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Considering the common notion that the G4 is fast, multiple G4's are obviously the next logical step. The problem becomes: what would I do with G4-MP???

The MacOS seems infinitely capable -- why must it do all of them so poorly and/or primitively? MP support on a Macintosh works out to be a few specific Adobe apps crudely hacked to run two parallel threads on separate CPU's. The OS doesn't natively support any kind of MP, and 90% of Mac apps simply 'stay at home' on CPU 0. If there were more than ten apps used on a Mac (Adobe software, M$ Office, Quark, and Nutscrape), I'm sure that percentage would be higher.

Linux SMP is coming along (but admit it, it's not even up to pace with NT, let alone BeOS), but Yellow Dog only has half-assed support for the G4. Then there is the problem of getting it from kernel 2.2 to 2.4 in the next couple of months...

Apple's OS X is a way off, and given the hardware used in their systems since the introduction of the iMac, would you be able to find any other UN*X that supports bizarre foreign hardware like USB keyboards and mice?

Just imagine a bitchin' Beowulf cluster of MP G4's with a functional OS! =)
--

Yellow Dog Linux and LinuxPPC both have preliminary G4 support, though the G4 isn't "officialy supported" hardware yet. And SMP support for Linux on the PowerMac has been there for quite some time, on Apple's old dual processor 604e machines.

Apple Macintosh

• Yellow Dog Linux
• MkLinux
• LinuxPPC

• SGI Linux
  
  --Ivan, weenie NT4 user: bite me!

1. [...] Very rarely do you see a desktop G4 running anything but the MacOS.

well, Yellow Dog Linux and LinuxPPC would run fine on it im sure. if i had money to blow on a new machine, id certainly consider a G4 for *my* desktop...so why wouldnt there be other people making the same consideration?

2. [...] ...obviousely, here, it helps stability.

the fact that a weakness in the os helps workaround a problem in the processor is not, in my opinion, a Good Thing(tm).

3. [...]

er...right...its not available yet, so the only people that should be affected are overclockers (although it doesnt sound like overclocking is possible from other comments). ok, its good that theyre trying to fix it before they release the faster chips, but doesnt the paragraph i mentioned seem a little odd? i mean, theyre suggesting some people might encounter minor problems. but how can that be if a) noone has one of the effected chips yet and b) theyre going to fix it before they release it?

i think im just confused...i need a good beating. ah yes, quake...

--Siva

Keyboard not found.

Linux does already run on the 400 MHz G4s, which use the motherboard of the Power Mac G3. The 450+ MHz G4s are a different architecture, so as you say LinuxPPC isn't there yet, but it will be soon. See LinuxPPC's notes on the G4 and Yellow Dog Linux's G4 press release.

Has anyone even given YellowDog Linux a chance? Their distro is quick, stable, and it has just what you're talking about! They have what they call a "Champion Server" version and a "Gone Home" version. It runs on PPC hardware to boot! :) Check it out!

Other possibility: you could try getting in touch with Groupe Bull or Motorola Computer Group (at http://www.mcg.mot.com/) about that. Both make PowerPC-based boards and computers, though AFAIK they only sell to vendors and not to little saps like us. ;-)

For that matter, if you wait a little, IBM's open hardware specs ought to also generate some interest amoung hardware manufacturers.

Last recommendation: Get in touch with Yellow Dog Linux or LinuxPPC about it. They'd be happy to help you out in finding something, I'm sure. Both are pretty quick in supporting new hardware, as well; though AltiVec is not yet supported (the code has to be "vectorized" first), meaning only that its advantages won't yet make a difference in Linux, that development is already starting to get underway.

Oh, and if you're looking for news and info about Linux for PowerPC Macs, check out my site at http://linux.macnews.de/. :-)

Ethelred

The press release is here. I guess this thing will run linux. I would like to see it in action.

Replacement mice aren't hard to find... I had a Kensington Thinking Mouse before I converted over the Mac that I'm posting this from to LinuxPPC. It's a 4-button mouse with chording. I don't know for sure if Kensington still sells them, but it's just great for X.

On Yellow Dog Linux's site, they're talking about a deal with someone who makes the 'Unimouse'. A 3-button USB mouse for Linux that comes in those cute iMac colors. (Be honest. You know you want an orange transparent mouse)

Try one of these:
LinuxPPC
Yellow Dog Linux

As far as I can tell (I haven't used either), LinuxPPC is a general purpose distribution, along the same lines as Red Hat, Open Linux or Debian GNU/Linux. Yellow Dog is more targetted for the server market.

----

"legacy hardware is going to be ripped out. ...ISA, parallel, serial and floppy and substitute[d with] USB and Firewire..."

Now I don't know about you, but I can think of a hardware platform that has already done this. And it can run linux too. This platform got a lot of flak for going to USB only. (the pro models have firewire) And in particular, they got a lot of grief over the elimination of the floppy. And whats this? Is the rest of the PC industry following suit?

What is this mysterious platform?

LinuxPPC - CHRP, PREP, and Powermac Linux, now at R5

Yellow Dog Linux: for Power Macintosh, G3, and iMac

MkLinux: Linux for PowerMacintosh on a Mach3 kernel

I guess some /.'ers are as ignorant of Linux as they are of Macs.

Despite the fact that your post screamed TROLL, I'm going to reply.

1. The iMac has features other than its "cuteness". For starters, its small. It has the same footprint as my 17inch monitor- maybe even less. Now I know that this isn't a priority for everyone, some people even like full size towers, but if you don't want/need alot of expandability or are short on space (read: live in a dorm room), smaller is better.
2. The iMac is cheeeeep. Maybe you don't think so if you have been building your own computers- but most people I know can't do that. Also, its price/feature ratio is probably better than most pc's of equal price (lets see if Dell can do better).
3. I must beg to differ with the claim that this thing you call "cuteness" is a paradigm shift. Lets try replacing the word "cuteness" with the word "coolness". Geeks have always been fascinated with cool things. And the iMac is very cool- from the clear case to the universal serial bus. And you can run linux on it ( Yellow Dog Linux). How cool is that!

Where does YDL say that LinuxPPC Inc. doesn't supply support with their distro? I don't see it. They specify six differences between the two companies/distros, and their assertions all seem right and proper. Am I missing something?

But one thing that does bother me about this page is their confusion of LinuxPPC the distro and LinuxPPC Inc. the company. ("Yellow Dog Linux, like LinuxPPC, Inc., uses the LinuxPPC kernel...").

--Tom Geller

http://www.yellowdoglinux.com/s upport/faq_diff.html

the only thing i'd like to add is that the current version of linuxppc, R4, is glibc1 based whereas YDL is glibc2. hopefully, linuxppc will get their act together now and put out R5 which will have glibc2 stuff.

-l

Note that while the distribution supports iMacs, they state that their installer does not work, but an update will be "available soon."

Check out their list of supported hardware for more details.