Linux on a G3 Powerbook

[Cask]

I've got an old G3 Powerbook that I'm going to install Linux on to get away from the clunky old OS 8.5 that it's currently running. Problem is that it's one of the "oldworld" Wallstreet Macs and doesn't allow booting of CDs from the CD-ROM and to make things worse it didn't come with a floppy drive.

Having zero experience with Macs, what are my chances of getting it running again if the Linux install decides to go tits up? The only thing that I can think of is purchasing an old copy of OS X from the bittorrent shop and hoping that I can boot from that using the open firmware prompt. I don't have any of the original OS software so that isn't an option. Also I can't really dual-boot Mac OS and Linux because it's only a 2GB hard drive, I'd be out of space fast. I'm currently running bootx within Mac OS 8.5 and am going to use that to set up the Linux install.

Will probably do the partitions tomorrow just hoping that I don't end up with a fancy looking doorstop.

Bollocks meant to post this in Operating Systems could someone move it please

 

[TdC]

dunno if it can be done matey, but have a google for yellowdog linux and installation hints and stuff

 

[Cask]

I thought that Yellow Dog looked a bit noobish so I tried Debian first which managed to crash right after partitioning the disks. Luckily I managed to reinstall OS 8.6 and tried again with Ubuntu which didn't work because I deleted the Mac OS partition and it wouldn't boot despite the installation going well. Trying again with a dual boot this time, don't really mind sacrificing 233MB of disk space as long as it works. Third time lucky.....

 

[Cask]

Gave up on Ubuntu and installed Gentoo no problem at all but it has been compiling xorg for EIGHT HOURS and still isn't finished so I might just throw piece of junk in the bin.

 

[Cask]

38 hours for an 'emerge kdebase-startkde' - must be some sort of record that.

 

[Chilly]

just install gentoo pre compiled

 

[TdC]

lol. a geek collegue of mine likes to install gentoo on his sun sparcstation 1's and 4's. he says (iirc) that compiling X on a '1 takes over a week


nutter tbh

 

[old.user4556]

Why not just upgrade to OS X ?

Unix with mac mixed in, can't be a kick in the arse off what you're trying to achieve?

 

[TdC]

I'm not rightly sure you'd want to do that on a G3 but I'm sure it can be done.

iirc there's a firmware flash needed before it will allow cdrom booting though

 

[old.user4556]

Yeah it can be done, might not be as rapid as it would be on a G4 though

http://arstechnica.com/reviews/os/macosx-10.3.ars/5

Not so with Mac OS X, as my blue and white G3/400 can attest. It has hosted every version of Mac OS X ever released, and the darned thing just keeps getting faster.

 

[TdC]

aha cool. there's nothing wrong with a G3 though...them Powers are good little blighters

 

[Cask]

I dunno it only has a 233MHz processor but I got some cheap RAM on ebay so I'm up to 256MB in that department. I read around a bit and some articles people had written after installing OS X on their G3 Wallstreets and they said it didn't run too well so that put me off. Will give it a shot if I can't find a decent word processor for KDE though, that's all I want it for really.

 

[TdC]

you mean like openoffice?