It’s not particularly easy to create a bootable USB flash drive so you can try running Linux on a PowerPC Mac. It took me a couple weeks of research, asking questions of our Linux on PowerPC Macs group on Facebook, and experimenting before I could finally boot into Linux 14.04 from a thumb drive. I learned some lessons. I’m going to make it a lot easier for you to install Linux on your old PPC Macs.
Nov 18, 2016 CorePlayer, once paid software but now abandonware, will handle up to 720p smoothly on a G4. 1080p can get a little choppy though, it is an age issue unfortunately. Mac mini G4 comes from a time when 480p MPEG2 was still the video standard, although high-end G5s from the time can handle 1080p playback today.
I’ve experimented with Linux and BSD Macs going back to the Mac IIci era, and I’ve never had much luck. Back in the olden days, Linux was a text-based operating system similar to MS-DOS. Everything was handled through the command line in the late 1990s. This time around I wanted to create a “live” flash drive so I could make sure it actually worked before committing to installing Linux on a hard drive.
If only I’d had a blank CD-R or DVD-R, it would have been a lot easier!
My original testbed was a Late 2005 2.3 GHz Power Mac G5 Dual with 3 GB of RAM and two hard drives, one with OS X 10.4 Tiger, the other with OS X 10.5 Leopard. It’s my most powerful PowerPC Mac, so I figured it would be a good way to take Linux for a spin.
Pick a Distro
Step one is to choose your distribution. After talking with others in our small-but-growing Linux PPC Facebook group, I settled on Lubuntu as a good starting point. Lubuntu is known for having a lighter-weight user interface, LXDE – similar to what Simon Royal used when he put LXLE on an old PC.
Ubuntu Linux has a simple numbering scheme for its versions. Version 14.04 was released in the 4th month of 2014, and 16.04 in the 4th month of 2016. That’s also the latest version available for PowerPC at present. You can download 14.04 and 16.04 from this page, earlier versions from this page, where you can also get version 12.04 for PowerPC, among many other architectures.
PowerPC distros prior to version 12.04 have separate 32-bit and 64-bit installers. The only PowerPC Macs that can use a 64-bit operating system are G5 iMacs and Power Macs. Anything before G5 can only use a 32-bit Linux. Starting with version 12.04 the 32-bit and 64-bit versions are part of the same package for Macs.
I suggest you start by downloading Mac (PowerPC) and IBM-PPC (POWER5) desktop CD, which is designed to be burnt to a CD-R and give you a fully bootable way to test out Linux before you commit to it. That’s fine if you have blank CD-R media or a CD-RW disc, but I haven’t burnt a CD in years and have no blanks at present.
That was also the biggest reason I had problems. Using a USB Flash Drive was an exercise in frustration.
The USB Flash Drive Problem
I do, however, have a few 8 GB and larger USB flash drives, and there are plenty of instructions online for properly formatting the flash drive and getting the bootable ISO installed. And none of them worked on my Power Mac G5. I would spend hours trying this, that, and the other thing. Formatting the flash drive was the easy part; installing the ISO and creating a bootable system stumped me.
The only method I found that worked for creating a bootable USB flash drive with Lubuntu on it required me to use Etcher, a freeware app that takes an ISO and creates a bootable flash drive from it. However, Etcher doesn’t run on PowerPC Macs. Nor does it run on my Intel Macs with OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard. I had to use one of my Macs with OS X 10.11 El Capitan installed, and that did the job.
In other words, you need a fairly modern Mac to create the bootable flash drive you need to launch Linux on PowerPC Macs.
I formatted the flash drive as FAT, exFAT, HFS+, Apple Partition Map, GUID Partition Map, and Master Boot Record. Etcher dutifully imaged the ISO file to the flash drive. But it wouldn’t boot.
The key is to format the flash drive using Master Boot Record and FAT. Those are not the default settings, so you’ll have to find them in your version of Disk Utility.
But It Won’t Boot
I’ve been a spoiled Mac user since 1986, and if I’d had a CD-R or DVD-R, this would have been easy. Start your Mac, hold down the C key, and it will boot from whatever is in your optical drive. That goes back to the first Macs with built-in CD-ROM drives. It’s easy, but there’s nothing nearly as easy for booting from a USB flash drive.
