You can follow any responses to this entry through rss 2. Five interesting quirks about working with the mac mini g4 we take live, or bootable, usb drives for granted these days, but in 2005, booting into a usb drive on a mac was really complicatedto the point where i might have been better off burning a cd, even though i. There is no further discussion of the intel based mac minis on this page. The only powerpc macs that can use a 64bit operating system are g5 imacs and power macs. To determine which version generation of macmini you have, you can.
Revive your old mac g3, g4, or g5 with linux ghacks tech news. All apple powermac machines up to and including the one marketed as g4 use one of these processors. Amazon links are powered by the amazon associates program. I was told by apple tech support, that booting off the external drive is impossible on g4 computers. From this point on, you should read mac mini as g4 mac mini. Feb 19, 2019 five interesting quirks about working with the mac mini g4 we take live, or bootable, usb drives for granted these days, but in 2005, booting into a usb drive on a mac was really complicatedto the point where i might have been better off burning a cd, even though i havent done anything like that in nearly a decade. I have now added a short guide to installing ubuntu on the newer intel based systems. It doesnt matter if its an ancient powerbook g4 or a slightly more recent model of macbook. We have some microscopes hooked up to powerpcs because the associated software does not work on newer versions of mac os. This page primarily describes a technique for installing debian on these earlier powerpc g4 based systems. Getting ubuntu linux up and running on a powerpc mac leaman crews 2005. In this article, we will examine how to get ubuntu linux up and running on the mac mini.
Use the option key, when possible instead apple community. As many know, between 1992 and 2005, there was a great deal of good software made for the powerpc chip on the mac, even before the advent of mac os x. Morphos brings with it a large library of very usable software, much like a modern linux distribution. The mac mini was introduced in january 2005, using powerpc g4 processors. Once installed you will have one of the most user friendly versions of linux on your mac. Companies such as dell and hp attempt to steal the design that makes the macbook pro what it is. Five interesting quirks about working with the mac mini g4 we take live, or bootable, usb drives for granted these days, but in 2005, booting into a usb drive on a mac was really complicatedto the point where i might have been better off burning a cd, even though i havent done anything like that in nearly a decade. This page helps you to find the right documentation, when you want to install ubuntu on a mac mini. An inexpensive, readily available powerpc system in a small, quiet and attractive chassis. Getting ubuntu linux up and running on a powerpc mac low. Revive your old mac g3, g4, or g5 with linux ghacks tech. Power macintosh 6100 60, 60av, 66, 66av, 66 dos compatible the quadra 630 form factor is a. This kernel flavour supports the powerpc 601, 603, 604, 740, 750, and 7400 processors.
In last weeks column, i outlined the requirements for setting up a useful and fast powerpc ppc linux desktop, and im going to start with what i consider the best of the bunch ubuntu linux has done some of the best work in the open source community at making linux palatable for the average end user. The centris 610 form factor is a lowprofile pizzabox design with a height of 3. I appreciate any and all donations to continue my research into keeping our powerpcs alive and running. I put wheezy on a g3 imac, a g4 powermac cube, g5 imac, and ubuntu on a g4 mac mini. Rather than attempting to describe all the different hardware configurations which are supported for powerpc, this section. By joining our community you will have the ability to post topics, receive our newsletter, use the advanced search, subscribe to threads and access many other special features. Chrome has never been developed for powerpc linux, only firefox has. The mac mini stylized with a lowercase mini is a desktop computer made by apple inc. Apple finally got the small headless mac tradeoff right a few years later with the mini, itself a third the size of the cube with more power at a lower cost.
If you have a dvd drive, you can simply burn the iso image of lubuntu 16. Ubuntu mate 16 and lubuntu 16 are still supported on powerpc computers. I powermac chiamati newworld sono tutti i powermac con case in plastica semitrasparente, tutti gli imac, ibook e i sistemi g4 e g5. Does the powerpcbased mac mini g4 make a useful daily driver in 2019. He chooses to install it on a vintage imac g4, and get it on the network, but. Canonical has not officially supported these older powerpc based machines for quite a while. Feb 02, 2015 ubuntu mate run on mac mini g4 at 1920x1080p full compositing accelerated the specs. Sep 30, 2016 installing linux to a 16 year old mac powerpc g4. I was planning on installing lununtu but apparently ubuntu and its flavours dont support powerpc anymore. Ubuntu installs by default a boot loader called yaboot yet another bootloader and this allows you to start linux or select which other os youd like to boot. Connected mac mini via firewire 400800 cable to macbook pro, running os x 10. The power macintosh 610066, a version of the first macintosh to use a powerpc processor.
Based on the powerpc ppc g4 cpu, the machine is ideal for those who wish to experiment with gnulinux on a nonintel platform. And were not talking about an old version of linux. I am using an original mac mini model with mac os 10. Apples first generation mac mini is something which a lot of linux users have been waiting for. Only newer ones which you can use on g5 have full 2d and 3d acceleration. The second generation mac mini, introduced in february 2006, carried over the design of the powerpc version, but used intel core processors and other upgraded components, and made wireless connections such as bluetooth and wifi standard. Powerpc was an officially supported architecture for ubuntu between versions 4. What you need to get started depends on what type of optical drive you have in your g4 or g5based powerbook or mac. This page refers to the powerpc g4 based mac mini computers. The first generation of mac mini systems used powerpc g4 processors. Dec 16, 2015 i have a 17 mac powerbook g4 and i tried installations of ubuntu mate ppc 14. Ubuntu for powerpc is now a community supported platform the announcement so you can no longer pay canonical to support your powerpc desktop machine.
