On Fri, May 11, 2001 at 10:30:17AM +0100, jo@yee-ha.demon.co.uk wrote:
Joss Winn wrote:
Is anyone on this list using Linux on a Macintosh?
Yup, SuSE7.0 on a G3 PowerBook.
If not, would anyone care for a summary of the current state of Linux on Macs? There are some interesting things going on. For the most part, it is very similar to Linux on x86, but there are some noteworthy differences to consider.
Yeah, there's a few oddities. I think the biggest difference though is in software- if you can't get the source code, then quite often you'll find the Linux version is for X86 only, which can be a pain.
Yes. A year ago I found this to be a nuisance. I very rarely encounter it now though. What can be frustrating is the sheer amount of x86 RPMs everywhere, and you have to know where to look for the PPC Linux ones. I certainly feel like it is important to be on the mailing lists with PPC linux. A lot of the linux books available just don't address certain essential issues that effect us.
It has all the dis-advantages of being in a community with relatively few members, but also the advantages too. Apple controls the hardware to a certain extent, so the linux developers have an easier job of predicting what hardware to focus on support for. You can guarantee, that someone on a ppc linux mailing list has exactly the same hardware set up as you and has been through the problems you are going through. I've found support from developers and other users comes very very quickly. The SUSE PPC list is often like having your own personal support help line. The developers on there are really quick to reply and usually with good results.
The relatively smaller community of users/developers is one of the reasons I stick with linux on apple hardware. I'm glad SUSE got in on the ppc linux scene. Judging from conversations with a SUSE developer, one of their criteria is that packages on one platform are available for all platforms they support. Though they aren't quite as strict as Debian seems to be on this, it is still a good thing (TM). I've just got full Japanese support on SUSE PPC as a result of this loose 'policy'.
sorry, i have gone on a bit. am waiting for a large java download to finish....
cheers joss (doesn't work for SUSE; wants to run Debian one day)