On most Macs, if you hold down the Option key (marked Opt on some Mac keyboards, Alt on Windows keyboard) at startup, your Mac will present you with all the bootable options on your computer. On my Power Mac G5, the options are OS X 10.4.11 Tiger, 10.4.11 Tiger Server, and 10.5.8 Leopard.
If I’d had an external USB or FireWire drive, it would have shown up as well. But no matter what I did, the USB thumb drive never showed up as an option. I couldn’t boot from it in the traditional way.
Open Firmware
Whatever the reason, my last generation Power Mac G5 will only boot from the flash drive if I startup in Open Firmware. Hold down Cmd, Opt, O, and F at startup and hold them down until text appears on the upper left corner of your display. Your modern Mac be in Open Firmware (OF, as in two of the keys you hold down to boot into it). OF is a low-level operating system with a command line interface, like the Apple II+ at work that was the first computer I used, the Commodore VIC-20 and 64 that I used at home because they fit my low-end budget, and that Zenith Z-151 PC running MS-DOS 3.3 circa 1987.
Launch OF. That can take a while, as OF tests all your system memory every time you launch it. Just hold those 4 keys down until OF tells you to let go of them.
As long as you only have one bootable USB device, such as the flash drive with Lubuntu or an external CD-ROM or DVD drive, you can type in the following to boot from that device on a dual-core Power Mac G5:
boot ud:,:tbxi
and then hit Return or Enter. That worked perfectly with my Late 2005 Power Mac G5, but it would not work with my older 2.0 GHz dual-processor Power Mac G5s no matter what I did, and I didn’t bother to try it on an iMac G5.
If you have more than one bootable device, type devalias at the prompt, hit Return, and you will see a lengthy list of devices like this.
That was a bit of a rabbit trail for me. In the end I found the command that let me boot from the front USB port on my older Power Mac G5 – these are all equivalent:
boot usb2/disk@1:2,yaboot
boot usb2/disk:2,yaboot
boot usb2/@1:2,yaboot
boot usb2/disk:2,yaboot
boot usb2/@1:2,yaboot
But that only worked on one of my Power Mac G5s. The other three I tried simply would not boot from the flash drive. This was an exercise in frustration!
Making a Bootable Linux Hard Drive
Once I saw that Lubuntu ran decently on my ancient Power Mac G5 Dual, I knew that I wanted to install it on a hard drive so it would boot more quickly and allow me to add more software. That would have been easy on the Dual, but I didn’t want to reformat either of its hard drives, so I went through my small collection of older Power Mac G5 models in search of one that would boot from the flash drive so I could easily reformat its hard drive and install Lubuntu.
When I finally got one up and running – the third one I tried (the first one wouldn’t even boot, the second wouldn’t boot from the flash drive) – I started the installer. I really appreciate the concise, thorough, helpful explanations of what each choice means. It’s the kind of polish we don’t see with the Mac OS; Apple knows that most of us just want it to run. Ubuntu knows that we are interested in making informed decisions and that it needs to educate us through the process. Nice!
Or so it seemed. Then it wanted to upgrade from 14.04 to 16.04, but every time I tried to do that, it nattered at me about removing certain files using sudo and compressing other files – neither of which I am able to do. How can I remove 35.6 M of files when I don’t even know what’s necessary?
Okay, I should have just started with the Lubuntu 16.04 ISO, but I didn’t know it at the time. If you want to try Linux on a PowerPC Mac, choose the 16.04 Long Term Release (LTR) version and be done with big upgrades until the next LTR version, probably in April 2018.
If you’re just experimenting, you might want to use Lubuntu 17.04. And if you’re patient, you might want to wait until April when Lubuntu 18.04 LTR is due.
Lesson Learned: Burn a Disc Instead!
I wanted you to understand the frustration of trying to do things with a USB flash drive before telling you to bite the bullet and burn a DVD-R disk with the distro of your choosing. You can burn a CD-R, but that usually means trimming the Linux distro to fit on a disc. With DVD-R you’ve got lots of room for distros approaching 1 GB in size.
And you don’t have to use Open Firmware at all.
Booting from the DVD-R was a breeze after all the frustration I had to deal with creating a bootable flash drive and then actually booting from it. I wiped the 80 GB drive in a 2.0 GHz dual-processor Power Mac G5 with 3 GB RAM and installed Lubuntu. I ended up with a very nice, friendly, functional Linux machine that lets me run the latest version of Firefox on a 2005 Power Mac that was left behind with Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard shipped in August 2009.
Is It Practical?
