Mac Linux Links

Linux, a freeware Open Source operating system, has been receiving a lot of press for years. Note that there are several versions of Linux for Macs, including some that are Mac-only: MkLinux, which will run on any Power Mac, and LinuxPPC, which will not run on NuBus Power Macs. The Linux/m68k team is porting Linux to 68K Macs (you'll have to visit their site for a list of currently supported models).

Contrary to some rumors, Linux does not run on the 68000 CPU; it requires a 68020 with PMMU or a more recent CPU.

Be sure to visit our Mac OS X News & Links page for the latest developments on Apple's new OS. And for Unix fans, there's also MacBSD, a freeware alternative to Unix and Linux.

Mac Linux Mail Lists

MaX, especially for those getting started with Unix/Linux
Linux PPC mailing lists, LinuxPPC.org
NetBSD lists for 68K and PPC Macs, NetBSD
Linux/m68k mailing list, MacLinux (click on Resources)
MKLinux lists, MkLinux (search on linux)

Other Mac Linux Links

I love Ubuntu 10.10 on older Macs, Austin Leeds, Apple Everywhere, 2011.01.03. For older, slower G3 Macs, Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick Meerkat has it all over Mac OS X 10.4.
Back with Linux again, Simon Royal, Mac Spectrum, 2010.12.21. The truth is that Ubuntu Linux 10.10 runs faster on a G3 PowerBook than Apple's own, increasingly outdated, Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger.
Create a triple boot Mac with OS 9, OS X, and Linux, Simon Royal, Mac Spectrum, 2010.11.30. If your PowerPC Mac can boot into OS 9 and X, here's how you can turn it into a triple-boot machine with Linux.
Mac and Linux side by side, Simon Royal, Mac Spectrum, 2010.06.25. After leaving Macs a year ago for Linux and Windows, Simon Royal is coming back to the Mac - but not leaving Linux behind.
Is Ubuntu a realistic alternative to Mac OS X?, Simon Royal, Mac Spectrum, 2010.06.23. Ubuntu is better than ever, great on x86 hardware, but maybe not a good choice for that old PowerPC Mac.
Automount OS X home directories using OpenLDAP and Linux, Keith Winston, Linux to Mac, 2009.09.28. It's possible to get an OS X Mac to automatically mount a Linux server using OpenLDAP. The tricky part is finding all the steps needed to make it work.
Microsoft vs. Linux, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 2009.09.09. Although Linux has just 1% of the market, Microsoft perceives it as a great threat. Why doesn't Redmond see Linux as an opportunity?
Introduction to autofs in Mac OS X, Keith Winston, Linux to Mac, 2009.07.01. "Autofs is often used in enterprise environments to set up network-based home directories and other network mounts for users at login."
OS X 10.5.7 update, Safari 3.2.3, Ubuntu vs. Leopard benchmarks, free Mac tips booklet, and more, Mac News Review, 2009.05.15. Also Security Update 2009-002 for Tiger and Leopard, 10.5.7 performance, online image editor, Apple drops in e-commerce survey, antivirus updates, and more.
Good-bye PowerBook, hello Linux on a laptop, Brian Gray, Fruitful Editing, 2009.03.02. Why shouldn't a cheap PC notebook with Linux be an adequate replacement for an old PowerBook?
USB 3.0 will kill FireWire and eSATA, Apple IQ test, former MacUser editor goes Linux, and more, Mac News Review, 2009.01.16. Also post-Expo Apple event likely, Apple IQ test, prospects for Macworld without Apple and for Apple at CES, new email client, and more.
Unbuntu Linux and Boot camp make it easy to create a triple boot Mac, Alan Zisman, Mac2Windows, 2008.12.24. Boot Camp makes it easy to install Windows on Intel Macs, and Ubuntu now makes it easy to install Linux to a virtual Windows drive.
OS X more efficient than Linux, Snow Leopard and PowerPC Macs, and Eudora woes, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2008.12.03. A user reports both Panther and Leopard run more smoothly and use memory more efficiently than Linux. Also thoughts on PowerPC abandonment in Snow Leopard and replacing Eudora in Leopard.
