The PowerPC penguin, Part 2
In the first part of this series, you learned what Linux distributions are available for your Mac. Now you will see how to install one of them on your Power Macintosh. Although we describe installing the LinuxPPC 2000 distribution below, most procedures also apply to the other Linux-on-Mac distributions like Yellow Dog or SuSE for PPC (see Resources for links). The installation can be divided into three steps: backing up your existing Mac OS, planning and partitioning your hard drive, and installing Linux itself and configuring the boot loader. If you've ever installed Linux on a PC, you are familiar with the whole process. In general, the easiest part is installing Linux itself and the hardest part is configuring the boot loader and repartitioning the hard drive. In any case, you should first back up important files from Mac OS and be prepared to lose your current Mac OS installation.
If you just want to give Linux a try without risking data loss, you can use LinuxPPC Lite. It resembles many small distributions for the PC that can be installed inside an existing OS without repartitioning the drive. LinuxPPC Lite can boot from a zip disk, removable SCSI disk, or any other bootable drive. No risk, no fears, no extensive documentation reading -- just fun with Linux.
Partitioning the drive
Before you start the LinuxPPC installation, you need to partition your hard drive. If you don't care about losing Mac OS, you can skip this section. However, most people want to hold on to Mac OS for office applications and games. The most comfortable approach for them is to use a secondary ATA hard drive only for Linux. This method frees them from disk-partitioning hassles. But if you have only one hard drive and want to run both Mac OS and Linux on it, you need to partition your disk.
Esther Schindler
If the comments are ugly, the code is ugly
claird
SVG a graphics format for 21st century
pasmith
Take Chrome OS for a test spin
Sandra Henry-Stocker
Solaris Tip: Have Your Files Changed Since Installation?
jfruh
Android fragments vs. the iPhone monolith
mikelgan
What Gizmodo missed about the Pro WX Wireless USB disk drive
Where Google Chrome security fails: the password
I heard mention that the Chrome OS will have some sort of encryption available a la bitlocker. If it's possible to encrypt personal data using another password or key, then it may have potential for very secure data.... And Ubuntu has an 'encrypt home directory' option, perhaps google should follow suit.
- Dann
Join the conversation here
Quick, practical advice for IT pros. Made fresh daily.
Want to cash in on your IT savvy? Send your tip to tips@itworld.com. If we post it, we'll send you a $25 Amazon e-gift card.
Sign up »
Ease integration of Unix, Linux and Windows-based computers
Surviving Windows is easier than you think… MKS offers the power of an integrated all-in-one environment and provides you with the Power of UNIX on Windows
Learn More
Brought to you by: |
We have 5 copies of these two new books to give to some lucky readers. The deadline for entries is November 30, 2009.
|
iPhone for Programmers: An App-Driven Approach |
 |
The Google Way |
Priceless! The 25 Funniest Vintage Tech Ads
My oh my, how things have changed. These 25 vintage tech ads are guaranteed to take you back -- and, in most cases, remind you how truly terrible our tastes once were. Click ahead, and enjoy the shame-free trip down memory lane.
AISO founders envisioned a Web hosting company that was environmentally friendly. While the company employed energy-efficient innovations like solar panels, its infrastructure produced unacceptable power and cooling requirements. Find out how AISO leveraged AMD technology to overcome their challenge in this case study white paper.
In this whitepaper, Scalar explores the opportunity to change the landscape with respect to mission critical databases built around Oracle. Leveraging technologies such as Linux, high-end commodity processing power and Oracle RAC technology to architect, design, build and maintain database infrastructure that delivers maximum availability, reliability and performance at a fraction of traditional cost.
On a typical day, weather.com, the Web site for The Weather Channel in Atlanta, serves up between 15 million and 20 million page views. But in September 2004, when back-to-back hurricanes ransacked Florida, the peak traffic on one day more than tripled: over 70 million page views by more than 7 million unique visitors. Read the full success story now.