There are two questions to address here: Is it practical to continue using PowerPC Macs in 2018? And is it practical to run Linux on PowerPC Macs instead of OS X 10.4 Tiger or 10.5 Leopard?
Ppc Software Download
Hardware
For those who have a Power Mac G5 Quad, the last and most powerful PowerPC Mac ever, the answer is a resounding yes. With four cores running at 2.5 GHz, you’ve got comparable power to the earliest 4-core Mac Pro. This is lustworthy hardware, although not especially practical in terms of the current it draws.
Dual-processor and dual-core Power Mac G5s are competent performers, and the faster dual-processor Power Mac G4 machines are solid workhorses as well with decent amounts of power. I wouldn’t want to use a Power Mac below 800 MHz or so with Tiger or Leopard, but dual 733 MHz or faster CPUs work well enough.
There may be tasks where processing power isn’t an issue, perhaps a home file server or web server, and there even a 233 MHz iMac G3 may provide all the power you need. Using MAMP, Tiger and Leopard can be configured as Unix servers.
Operating System
If you’re wed to Mac software, Linux probably isn’t going to be on our daily driver Mac. There is a whole learning curve going to a different operating system and using primarily free open source software that may have the power of commercial apps – but you need to figure out how to access it.
But if you want to set up a machine with an up-to-date operating system and browser that can be used more like a Chromebook than a Mac, Linux could be for you. Firefox is a staple in the Linux world, and the latest version is fast with a reduced memory footprint. I can run it on my Power Mac G5 Dual nicely. Not as nicely as a 3 GHz Core i3 iMac, but nicely nonetheless.
Honestly, I would go the triple-boot route. Today I put separate Tiger and Leopard partitions on any G4 or G5 Mac I set up, usually with Leopard getting 2-3 times as much space as Tiger, depending on the size of the hard drive. To learn to live in the Linux world, I would go with two hard drives when possible – one just for Linux, which likes to partition its hard drive just so – and one with partitions for Tiger and Leopard.
Facebook: Ouch
Ppc Mac Mini G4 Software Update
Facebook is a remarkably bloated environment, and you’ve probably been spoiled with modern hardware or the mobile version. Even on my dual-core 2.3 GHz G5, Facebook is frustratingly slow. You can really speed it up by going to m.facebook.com instead of www.facebook.com. That puts you in the mobile version, which has its own drawbacks but runs a lot faster than the desktop version.
Conclusion
Don’t try to do it on your own. We’ve created a helpful Facebook group of people who have managed to get Linux running on PowerPC hardware and those who are learning how. Linux on PowerPC Macs was invaluable in helping me get this far.
keywords: #ppclinux #linuxonmac
short link: https://goo.gl/anff6h
Utilities
Your Mac feeling a bit down or looking for some tools? Tools are available to fix up your mac and make the most of it!
Internet ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SafariApple's default Web Browser that replaced Internet Explorer 6. Safari's debut was in OS X 10.1 yet still offered with the latest releases of Mac OS X. PowerPC G3; G4; G5 Mac OS X 10.1-10.5 | Skype 2.8Notice: With Versions 5.9 and newer running on Windows/Mac/Linux machines people using 2.8 will not be able to see video from other people. Read the fix here. PowerPC G4; G5 Mac OS X 10.4/10.5- 43.5MB | BitTorrent 7.3.5Don't want to download something on your main machine? You're still able to download torrents with BitTorrent. Supports Magnet Links! PowerPC G4; G5 Mac OS X Leopard - 2.75MB | Fluid 0.9.6Have that one web site that should really be a full OS X app? Fluid is the answer! You can make any website work as a full OS X application. PowerPC G4; G5 Mac OS X Leopard - 4.0MB |
Adium1.4.5& 1.3.10Adium is an all in one messaging client. Message your friends using Skype, Facebook Messenger, MSN, Yahoo, and AIM to name a few. PowerPC G3; G4; G5 Mac OS X 10.4 (1.3.10); 10.5 (1.4.5) - 21/22MB
| TextWrangler3.5.3TextWrangler is a powerful editing tool for a variety of files such as .rtf; .config; and .plist files. This app can also be used to modify HTML files! PowerPC G4; G5 Mac OS X Leopard - 12.4MB | Transmission2.22 & 1.54Need to download a torrent? That is no issue with Transmission! This simple torrent client is easy to use and utilizes a clean user interface. PowerPC G3; G4; G5 Mac OS X 10.4 (1.54); 10.5 (2.22) - 1.0MB |