Apple could buy Dell, and Linux is no threat to Mac OS X, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2008.12.01. Apple has the cash to buy Dell outright, and the idea has some merit. Also, why Linux still isn't ready to displace the Mac OS.
Could Linux ever replace Mac OS X?, Simon Royal, Mac Spectrum, 2008.11.24. Linux has become more powerful and more friendly month after month, but can it compare with the Mac OS X experience?
Save internet radio, USB and hard drives, hardware manufacturers vs. Linux, and more, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 2008.09.03. Also Mac won't book after cleaning, newer versions of OS X improve wake from sleep, downgrading to OS 8.6, unreadable pages on Low End Mac, and more.
Why Linux isn't mainstream, used PowerBooks a poor value, the iMac G3 legacy, and more, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 2008.08.19. Also installing Leopard on a PowerPC Mac from an Intel installer, NeoOffice opens WordPerfect files, emulating old Macs, and where to download an iMac manual.
Macs are cool, but marketing can't help Linux, Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz, 2008.08.11. Apple's message is clear and simple: Macs are easy to use. Linux is mostly promoted because it's free.
Snow Leopard and TPM, OS and application commonality, two cents on Linux for Macs, and more, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 2008.07.14. Also Apple shouldn't charge $10 for new iPhone/iPod touch OS, Fedora Core 9 recommended, other VHS to Mac options, and vintage Macs everywhere.
Debian recommended for older Macs, stunned by no G5 in Snow Leopard, and unsupported Leopard, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 2008.07.10. Linux on PowerBooks, Linux desktop alternatives, disappointment that Snow Leopard will be Intel only, and unsupported Leopard on a dual 800 MHz G4.
Turn your old Mac into a website server with free open source software, Jason Packer, Macs in the Enterprise, 2008.07.02. By installing Linux without a GUI, your old Mac can dedicate all of its resources to running Apache, MySQL, and PHP.
Can Linux replace OS X on older Macs?, Carl Nygren, Classic Macs in the Intel Age, 2008.06.30. Looking at Ubuntu 8.04 on a 1 GHz PowerBook and Kubuntu 5.04 on a clamshell iBook.
First OS X malware in the wild, Apple tops Consumer Reports for tech support, and more, Mac News Review, 2008.06.26. Also EFiX talks about its Hackintosh dongle, left behind by Snow Leopard, ZFS support part of Snow Leopard, openSUSE Linux has 'a Mactastic shine', and more.
Pismo slow running OS X from Compact Flash, Leopard DVD Player on G4 Pismo, and more Linux tips, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 2008.06.25. Pismo runs Mac OS 9 quickly from Compact Flash, but OS X is slow. Also how to hack Leopard so DVD Player works in a G4-upgraded Pismo, and more tips on using Linux on Macs.
PowerPC support in Snow Leopard, Linux growing more user friendly, old Macs never die, and more, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 2008.06.24. Also Migration Assistant failure, Toast 6.1 improves burn speed for a Blue and White G3, and working with a G4-upgraded Power Mac 7200.
Run Linux on my Mac? No thanks, Tamara Keel, Digital Fossils, 2008.06.24. Macs have a zen-like synergy of hardware, software, and operating system. Why would anyone want to give that up?
Linux still not friendly enough, widescreen and pivoting monitors, Mac 512K restoration, and more, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 2008.06.23. Also the utility of Apple's old Studio Displays, questions about ViewPowr video card for PowerBook 1400, and 9-year-old predictions that came true.
'Snow Leopard' and the death of PowerPC support, Carl Nygren, Classic Macs in the Intel Age, 2008.06.23. It looks like Mac OS X 10.6 will only support Intel Macs - and possibly only 64-bit ones at that. Should G4 and G5 owners start looking at Linux?
iPhone or iPod touch?, more Linux on Macs, Mac resale value, Blue and White frustration, and more, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 2008.06.12. The big difference between a $199 iPhone and a $299 iPod touch, more Linux discussion, finding a price for old Macs, troubles with a Blue and White G3, and Leopard on Sawtooth.
