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Load Linux on the Mac mini

Posted by timothy on from the two-great-tastes dept.

An anonymous reader writes "The Mac mini is an ideal low-cost, high-performance PowerPC development platform for numerous applications. Learn how to install and configure Linux on the mini. Future articles will add the software required to make it into a stand-alone multimedia appliance."

20 of 198 comments (clear)

  1. Further software ? by rokzy · · Score: 4, Insightful

    what is linux going to offer over OS X since you get OS X with a Mini anyway?

    plus does linux have support for AirTunes? and will it have support for the possible video streaming over AirPort Express that was hinted at in the discussion of iTunes 4.8? I don't know but I don't think so.

    1. Re:Further software ? by dasunt · · Score: 2, Insightful
      what is linux going to offer over OS X since you get OS X with a Mini anyway?

      Some of us prefer linus to Mac OS X. In my case, I'm a bizarre, twisted individual that prefers FVWM to any other window manager, likes mutt, slrn and vim, and I don't want to spend hours on end playing with fink and trying to mimic a linux install when a true linux install is just a few minutes away with the right distro and boot CD.

      Plus, it annoys the mac zealots. ;)

      Sorry guys, while MacOS X is a fine OS, its not all things to everyone.

    2. Re:Further software ? by TheRaven64 · · Score: 4, Insightful
      I have a Mac Mini in a co-lo centre, running OpenBSD. For me, it was a very cheap way of getting a co-located host (the mini is a lot smaller than a 1U server, and so hosting was cheap). In a headless box, most of the benefits of OS X are lost (assuming I am too cheap to pay for OS X server - which costs more than the Mini itself).

      I can't really see a reason for installing Linux. The article mentioned that YellowDog was `lightweight', at only 4CDs. OpenBSD is a 4MB boot CD and then you just download the parts you need (around 100MB for the base system). This gives you a secure server, which can easily be administrated remotely. Oh, and unlike OS X, you can upgrade things like Apache separately from the core OS.

      --
      I am TheRaven on Soylent News
    3. Re:Further software ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      I'm a bizarre, twisted individual that prefers FVWM to any other window manager, likes mutt, slrn and vim

      And that doesn't work with Darwin because ... ?

      I mean, come on. You don't even need to load Aqua if you don't want it. Boot to command line, load your weird-assed window manager, and you're off to the races. Why mess with linux when you can have a flavor of BSD?

    4. Re:Further software ? by Jeff+DeMaagd · · Score: 2, Insightful

      It isn't as if OS X 10.3 will spontaneously delete itself from the hard drive because you didn't buy 10.4.

      10.3 is still a fine OS, most of 10.4's features are relatively minor updates anyway, save for Dashboard and Spotlight. There are some issues that need to be worked out with 10.4 anyway.

    5. Re:Further software ? by exp(pi*sqrt(163)) · · Score: 2, Insightful

      This attempt to seem l33t 'n' all might impress the neighbors, but if you can't figure out how to install fvwm, mutt, slrn and vim under MacOSX then I suggest you take up a hobby like flower arranging instead.

      --
      Doesn't it make you feel good to know that our freedoms are protected by politicans, lawyers and journalists.
    6. Re:Further software ? by jellomizer · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Well I found that Linux is well geared to developing applience like applications. Take a Distribution strip it down. And make it do what you want and make it do it quite well. A firewall, A spam filter, A way to do remote backups. Or just a multimedia presitation unit. OS X as a desktop operating system is Great, and it is Good for a General Server too. But if you want to a more detailed workhorse then Linux does the job a lot better. Say you want to make a Multimedea system. Install Linux have it open up X-Windows and use your application say Firefox without the menus being displayed full screen. No window managers just firefox. So you have an easy to make multimedea station. Or better yet if you make your multimedea station software as a live CD. You just pop in the CD and boot the Mac. and bingo it is up and running make as many copies as you want and have it spread across your company stores.

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    7. Re:Further software ? by nuggetman · · Score: 2, Insightful

      There are those of us who bought a mini 3 months ago and don't think that forking out 25% of the original system price for 10.4 is reasonable

      Yeah. It really pissed me off to no end that all those installs of Panther just totally stopped working at 6pm on April 29th

      --
      ...and that's all there is to it.
    8. Re:Further software ? by dasunt · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I have no problems with installing fvwm, mutt, slrn, and vim under MacOS X, nor would I have any problems with installing the same programs under windows.

      Heck, I could even emulate OS X under windows and install those applications under the emulated OS X interface.

      But trying to turn MacOS into linux is as silly as trying to turn a Volkswagon Jetta into a 1 ton truck. With enough time and energy, it is possible, but why not buy a truck in the first place?