Cool Tools --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UnRarX2.2If you downloaded a .rar file and need to extract it, this small utility will allow you to see what's inside. Works quite well and is speedy ! PowerPC G3; G4; G5 Mac OS X 10.4/10.5 - 716KB | MacTracker7.4.1MacTracker allows you to take a look at products Apple has released in the past and find info out about them, such as Macs, iPods, iPhones, more! PowerPC G4; G5 Mac OS X Leopard -38.9MB | Delivery Status 5.72Delivery Status lets you get updates on packages without going to websites and individually tracking them. You get desktop notifications! PowerPC G4; G5 Mac OS X Leopard -1MB | LineIn 2.0.3Have a Microphone and a Headphone port? Plug an audio device into your microphone port and it will play out of your speakers! PowerPC G3; G4; G5 Mac OS X Tiger; Leopard |
Google Sketchup 7.0 | Blender2.63a | ViJournal Lite2.3.9 |
Google Sketchup allows you to design and build many cool things, such as a house or a device! PowerPC G4; G5 Mac OS X Leopard - 50.9MB | With Blender you can create custom 3D graphics such as cartoon characters for Photoshop projects. PowerPC G4; G5 Mac OS X Leopard - 49.4MB | If you are looking to start a typed up diary, this is the go to program! Easy to use interface. PowerPC G4; G5 Mac OS X Leopard - 1.8MB |
PPC Archive Mirror | PowerPC Archive Official | PowerPC Archive Mirror |
Performance, Speed, and Benchmarks ------------------------------------------------------------------
The app features a simple GUI that provides a better alternative to the popular Terminal command which frees up unused RAM. PowerPC G3; G4; G5 Max OS X Tiger; Leopard | TinkerTool 4.3Need to change some advanced settings on your Mac? Like graphics or other little things or would like a bit better Performance? PowerPC G4; G5 Mac OS X Leopard | Monolingual Leo+TigerThis application will remove extra languages from Applications saving you space. And, it will remove all the Intel Code from your Apps. PowerPC G3; G4; G5 Mac OS X Tiger; Leopard | Geekbench 2.2.7Want to benchmark your mac with other macs, or even PCs? Geekbench is a benchmarking app that will compare your PC to a 1.6GHz G5. PowerPC G4; G5 Mac OS X Leopard - 10MB |
Virtualization, Remote Desktop & Keyboard -------------------------------------------------------------
Q 0.9.0a89Want to try emulating a Operating System? Q makes it possible letting you run anything from Windows 95 up to Windows Vista. PowerPC G3; G4; G5 Mac OS X 10.3-10.5 | Remote DesktopWant to remotely access your Windows computer from your Mac? Remote Desktop lets you connect and control your machine. PowerPC G3; G4; G5 Mac OS X 10.3-10.5 - 7.8MB | Spark3.0b9Spark allows you to remap keys on your keyboard. Have one of the G3 era keyboards without any volume keys? Now it's possible. PowerPC G3; G4; G5 Mac OS X 10.3/10.4 - 3.2MB | Disk Eject1.8Sometimes, tray loaders can be funky. They get disks stuck in them all of the time and sometimes, the OS just doesn't want to let go. PowerPC G3; G4; G5 Mac OS X Tiger; Leopard |
Other (will be placed in categories soon) --------------------------------------------------------------
FastIcns3.1Need to make a quick icon of software for a project or a banner? Just drag the app you want an icon of into FastIcns and then save it! Note: Using a G3, you can't see a preview but you still can create a icon. PPC G3; G4; G5 / Mac OS X 10.4/10.5 - 347KB | F.luxF.lux automatically dims your display according to the time and location you specify. It adds a halogen tint to your display so you don't get blind! PowerPC G3; G4; G5 Mac OS X Tiger; Leopard - 1.25MB | Secrets Instead of copying tedious terminal commands, simply use a UI that allows you to make changes faster and much easier! |
Application EnhancerUnsanity, we will miss you forever. You made Application Enhancer, a .prefpane power up. Many Unsanity apps use this, ShapeShifter is one. PowerPC G3; G4; G5 Mac OS X 10.2/10.3/10.4/10.5
| ScreenFlow allows you to record your screen for videos or whatever you may choose to do. Download and try it out. There will be a watermark. PowerPC G4; G5 Mac OS X Leopard - 11.8MB |