Mac 128K demo, Leopard adequate on unsupported Macs, booting an iMac from a Ubuntu LiveCD, and more, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 2008.06.11. Two new unsupported Leopard reports, Linux for PowerPC is far from dead, and Mac OS X trumps Linux and BSD for features and performance.
Linux on PowerPC Macs: Debian runs nicely on a G3 iBook, Jason Packer, Macs in the Enterprise, 2008.06.06. Mac OS X 10.3 felt sluggish on a 700 MHz G3 iBook with 384 MB of RAM, but Debian runs very comfortably on the same hardware.
Linux is also leaving PPC Macs Behind, jumping ship for Intel, and hardware problems, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 2008.06.05. One problem with using Linux on older Macs is that many distros are dropping support for older CPUs or even the whole PowerPC family.
Getting Xubuntu Linux up and running on your aging Mac, John Hatchett, Recycled Computing, 2008.06.04. It took some doing, but the author's Pismo can now boot into Mac OS 9, OS X, and Xubuntu Linux."
Left behind by Mac OS X or up to date with Linux?, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 2008.06.04. If you wanted up-to-date software, you may need to run the latest version of Mac OS X. But what if it won't run on your hardware?
3 reasons to run virtualized Linux, Keith Winston, Linux to Mac, 2008.05.22. Reasons to run Linux under virtualization include duplicating your development environment, X11 programs that don't work well in OS X, and exploring different GUI concepts.
Pros and cons of using Linux on a WallStreet PowerBook, Larry Stotler, Linux on the Low End, 2008.05.06. The old PowerBook G3 Series notebooks aren't without a few quirks when running openSUSE Linux, but for the most part they are good performers.
Taking Linux to Mac OS X with virtualization, Keith Winston, Linux to Mac, 2008.03.17. Thanks to products like VMware Fusion, it's easy to run your favorite Linux distro alongside Mac OS X.
Moving data from Linux to the Mac, Keith Winston, Linux to Mac, 2007.12.17. When switching operating systems, the best advice is to use standard cross-platform file formats whenever possible.
Is Mac OS X 'a better Linux than Linux'?, Keith Winston, Linux to Mac, 2007.11.28. Is Apple really competing with Linux, or do the two operating systems have very different goals?
When to pick Tux over Windows and Mac OS X, Keith Winston, Linux to Mac, 2007.10.15. There are two areas where Linux wins over Macs and Windows: the cost and flexibility of a Linux-based server and the verifiably high levels of security.
Command Line Mac, Keith Winston's resource for Linux users making the move to Mac OS X.
Installing Ubuntu Linux on the Beige G3 Mac, John Honniball, 2005. Step-by-step guide to installing Ubuntu Linux on a beige Power Mac G3.
Drag and drop problems with flash drive, troubleshooting a Mac with Linux, G3 video problems, and more, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2007.03.27. Also FireWire boot drives, bootable partitions, bootable external DVD drives, and maximum hard drive size on older Macs.
Is Ubuntu Linux a sensible alternative for Mac users?, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 09.18. If your Mac can run OS X decently, is there any reason to try Ubuntu Linux? If it can't run OS X well, is Ubuntu a reasonable choice?
Installing Linux on a PCI Power Mac, Part 1, Larry Stotler, Linux on the Low End, 2006.09.05. Preparing your PCI Power Mac (or clone) for Linux and getting openSUSE Linux installed.
Preparing your PCI Power Mac for Linux, Larry Stotler, Linux on the Low End, 2006.07.26. How powerful a CPU do you need? How much memory? Do you need a faster drive controller? Are some video cards better than others?
Why run Linux on a low-end Mac?, Larry Stotler, Linux on the Low End, 2006.07.19. Linux supports older video cards and requires less RAM than Mac OS X, and it lets you run modern browsers not available under OS 9.
