Installing/ upgrading xubuntu on 400Mhz iMac?????

[shgadwa]

I really need to get these computers working....... Is there something else I can try?? Any ideas or should I just load 6.06 and forget upgrading??

[CREEPING DEATH]

I beg to differ. On a G5 iMac, with 6.06 you are met with screaming fans, and it was only until Feisty 7.04 that it got fixed without requiring manual intervention.

Everything is relative, so I don't want to turn this into a pointless debian-vs-Ubuntu thread. There's no need for that as I also run Debian Lenny testing here and both coexist peacefully - as should the users of both distros...

Try it on a G4 with an IDE drive and you get busybox. It doesn't work without CLI usage every boot or a lot of configuration, and even then it might break upon upgrade. I know, I did it, and it sucked! PPC is an unsupported port in Ubuntu, it still has full official support in Debian, which is why I suggest it. I use Ubuntu, I like Ubuntu, but Ubuntu doesn't support PPCs well and Debian does.

I really need to get these computers working....... Is there something else I can try?? Any ideas or should I just load 6.06 and forget upgrading??

I'd start here and use either Etch (stable) or Lenny (testing). Lenny currently stays very current, and with 512 MB RAM you could easily run the full Gnome desktop. It looks very similar to Ubuntu because Ubuntu is based on Debian, and can be set up to use Sudo like Ubuntu does. And upgrading is fairly easy as well.
Gnash is improving but still lacking, I'm not sure about Java.

CD

[stream303]

PPC is an unsupported port in Ubuntu, it still has full official support in Debian, which is why I suggest it.

By all means try it. I run Lenny-Testing here as well. Just remember that stable, Debian Etch, may not have as much up-to-date software as you'd like, and is roughly analogous to Dapper.

Debian Lenny-testing is roughly analogous to running Gutsy, so go ahead, since Lenny is still dependent upon the older xorg 7.2 and older xrandr. Unless you run Debian Sid, you won't be trying out the newer xorg 7.3 like Hardy is.

When Debian goes stable much later this year - maybe - you might be faced with exactly the same situation you are in now as they adopt the newer xorg 7.3, xrandr, etc.

So go ahead and try it - get whatever works on your box.

I use Ubuntu, I like Ubuntu, but Ubuntu doesn't support PPCs well and Debian does.

You mean dropping corporate-support and instead being community-supported by devs and developers exactly as what we are trying to achieve here? The last time I spoke to an Ubuntu dev, they were actively involved with trying to fix an installation issue with the fans - all on their free time, which is exactly what a Debian dev does.

So no, Debian and Ubuntu have exactly the same amount of support, and in fact, I have yet to see a Debian web-based-forum of the caliber of what you'll find right here.

When/if Ubuntu drops the ability to pull down a ppc build from the repos, and shuts down this forum, would be the only time to hint that it isn't fully supported.

It just lacks corporate backing, and is depending on users like you and me to provide support.

[shgadwa]

Well, what I want to do with Linux, is take older computers, mainly these older iMacs as well as G3s and 6500s and put linux on them so that it is current and fast, and sell the computers for a profit, rather than throwing the computers in a landfill........WHAT OS would do great for that???

As fare as other OSes, I have ubuntu on by 400imac currently with the KDE desktop wich works great but lots of things is not upgrded...liek firefox and such. I might jsut reinstall a brand new version of kubuntu then.

Also, Gentoo seems REALLY NEAT but when I tried to install it, it seems like a huge deal and you have to guess at what to type. they have a handbook but its very long and they expect you to know what they do not tell you....has anyone used Gentoo and how do you isntall it?? Is it great or good for slower computers??

Also, I tried setting the date right, as it was set wrong adn I fixed it...I used linux nosplash and also linux nosplash video=ofonly...the ofonly one worked...at least it booted in text but I still get a blank screen. Updating it does not work...furthermore, its 8.04, WHY does it need an update?

Thanks,

Shawn

[stream303]

has anyone used Gentoo and how do you isntall it?? Is it great or good for slower computers??

Gentoo is great for PPC. You definitely become a bit more intimate with the install process, and with a low-spec machine, you'll be waiting around for compilations to finish - but time is something you willingly sacrifice since you will know your system down to the last nut and bolt. Some might say that compiler optimization may not net you that big of a speed improvement, but then again, using Gentoo is not just about speed - like Ubuntu, you have a great community, and it has it's own unique focus.

Things seem a little rough right now for some ati card machines, but hang in there. We'll find the right kernel parameters at some point, look back at these threads and laugh.