The bootloader in useyabootworks great for ubuntu, but not for os x. The debian powerpc port began in 1997 at the german linux congress in wurzburg. Solved what linux distribution is best for a power mac g5. Installing a ppc linux on one of my useless old aluminum powerbook g4s just. It will however work on newer intel based apple computers such as the macbook, mac pro and imac 2006 and later.
This is an englishlanguage usertouser support group. Here is a list of powerpc machines which should work with debian. Im a total linux noob and have unsuccessfully tried yellow dog linux. Anyone have any other recommendations for a linux distro for the powermac. Those familiar with powerpc will know that yaboot is the default bootloader, and that remains so here, but ive also added grub to make booting. This case mod was completed in one day, once i had obtained all the parts. The ppc archive team ourselves has a variety of machines, ranging from imac g3s, blue and whites, ibooks, powerbooks, and g5 systems. Running modern gnulinux on powermac g5 the complete. My g5 booted up, and i was able to imagine for a bit what snow leopard might have been like if it had kept support even for power mac g5s. Apple powermac powerpc g5 desktops the apple power mac g5 has several multipurpose ports that can function as interfaces for a wide variety of computer peripherals. Complete power macintosh g5 technical specs are below. Safe and fast downloads for windows, mac and linux apps. The freebsdppc port should run on any newworld apple machine any apple machine with a builtin usb port, as well as the sony playstation 3. If youre looking for a truly modern build of linux for your g5 you dont have very many choices anymore.
Nov 11, 2003 dan burcaw, cto writes terra soft asserts commitment to the apple g5 platform loveland, colorado 11 november 2003 terra soft solutions, inc. Most systems use this kernel flavour, which supports the powerpc 601, 603, 604, 740, 750, and 7400 processors. Modern versions of java are available through ibm java and openjdk. The spectrum of difficulty for a g5 case mod is very broad ranging from watercooled, powdercoated, and trickedout to something simple. If i want to boot os x, i hold down the option key to get apples option page and choose os x from there. The imac g5 uses system management unit smu rather than the more common power management unit pmu for its general power management. Right in the middle of 2018, im doing my standard search for powerpc apps and found finderpop which has brought a whole new life to my pretty and powerful 15 year old mac computer. Apple power mac g5 specs all power macintosh g5 technical. Have a 2nd hdd in the mac that i thought i would use so i could dual boot and do some test driving. Sep 12, 2015 this is not an complete list please add to it. Apparently, yaboot is passing incorrect or incomplete boot parameters to the os and after about 30 seconds, yaboot os x freezes. Linux mint does not have a powerpc port, therefore it will not run on a powermac, powerbook, ibook or imac g3g4 g5. I am new to the world of linux and looking to see if i can use my power mac g5 for linux. Jun 10, 2009 revive your old mac g3, g4, or g5 with linux.
Linux mint does not have a powerpc port, therefore it will not run on a powermac, powerbook, ibook or imac g3g4g5. With its unique deployment toolset including juju and maas. These cpus greatly lower the bar for 64bit computing on the desktop and on small servers. Once i saw that lubuntu ran decently on my ancient power mac g5 dual, i knew that i wanted to install it on. Im trying to figure out whether it is the power supply of the start button which cause the problem. If i am trying to whip a dead horse here, then i would like to know that, as well, before i spend any time on the linux conversion.
Im still very fond of my old powermac g5, even though my current mac mini blows it to very small pieces in the performance department. All models pack 64bit powerpc 970 g5 processors in an easytoupgrade aluminum tower case design with a single external optical drive bay. As useful and wellwritten as this article is, it has an incorrect assumption. Sep 20, 2016 i recently got my hands on 3 beautiful powermac g5 s. Sep 21, 2016 this page lists linux equivalents for popular mac os x software. All apple power macintosh systems up to and including the g4 use processors supported by this kernel.
Thus, you can install linux on your imac g5 without erasing mac os x from the machine. Linux and bsd unix are free, open source operating. Thats our guess of what still has the most ground in the powerpc world. Power is optimised for workloads in the mobile, social, cloud, big data, analytics and machine learning spaces. What version of the macos is preinstalled on the power mac g5. Basically what the title says, am looking for a linux distro to install on my imac g5 power pc. Getting ubuntu linux up and running on a powerpc mac leaman crews 2005.
Jun 23, 2016 have a power mac g5 that is showing its age. Both suspendtodisk hibernate and suspendtoram standby are not working. Dan burcaw, cto writes terra soft asserts commitment to the apple g5 platform loveland, colorado 11 november 2003 terra soft solutions, inc. Getting ubuntu linux up and running on a powerpc mac. Installing mac osx booting from usb on power mac g5 with pc.
