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Yellow Dog Linux 4.0 - Finally in Limited Release

Posted by simoniker on from the woof dept.

sloopy writes "Terra Soft Solutions has released the long awaited and overdue next version of Yellow Dog Linux - version 4.0, for ydl.net enhanced subscribers and pre-installed on new machines, with full release to hopefully soon follow in the coming weeks. With this new release, they finally include native support for the new G5s (32-bit kernel/toolchain currently, full 64-bit soon) and continued support for the G4s and newer G3s."

23 of 223 comments (clear)

  1. I like Linux but... by Shisha · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I would have thought that Linux on Apple hardware makes most sense on the server side, in which case the fact that it's not all full 64-bit defeats the point.

    On the desktop side, I see no advantage of running Linux rather than OS X. Don't get me wrong, I use Linux on my IBM laptop all the time, but on OS X I can run the same programs and also all the nice Mac OS X only things like iTunes.

    1. Re:I like Linux but... by colinleroy · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I like to run linux on my iBook (which doesn't even have OS X installed), just because it's the easiest way to have a consistent experience between computers (same softs, same config, same everything) . I also prefer lots of things of GNU/Linux over OS X, even customized OS X.

      --
      blah
    2. Re:I like Linux but... by Dielectric · · Score: 4, Insightful

      How about for relatively recent Apple hardware that will run OS X poorly, like my aging 350MHz iMac? There is very little software left for OS 9, so just last night I was looking into converting the little blue gumball to Linux. This announcement is like a message from the computer gods for me. Linux it is!

    3. Re:I like Linux but... by mauryisland · · Score: 4, Informative

      I run YellowDog on my iBook for the same reasons as you do, and the only downside is that the silly modem doesn't work, making it necessary to boot into OS X when travelling without an ethernet or wireless connection to the Internet. Other than that, though, it's been mostly YellowDog, because I'm way more familiar with Linux.

    4. Re:I like Linux but... by Shisha · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I see your point, even though since I use the same programs (emacs, kmail, latex, gcc, gnuplot, web browser) on both, and they're the only thing I use often enough, and of course they use the same config files. I don't even get any conflicts using them concurently. The reason why I wouldn't ditch OS X is because of Mathematica, which AFAIK does not run on PowerPC Linux of any flavour Yellow Dog included.

    5. Re:I like Linux but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

      For us Linux users (who see no point in running OSX), it makes sense to get a laptop that just works(tm), and for that purpose Apple laptops tend to beat most of what the PC world puts out.

      For an Apple-fan, it may not make sense to run Linux on an iBook, because the alternative is running OSX.

      But for a Linux-fan, running Linux on an iBook makes sense because the alternative is a Dell.

    6. Re:I like Linux but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Yep, I run YDL on an iBook 500 (lucky me, hw modem, but its still flakey compared to MacOS 9-X) generally because I wanted a more widely supported UNIX-like install for development, i.e. avoiding hoop jumping that used to be so common with earlier OSX releases, but are now, mostly, history...

      Secondly, YDL can run a bit faster than OSX on this hw if I use a lighter wm/desktop e.g. fluxbox, xfce, etc. In which case it can be a little faster. That being said my Pismo(also a 500) runs OSX faster than the ibook and the only real hw diff is the 66M v. 100M bus...

      Downsides: modem support is not very good(probably limited hw doc access), as is power management support(probably same as with modem), and airport support isn't too hot either(i.e. I end up doing quite a bit of manual configuring...), sound support is well, basically crap, and DVD playback non-existant...(although these last 2 are extremely minor issues for me as this system is not really for gaming or video watching...)

      In fact with recent OSX releases I have been seriously considering moving back to OSX, but am leery of dealing with all the multimeg updates(modem)... installing fink(or whatever, again multimeg + modem ick) But then I'd have good modem support, power management, sound, and airport config again(or at least in a non-manual, or not as manual sort of way...)

      Newer iBooks/Powerbooks: er... isn't there a conexant(? binary) driver for the sw/USB modem? I've heard that it introduces potential stability problems, but I've never encountered them...