Getting Ubuntu Linux up and running on a PowerPC Mac, Leaman Crews, Plays Well with Others, 2005.12.14. Ubuntu may be the easiest Linux to install on your Mac. It only requires you burn one CD and have an Internet connection.
Using Linux to give an aging Mac more zip, Leaman Crews, Plays Well with Others, 12.07. Older Power Macs and newer versions of OS X can be a sluggish combination. Linux can perk up your old Power Mac and still let you use a graphical interface.
Why does anyone use Linux?, MacSlash, 2002.10.27. In a world with Mac OS X, why would anyone continue to use Linux?
A Linux user defects, Simon Cozens, Apple, 2002.10.18. "...the dream of Unix on the desktop had been realised. It is indeed possible to have the best of both worlds."
Apple-Linux merger powers "Mac" switch, Paul Andrews, Seattle Times, 2002.10.14.
Apple pitches Mac OS X to Linux fans, Matthew Broersma, ZDNet, 2002.10.10. "This year Apple attended Linux Expo for the first time to explain why Linux fans should take a look at its operating system."
Mac poses as much of challenge to Linux as to Windows, Hiawatha Bray, Boston Globe, 2002.09.30. "How long before Linux desktop loyalists abandon the digital wrestling match and switch to Apple as well?"
Mac OS X rapidly catching on with *nix geeks, Dirk Pilat, Down But Not Out, 2002.09.27. Linux lovers and Unix users are discovering how easy, flexible, and powerful Mac OS X really is.
Flirting With Mac OS X, Moshe Bar, Serving With Linux, Byte, 20002.09.23. "I am switching my laptop [from Linux] to Mac OS X."
OS X: Mac-on-Linux supports Mac OS X (including Jaguar), Peter Cohen, MacCentral, 2002.09.07. Mac-on-Linux (MOL) now supports Mac OS X 10.1-10.2 natively on Macs running PowerPC Linux while still working with Linux.
Linux and BSD Unix for older Macs, Jason Walsh, PPC Linux, 2002.08.13. Linux and BSD Unix distributions for 68k Macs and pre-PCI Power Macs.
Another look at Yellow Dog Linux, Jason Walsh, PPC Linux, 2002.08.06. "Almost any PCI machine from an ancient Power Mac 7200 to the latest iMac will run YDL 2.3 well."
PPC Linux: The end?, Jason Walsh, PPC Linux, 2002.07.29. PPC Linux resources - and the possible end of the road for the PPC Linux column.
Why a Quadra 605?, Dana Siberia. Chipped Q605 runs Linux and Apache - and is serving pages very nicely on the Web.
Open source reality check, Jason Walsh, PPC Linux, 2002.06.06. Open source idealism, business pragmatism, and the real reason programers write software.
Beyond Linux apps: Mac on Linux, Jason Walsh, PPC Linux, 2002.05.30. Running Linux but need a Mac app? Mac on Linux lets you run classic Mac software on your PPC Linux machine.
A sampling of Linux software, Jason Walsh, PPC Linux, 2002.05.23. A quick taste of browsing, productivity, graphical, media, gaming, and other software for PPC Linux.
Learning Linux on a PC?, Dirk Pilat, Down But Not Out, 2002.05.17. Why in the world is Dirk running Linux on an ugly beige Pentium box?
Yellow Dog Linux for PPC 2.2, Charles Moore, Applelinks, 2002.05.17. "Linux will support a whole passel of older Macs that aren't officially supported by OS X."
Bring out the GIMP, Jason Walsh, PPC Linux, 2002.05.16. No, Linux doesn't have Photoshop, but it does have GIMP.
The Penguin lockup mystery, Adam Loiacono, Unix & the Mac, 2002.05.13. Something was locking up the Mac tight when booting into Linux - but what was it?
Why Linux instead of OS X?, Jason Walsh, PPC Linux, 2002.05.09. Too many Power Macs can't run OS X - or can't run it well.
Installing Linux on your low-end Mac, Adam Loiacono, Unix & the Mac, 2002.03.19. Getting Debian Linux up and running on an SE/30 - and lessons learned.
Preparing your low-end Mac for Linux, Adam Loiacono, Unix & the Mac, 2002.03.18. Choosing and prepping your old Mac for a Linux installation.
OS X and the future of Linux, Steve Watkins, The Practical Mac, 2002.02.19. Some claim that OS X dooms Linux; I believe it renews Linux.
more links in the Mac Linux archive: 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998

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