      As for l33tness, I run mutt and slrn because both are fine apps, with scoring capabilities, and both will let me edit using vim (and both will run under GNU screen). I use vim because its one of the best editors in existance. I use fvwm because it allows me to do stuff such as map ctrl-j ctrl-k to switch to the page with the nearest rxvt terminal (or open an rxvt terminal if it can't find any).

      I'm sorry if you think that the only reason to run certain applications/linux is to be l33t.

    9. Re:Further software ? by geoffspear · · Score: 2, Insightful
      Why "should" an application quit when you select "Close Window"?

      An application that does so is broken. Your statement is like saying "an application should save my file when I print."

      --
      Don't blame me; I'm never given mod points.
  2. WTF? by baldass_newbie · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Why would anyone waste hardware and time doing this?

    Not to be a troll, but you've got BSD running under the hood with a clean UI, so uh, what do you gain besides bragging rights?

    Or am I missing something? I did read the fine article and I see they want their project to be OpenSource, but THEY ALREADY PAID FOR THE LICENSE!!!!

    --
    The opposite of progress is congress
  3. Nothing New by Horrortaxi · · Score: 4, Insightful

    People have been installing Yellow Dog on Macs for a long time. This is nothing new.

    Since it doesn't support the built in wifi or bluetooth I'm not sure why this would be such a good idea though.

  4. Re:Some statements need addressing. by rokzy · · Score: 2, Insightful

    what you said may be factually true, but you still miss the point completely.

    you even quote the relevant sentence yourself but go on to ignore the most important word: PowerPC.

    plus if you RTFA it's about the Mini being good because of its small size etc. so all your points about cost are worth fuck-all unless you can find an x86 machine with the same size and aesthetics. any retard can order a tower peecee from Dell. we didn't need you to point that out.

  5. Re:This boggles the mind... by metamatic · · Score: 3, Insightful
    Paying the absurd premium for Apple hardware just to rip the already-beautiful OS off of it and install *nix?

    Absurd premium? No doubt you'll post links to equivalent non-Apple machines that are significantly cheaper. Something like a complete fanless mini-ITX system in a Mac Mini size box, for $300, right? Or are you just bullshitting?

    Also: Mac OS X is Unix.

    (But not necessarily UNIX(TM))

    --
    GCHQ Quantum Insert installed. If only our tongues were made of glass, how much more careful we would be when we speak
  6. Re:This boggles the mind... by Palshife · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Ya know, some of us dual boot ;) We can use that VTEC when we want and then switch back to 8 cylinders with a keystroke. Ditching OS X is a travesty, but nothing should prevent me from using Linux on the desktop when I really want to.

    --
    Attention deficit disorder is a complicated issue, spanning several major... HEY LET'S GO RIDE BIKES!
  7. Load Linux on the Mac Mini by wolf31o2 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    1. Download Gentoo 2005.0 for PPC
    2. Boot Gentoo 2005.0 for PPC
    3. Follow Gentoo Handbook for PPC

    How exactly is this news? Is it really that hard to use other distributions on the Mini?

    1. Re:Load Linux on the Mac Mini by wolf31o2 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Not having a Mini myself, I was asking a serious question.

      Is it really so hard to install Linux on a Mini compared to any other Mac that it deserves its own article?

      I could care less what you think about Gentoo. However, you made your position quite clear when you immediately assumed that I was spouting some pro-Gentoo stance and trying to detract from other distributions. Whether I am a Gentoo developer or not doesn't change the simple fact that I asked a simple question, to which I would really like to hear an answer rather than some baseless nonesense being spouted off by an obvious Gentoo detractor that self-admittedly has never even tried the distribution.

  8. You've got it completely backwards by Dan+Ost · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Sorry, but I don't get you people. Who the fuck cares what "window manager" is running? Do you spend all your time playing with your window manager or do you run software to actually accomplish something productive?

    You've got it backwards. Those of use who care about window managers do so
    because we want to minimize the pain of working with a window manager
    so that we can be more productive.

    I use FVWM because I can configure it to stay out of my way as much as possible
    so that I can work in the fashion most natural to me.

    --

    *sigh* back to work...
  9. Re:Next up by Winterblink · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I don't know. Why did you read it?

    --
    "I'm a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar."
    -Hoban Washburn
  10. Why would you want to do that :P by core · · Score: 2, Insightful

    There's already two functional Unix platforms that supports all of the Mac mini hardware.. That's MacOS X and Darwin (F/OSS). Most useful linux apps will compile without trouble on MacOS X, if they aren't already available via the excellent Fink project.

    Cartoon miniature golf for Mac: http://www.funpause.com/gardengolf/