      YDL itself: at the time it installed with the fewest problems v. debian/slackintosh/suse and seemed like it would receive the most attention, although it now seems that debian or gentoo would be as good alternatives if you have any clue, but I guess that you wouldn't be attempting to run linux if you didnt... I'd also hazard that maybe a Darwin based distro would be even better as the kernel would likely have better support for hw, maybe, but I've never really investigated myself as I'd rather just get all the goodies and run OSX if I was going to bother with a Darwin base...

    7. Re:I like Linux but... by amichalo · · Score: 5, Interesting

      How about for relatively recent [emphasis added] Apple hardware that will run OS X poorly, like my aging 350MHz iMac? ... just last night I was looking into converting the little blue gumball to Linux.

      According to EveryMac, your computer was released 10/5/99 - that's five years give or take a few weeks. How is that relatively recent when Apple only started selling Macs 20 years ago?

      The list price was $999 which means you have gotten core computer usage for ~$200 a year, or less than $0.55 a day. Perhaps it is time to upgrade to a system that DOES run OS X.

      Did you know about this or this? Both are in the range of your existing investment - AND YOU GET A NEW APPLE COMPUTER!

      --
      I only came here to do two things; kick some ass, and drink some beer...looks like we're almost out of beer.
    8. Re:I like Linux but... by leinhos · · Score: 4, Informative

      And then what should he do with the existing iMac, ,throw it away? He still should put Linux on it (YDL or some other distro). The point was made in an earlier post that running Linux on PPC hardware gives the user a consistent operating/user environment across platform architectures. While one could install Fink, there are still differences in the development environment that delays porting from a regular GNU/Linux environment to the BSD/OSX environment. YDL essentially is Fedora Core (1?) on PPC, so going back and forth from an Intel-based machine is relatively painless.

    9. Re:I like Linux but... by macmaniac · · Score: 5, Informative
      According to EveryMac, your computer was released 10/5/99 - that's five years give or take a few weeks. How is that relatively recent when Apple only started selling Macs 20 years ago?

      The list price was $999 which means you have gotten core computer usage for ~$200 a year, or less than $0.55 a day. Perhaps it is time to upgrade to a system that DOES run OS X.

      FWIW, if you put at least 256mb of memory in it, you can usably run OS X on a 350. I have it running quite surprisingly well with Panther on an iMac/333, which is even worse, with 512mb of RAM. It's obviously not good for having lots of apps open or for number crunching or whatever, but it's a very good machine for browsing the 'net or email and things of that nature - which was one of the major selling points for the iMacs initially anyways.

  2. Yellow Dog Linux by bunburyist · · Score: 5, Insightful

    From the site, YDL will "Bridge the gap between Intel and Apple, between x86 and PowerPC. Once you have become comfortable with the KDE or Gnome desktop, you can sit down with any Linux computer and feel right at home.
    Linux will be around for a very long time. It may change, grow, expand, but it will most likely never die. No corporation (even Microsoft) can halt the production of Linux as everyone has the opportunity to offer improvements, to help it become better than it was. Linux users will never be in the position of finding their OS is no longer supported."
    This is cool! Basically it allows you to keep all your existing stuff (from what i gathered) and move to a completely different and (in many people's opinion) better processor architecture, not to mention fancy keyboard/mouse with cool looking box/monitor. Question: Can you dual boot it though? because OSX is so damn pretty and it has X11 to support some linux st0ff.

    1. Re:Yellow Dog Linux by colinleroy · · Score: 4, Informative

      Question: Can you dual boot it though?

      Sure, you can. The boot loader on ppc linux is 'yaboot' and handles that fine.

      --
      blah
    2. Re:Yellow Dog Linux by jusdisgi · · Score: 5, Informative

      Yes, you can dual-boot. Furthermore, with mac-on-linux, you can run your OSX installation in a window on linux. Not emulation, either...it just boots the os native.

      --
      Given a choice between free speech and free beer, most people will take the beer.
  3. support dropped by zenrandom · · Score: 5, Informative

    The unfortunate thing is that YDL has dropped support for the oldworld rom architecture. So now your beige g3's and the wallstreet powerbooks and earlier are no longer officially supported.

