Perfect Pair: PowerPC And Linux

grubby writes: "A member of my local LUG NCOLUG has written an article in LinuxJournal about what the PowerPC and Linux could do together. He brings up many good points about the history of the WinTel PC and what he hopes the future may bring. I have personally had numerous conversations with him about his ideas and would like to know what the slashdot population thinks about them. Check it out, it's a good read." This piece takes a somewhat broad view of things -- which makes sense, given that radical changes can take time to grow in the background before they actually make public waves. Also of interest on the PPC front: kilaasi writes "Looks like IBM is getting back to it's PowerPC which is/was/will be co-developed with Motorola. IBM has some tricks that will increase speed and at the same time decrease power consumption." Here's CNET's brief story on upcoming PPC developments."

Comments

We need cheap, buildable, PowerPC systems.

[Christopher Cashell]

What I think we really need, before we'll see the PowerPC really take off, is the ability to build PowerPC Systems.

For example, if I want to build an Intel (or compatible) system, I buy a CPU, a motherboard, memory, any devices I need, I put it together, and boom. A system is born.

I can even do that with Alpha systems, though it's a little more work.

However, has anyone ever seen PowerPC CPU's and motherboards available anywhere?

I love PowerPC systems, I think they're absolutely amazing. However, I don't have the $10k to drop on an RS/6000, and I have no interest in purchasing an over-price Macintosh computer. They're too restrictive and limited.

As soon as I can buy a PowerPC CPU and motherboard somewhere, though, and build a system myself, I'll be the first in line to do it. Linux runs amazingly well on PowerPC processors.

Slight logical fallacy

[imac.usr]

If Apple can use its knowledge and influence to help convert annual production of about 25 million WinTel boxes into LinuxPCs, then, together with its own use of roughly 5 million PowerPCs, that 30 million piece annual volume would give the PowerPC a fair chance at gaining further market share against the roughly 95 million box market that WinTel boxes would then have.

Um, yeah, and why would Apple want to give away 25 million PowerPC chips to support an OS that it's trying to compete with? Shareholders and users alike would be infuriated.

Make no mistake, Apple supports (or at least doesn't discourage) Linux on PowerPCs, but they are a business with a goal of dominating the market with Mac OS X just as Microsoft is a business with the goal of dominating the market with Windows and Red Hat, Caldera, SuSE, etc. are businesses with a goal of dominating the market with $DISTRO. Apple would be highly unlikely to help take potential Mac OS X seats away from themselves in such a way.


--