Depending on your install media, this smpcapable kernel may or may not be installed. Nov 15, 2018 quick video showing how to boot from usb flash drive on power mac g5. What recent version of linux would run in my g5 and be easy to install. In fact, you can download a live iso image of the most recent version 16. Most powerpc isos are in a ports directory, but for others e. Mac powerpc because powerpc is still running in my mac. In fact, 32bit powerpc support is going away in most. All apple power macintosh systems up to and including the g4 use processors. The power macintosh g5 shipped from 2003 until 2006. Sep 21, 2017 i tried doing a ubuntu install, but my g5 said something about not being able to find a place to mount it and no mountable system files so much for a operating system install being easy.
When introduced, it was the most powerful computer in apples macintosh lineup, and was marketed by the company as the worlds first 64bit desktop computer. The most uptodate information about supported hardware is currently being maintained on the wiki. Apple power mac g5 linux ubuntu mate 16 04 install and test linux ubuntu mate 16. The only powerpc macs that can use a 64bit operating system are g5 imacs and power macs.
Debian, which is the upstream source for probably the majority of desktop linux distributions, officially shot its powerpc port in the head in 2017 with the release of stretch. In this video im showing them plus i explain how to boot a powermac g5 with mac os 10. I wanted to explore the idea of a simple g5 case mod. Handbrake is an opensource, gpllicensed, multiplatform, multithreaded video transcoder, available for mac os x, linux and windows. Jul 23, 2008 as a new owner of a really, really sweet dual 2.
Quick video showing how to boot from usb flash drive on power mac g5. Currently, terra softs beta yhpc is one of only two 64bit linuxes that. Am currently running lubuntu from disc, but it hangs when trying to install it. Quite a few people still have power mac g5s kicking around, and quite a few people have imac g3s around as well. The power mac g5 is a series of personal computers designed, manufactured, and sold by apple computer, inc. Jan 16, 2015 i am new to the world of linux and looking to see if i can use my power mac g5 for linux. Installing linux on a powermac g5 macrumors forums. Aluminum tower macs with dual optical drive bays are mac pro models.
I would like to use the old imac as computer for my mother, she would only need an uptodate browser running, nothing more. The power mac g5, fueled by the ibm powerpc 970, provides an allnew 64bit architecture. Obs studio obs studios, also known as open broadcaster software, is a free and open source software program for. With a dualcore processor and space for an extra hard drive, these personal computers can meet your needs with an efficient and sleek design that features easy access to the. Heb je een mac, maar zou je graag linuxapplicaties willen gebruiken, of wordt je oude mac niet meer ondersteund door apple. Mar, 2006 hi the upcoming fedora core 5 ppc looks good. Revive your old mac g3, g4, or g5 with linux ghacks tech news. Apple powermac g5 for mac free download and software. Ubuntu server for power brings ubuntu server and ubuntu server for cloud to power, opening the door to the entire openstack ecosystem and the scaleout and cloud markets. Using the list of official cd mirrors and a bit of ingenuity traversing the mirror directory structures for example, click on the parent directory or link you can probably find more mirrors that contain powerpc releases. The software in no longer available for purchase from apple. The first power macintosh g5 models shipped with a custom version of macos x 10. I have absolutely no sign of life, not even the external white led or the internal red one.
The g5 is a beast of a machine, the roar of which can still surprise me when the fans get going. This ability to boot can verify if a clone works if you need to make a copy of your system. In fact, with the help of the boot camp application, users can host os x. Can you advise which version i should use and best appsguis for managing this env specs below. Apple power mac g5 linux ubuntu mate 16 04 install and test. Im looking for replies of those running linux on the powermac g5.
I tried doing a ubuntu install, but my g5 said something about not being able to find a place to mount it and no mountable system files so much for a operating system install being easy. I found mintppc, based on the debian testing branch. My macs support was cut off, then i was like install linux. This page lists linux equivalents for popular mac os x software. You can boot from firewire or sata hard drives on g5s, but not usb. Is there a linux distribution, that runs on an old imac g5 with a powerpc processor. Systems using the ppc970 processor apple g5, ydl powerstation, ibm. Number start end size file system name flags 1 512b 32. Anyway, does anyone know what is causing this issue, and how to fix it.
I appreciate any and all donations to continue my research into keeping our powerpcs alive and running. Revive a powerpc mac running linux the mac observer. A key resource for powerpc linux development is penguinppc, which also includes a hardware compatibility list. Download latest newest and older versions of free software. The apple g5 is also based on the power4 architecture, and uses this kernel flavour. Recently acquired my old g5 after i gave it to my dad some 67 years. I would like to convert the power mac g5 to a linux file server, if that is practical.