    1. Re:support dropped by bedouin · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Yeah, but not supported and will not run are two different things. I'm pretty sure you can install YDL 4.0 on old-world machines, just not with Terrasoft's help.

      That said, I think that's a dumb move on their part. I'd imagine half (if not more) of YDL users are running it on old machines that either can't support OS X, or run it too sluggishly to bother. The beige G3s are still powerful machines. If you can still install Fedora on a circa-1994 Pentium, you should be able to put YDL on a G3 from 1998.

  4. sweet , really sweet by Krafty+Koder · · Score: 4, Funny
    this is just brilliant prose: From their site
    "you cradle your new 12" PowerBook G4 (small enough to hide at the office) running Yellow Dog Linux. Feeling so empowered by this transformation, you quickly demand full reimbursement for the cost of your Mac from your health insurance company, stating with affirmation that an Apple with Yellow Dog Linux is an NIH funded, clinically tested, FDA approved form of alternative medicine. And you would have walked to Canada to get one!

    Yes, this is why people run Linux on a Mac. Hard to explain, isn't it? "

  5. Finally? by rharder · · Score: 4, Insightful
    With this new release, they finally include native support for the new G5s...

    Finally? Goodness, you guys sure do ask a lot. G5's haven't been out all that long. =)

  6. Question for Yellow Dog users... by dave-tx · · Score: 4, Interesting
    I'm a new owner of a powerbook and have thought about installing YDL, but I haven't seen a reason for it... With X11 installed, it seems to me that I can do everything I need with OSX, which is *nix enough to do everything I do with my Fedora Core system.

    Can any YDL advocates provide some insight as to why they prefer this over OSX?

    --

    >> "What would the robut do? Frame someone!"

    1. Re:Question for Yellow Dog users... by IamTheRealMike · · Score: 4, Insightful
      Well, Linux is free software (as in GNU free) which is important to some. Desktop Linux has some things that MacOS X lacks or can only gain with extra hacks. For instance, I'm very comfortable with virtual desktops in Gnome 2.6 and miss them terribly when I'm on a Windows or Mac machine. There are other reasons too - the shareware culture is still prevalent in the Mac world: you can often find yourself being asked to pay ~$30 for a little utility that would be free under Linux, if needed at all.

      Other reasons include apps like Evolution fitting in on Linux, but not on MacOS (and Evo 2 is really, really sweet, far better than Apple Mail in my estimation), improved semantic/source compatibility with the x86 Linux world, want to learn it for future job markets etc etc.

      There are lots of reasons.

  7. Shameless plug alert! by jonathan_atkinson · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I once wrote an article which summarises my experience with Linux on Apple hardware. It was published on OSNews. It's a little dated now (I wrote it a little over a year ago), but it offers my opinion on Yellow Dog Linux, which was overwhelmingly positive. Check it out here.

    --Jon

    --
    Cleanstick.org: Dumb weblog about nothing
  8. Linux + Powerbook by trans_err · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Finally! I have long awaited this release as YDL3 was becoming slightly dated. A lot of people ask, why Linux when I can already use my sleek powerbook to run X applications and hell even apt-get software from Fink's binary repository. The answer is the same to why someone would want to run Linux on an x86 machine. Why run linux when you could just use cgywin?

    MacOS X does Just Work, but sometimes it doesn't work the way I want it too. Sometimes I want to be able to compile any package and KNOW that it is going to work. Sometimes I want a pure linux development environment, and I am willing to take in a few of the caveats (ie. improper pmud).

    Othertimes I just feel mired by a sleek GUI when I know how quickly I can execute the same task with a full linux environment.

    Linux on apple hardware is a great thing (don't dis it until you try it :D).

    --

    transmission_err

  9. But..... by coolmos · · Score: 4, Funny

    With OSX, those nice guys at SCO won't sue you. You really need Linux to get them after you.

    Run, Yellow dog, run !

  10. Firewire boot by Danathar · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I've have some powerbook owners who would like to be able to run Yellowdog but off of an external Firewire drive. Last I checked Yellowdog did not support this. Does anybody know what the status is on this feature.

    Even though having a dual boot system is fairly safe "if you know what you are doing" there are people who don't want to muck with their OS X disk.