Mac OS. I'm a bit dissappointed now that I see it will be abandoned.

It won't be abandoned, it will become community-supported. You can still download Feisty Herd releases for PowerPC. In addition, there is my own distro project which will be out very shortly, targetting PowerPC Macs and based on Ubuntu (will be based on the community port of Ubuntu once Feisty is released).

If you're annoyed with Canonical, don't switch to Debian. The Debian project gives fewer resources to PowerPC development than Canonical does right now! Plus, you'd just be repeating the old mistake of using an operating system that was designed for x86 (former Windows) users. Stick with Ubuntu for a little while, at least until Copland is released! Copland is MADE for Macintosh, not just shoehorned into it.

[elranchero]

I'm another mac user who was just getting into Ubuntu. I have it installed on my iMac and it works really well. Now they're not going to support it anymore? I looked around tonight for some other Powerpc distros. I don't want to use a different distro!

For years I had been wondering if there was a Linux for PowerPC. I never paid much attention to the whole thing. Then I noticed the new book on Ubuntu at a bookstore. I picked up the book and had a look at it. Lo and behold I saw that PowerPC can now run Linux! That's when i went and installed Edgy on my iMac.

Dang, what a bummer. I hope they can keep the PowerPC distro for Ubuntu.

[bifter]

hello - original poster here...

I think that my gut reaction to the news was of sadness and disappointed but since then I have realized that there is a large community of ppc users and this will ensure that the platform will be supported within that community. As stated by another poster G3's and G4's are getting very affordable and are still very nice hardware so in my view the community can only grow.

3rdalbum - you're project sounds an excellent idea. I would love to install a distro in which everything works straight off. I still do not have my Apple keys mapped, the PowerBook does not sleep when I close the lid, I lose WiFi connection when I log off and I get a wierd error as I boot up. I still love it though as it has given my beloved PowerBook a new lease of life :)

[gldvxx]

i'm currently installing ubuntu onto bare bones pc systems but i was evaluating it for use on old macintosh systems. i'm primarily a mac person and i often work contract gigs with old mac hardware. i was hoping to be able to install ubuntu on these old ppc's and/or at least recommend this linux distribution to customers using older macs. thanks for starting this thread - i'll have to keep my ears tuned to some of these other projects to make sure my stuff is current!

[3rdalbum]

3rdalbum - you're project sounds an excellent idea. I would love to install a distro in which everything works straight off. I still do not have my Apple keys mapped, the PowerBook does not sleep when I close the lid, I lose WiFi connection when I log off and I get a wierd error as I boot up.

Bifter, the idea is that everything will work straight off, but this will take a lot of time and community effort. Right now, the distribution is able to boot to a desktop and run the programs - there's no special autodetection (above and beyond Xubuntu) implemented yet. But including fixes for what you're talking about is definately something I want to do; unfortunately I can only really fix the problems with my own machine! (which has very few problems out-of-the-box).

Still, not to sell this short - with some community involvement I'm sure we'll be able to get Copland some good hardware detection.

[Aviatrixie]

An interesting thread... last post was 4 days ago, which is a lifetime in Ubuntu Forum years, but thought I'd jump in.

I stopped at my local thrift (St. Vincent DePaul's) today on my way home from shopping and saw an iMac on the shelf for $29.99 US. As I used to me a devout Mac gal and recall stopping at the local Mac store with my husband to check out the new iMac back in 98 I booted it up just to see if it worked. It had no keyboard but did have the original one button hockey puck mouse. It did boot to a desktop and showed it had OS 9 installed, but without the keyboard I can't tell you much more than that. I decided to buy it and took it from there to the local CompUSA to talk to the local Mac folk about it and buy a USB keyboard and see what I had just bought, explaining that I wanted to install Linux on it (perhaps dual booting to save the OS 9 install since I got no back-up software whatsoever). Seems mine is a Graphite iMac with a slot CDROM, either a 350 or 400 MHz CPU. They told me the HD is PATA, unlike the original iMac, so I can swap out the original HD and save the OS 9 install.

I'll be playing with assorted Nixes on this in the near future. Hopefully it will be Ubuntu-based since it's my favorite flavor now. Yellow dog looks interesting too. Meanwhile I'll start paying attention to the PPC section of the forums here.

Good luck with your Copland fork. I'll be watching it. :)

Trixie

[Tipo]

Well, they released Ubuntu Dapper LTS for PowerPC. Dapper is supposedly going to be supported for 3 years, correct?

[deltaboy38655]

3rdalbum,

I like your enthusiasm for your PPC distribution. I'm interested! Please keep me informed....

deltaboy38655@gmail.com

[zachws]

It won't be abandoned, it will become community-supported. You can still download Feisty Herd releases for PowerPC. In addition, there is my own distro project which will be out very shortly, targetting PowerPC Macs and based on Ubuntu (will be based on the community port of Ubuntu once Feisty is released).

If you're annoyed with Canonical, don't switch to Debian. The Debian project gives fewer resources to PowerPC development than Canonical does right now! Plus, you'd just be repeating the old mistake of using an operating system that was designed for x86 (former Windows) users. Stick with Ubuntu for a little while, at least until Copland is released! Copland is MADE for Macintosh, not just shoehorned into it.

Kudos on this undertaking, 3rdalbum. I'm not much of a programmer but I would love to help in any way possible. The word just needs to get out and people will latch on like flies.

:guitar:

[trash]

Don't do that! The Community Preview of Copland will be out very soon; Copland is a distribution exclusively for PowerPC, that I am working on right now. When the ISO comes out I'll tell the forum straight away. Not too many changes from Xubuntu Edgy really, but when there's some community involvement I expect the distribution to divert a bit more and become more interesting.

Can wait;)
Any chance weĺl be able to change the ubuntu repos to copland and simply upgrade or will a fresh install be required? just curious:)