Sep 21, 2016 when you install ubuntu onto a newworld apple macintosh powerpc g3, g4 or g5 computer you can choose to boot between two or more operating systems. Ubuntu mate run on mac mini g4 at 1920x1080p full compositing accelerated the specs. Jun 10, 2009 take note, however, sometimes, when using a g3, you might wind up with ubuntu basically not wanting to install at all. Powerpc and the closely related ibm power is the processor architecture used in computers such as. There is not currently a natty version to try the latest stable release is maverick. Aug 06, 2008 powerpc and the closely related ibm power is the processor architecture used in computers such as. When you install ubuntu onto a newworld apple macintosh powerpc g3, g4 or g5 computer you can choose to boot between two or more operating systems. I would mention that out of the box they usually take a good deal of tweaking to get the display to work.
I have a 17 mac powerbook g4 and i tried installations of ubuntu mate ppc 14. Thankfully freebsd does i managed to install freebsd with the powerpc cd iso, but i dont. Install of freebsd 12 on mac mini powerpc the freebsd forums. Microsoft office 2004 for mac test drive, nanosaur 2, quicken 2005 for mac, zinio reader, iwork 30. Ubuntu jaunty is also available for powerpc, with a graphical installer. Its computing power is roughly equivalent to an iphone 5. Due to the age of the mac mini g4, users may find themselves in frustrating situations. Use the option key, when possible instead of c key to boot discs by. Powermac g3, g4 cube included, or g5 with firewire, or some usb only powerbook g3, mac mini g4, or ibook g3 or g4 with firewire links to tip to identify your mac. I powermac newworld sono noti anche per luso del sistema rom in ram di mac os e sono stati costruiti dalla meta del 1998 in poi. Ubuntu does not impose hardware requirements beyond the requirements of the linux kernel and the gnu toolsets.
Indeed, their slogan is linux for human beings, and i dont think ive ever. Therefore, any architecture or platform to which the linux kernel, libc, gcc, etc. If this happens you might want to upgrade your mac s g3 firmware. A kernel module is missing from the alternatemini isos. I had a pb g4 with a dead internal hd, and i have bought an external usb 2. It is one of four desktop computers in the current macintosh lineup, serving as an alternative to the allinone imac, and sits below the performance range imac pro and mac pro the mac mini is apples only consumer desktop computer since 1998 to ship without a display, keyboard, or mouse.
Macs by series, mac clones, by year, by case type and currently shipping. After talking with others in our smallbutgrowing linux ppc facebook. And ill like to find out if i can upgrade it to osx snow leopard. Apple macintosh between about 1994 and 2006 some ibm servers and work stations. Hi 1 week ago i installed version 15 on my g4 mac mini, no particular problem, but audio wont work anyway yesterday i have upgraded on line to 16.
All apple power macintosh systems up to and including the g4 use processors supported by this kernel. This page lists linux equivalents for popular mac os x software. He informed me that was the down the road plan, but it just isnt in the budget quite yet. Then, i have stumbled upon this site, and with superduper, i have made a complete backup of the neighbours mac mini. On powerpc macs above you select the disk and hit the right arrow as shown below. To determine which version generation of macmini you have. For other processors, please refer to the main by processor page also see. The biggest problem is the lack of drivers for the video card. It does not cover the newer intel based models, which are dealt with here announced in january 2005. When you install ubuntu onto a newworld apple macintosh powerpc g3, g4 or g5. I decided to install ubuntu instead, i have attempted to. For example, the latest version of mac os x that one can install on this version of the.
I have only used linux on the g4 macs in my collection and mostly debian. Complete technical specifications for every apple mac using the powerpc g4 processor are listed below for your convenience. Hi all, so im trying to bring some life back into my girlfriends old mac. The power macintosh, later power mac, is a family of personal computers designed, manufactured, and sold by apple computer, inc. Good enough to snap the picture and transfer it to my laptop for editing. For other processors, please refer to the main by processor page. This also means that iso downloads have been moved to the ports section of the ubuntu sever, and are no longer on most mirrors. Most systems use this kernel flavour, which supports the powerpc 601, 603, 604, 740, 750, and 7400 processors. Debian is a registered trademark of software in the public interest, inc. It seems that its not mate related, since the same happens with several other desktop environments unity, xubuntu, lubuntu.
Installing ubuntu linux powerpc on an imac g4 krazy kens. Linux, mac mini powerpc, mac os x, netboot, open firmware, ppc, tftp, ubuntu. Ive got a macintosh powerpc g5 running on mac osx 10. Turn my mac mini powerpc g4 into a server apple community. Installing ubuntu on a mac mini official ubuntu documentation.
The mac mini g4 was introduced january 2005 and superseded by the first intel mac mini in january 2006. Getting the revival on for your powerpc mac running linux. Both installations succeed and run pretty well, but after a couple of minutes the machine just freezes. The microscope cameras together probably cost more than grad students get paid, so therell be no push to move from powerpc anytime soon. About to give up my mac mini powerpc g4 for recycling, i tried one more thing.