Dear lazyweb: Which Linux distro should I use?
So this week I will be getting my “new” iMac, and I want to install some version of Linux on it. However, the following restrictions apply:
- This is actually an old iMac from around 2000-2001 or so. Specs: G3/450, 256 Mb of memory, 20 Gb hard drive, DVD-R. (Note that this is a PowerPC.)
- Linux should run in text mode only. (For various reasons, e.g. to save space, because the machine isn’t really equipped to run GUIs smoothly, and because I actually LIKE text mode. :-)
- I want to do as much as possible with this machine, so any distro that caters to text mode users (more so than usual), gets extra points.
- Although I have a few years of experience with Unixoid systems, I am not all that familiar with Linux per se, so the distro should probably not require expert knowledge.
So far I am considering Ubuntu (server install), Debian, and maybe Gentoo. (Although I don’t know how difficult it is to use… the compilation part doesn’t scare me… and the Portage package management system is apparently written in Python, which is interesting.)
Are there any other distros that would be suitable for a PPC with limited hardware?
jdd said,
January 4, 2010 @ 7:56 pm
I recommend arch, assuming it runs well on PPC. See http://www.archlinuxppc.org/
Grig Gheorghiu said,
January 4, 2010 @ 9:02 pm
Ubuntu all the way. Easy to install, developer friendly (up-to-date packages including Python 2.6), easy to update (apt-get install)
Hans said,
January 4, 2010 @ 11:08 pm
If this is primarily a python development machine, I second the recommendation for Ubuntu server. If you are planning to do PHP development (shudder), Gentoo’s portage system makes the custom-compiled PHP much easier (i.e. You can have your custom –with-* flags while still using the package manager). In general, if you’re a tweaker, Gentoo is nice; on the otherhand, compiling can be slow and i’ve found that when gentoo breaks, it breaks hard.
Markino said,
January 5, 2010 @ 7:10 am
Fedora ha a PPC support too :)
i have used it succesfully on old an old Ibook Tangerine Clamshell :)
Krys said,
January 5, 2010 @ 8:16 am
Hi there,
I have been using openSUSE for a few years now as my desktop and for my servers at home and work. My servers work only in text mode. I have found openSUSE to be very capable in text mode with all the usual command-line awesomeness you would expect in a *nix.
Additionally, openSUSE’s YaST administration tool works equally well under both GUI and text mode. Meaning you get nice menus and tabs and dropdowns, etc. to administer your system, rather than remembering a ton of esoteric command line switches and text file formats. Though you can use those too, if you like. :)
I don’t know of another distro that provides that kind of text mode administration system, and I have to say that having it does make openSUSE a breeze to administer in text mode (most of the time!) :)
Anyway, hope this helps. :) Good luck!