# Linux



## Majin Silver (Nov 27, 2002)

Can you install Linux or any other Unix based OS on the Mac, or do you need a PC?


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## gigi (Nov 27, 2002)

yes you can..... check out http://www.linuxiso.org/, it is a brilliant site with lot of different distros. yellow dog, gentoo, suse & mandrake all have mac versions.....& they are all free to download exceptfor mandrake ...i think


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## Majin Silver (Nov 28, 2002)

*hugs Gigi* Thanks a bunch! that place is great!


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## btoneill (Nov 28, 2002)

Yeah, install OS X, it's the best unix based os for the Mac 

Brian


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## Majin Silver (Nov 28, 2002)

lol, I'm using Jaguar


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## btoneill (Nov 28, 2002)

Then you answered your question on if you can install a unix, cuase you already have 

Brian


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## Majin Silver (Nov 28, 2002)

you know what I ment


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## UtaTr3y (Nov 30, 2002)

Why would anyone want to install Linux/*BSD on an up to date Mac? Yes Linux is nice, but doesn't compete with Mac OS X.2, even though Mac OS X.2 is expensive as hell...


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## gigi (Nov 30, 2002)

To play Frozen Bubble ... http://www.frozen-bubble.org/ (someone port it please)


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## UtaTr3y (Dec 2, 2002)

Umm, Linux isn't meant for Game's, games exsist on Linux for the simple reason of consuming time..

Uhh, I am sure however that if you downloaded the src files, you could easily run it on your Mac. You simply have to type ./configure <enter> make <enter> make install <enter>.


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## Giaguara (Dec 2, 2002)

yellowdog should run well in ppcs ... i'm thinking to use fink, thus less disk space with that...

well, if you like games,  try http://www.xbill.org 
similar exists btw also for os x, http://soth.zoneit.com/xgates.html


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## gigi (Dec 3, 2002)

"I am sure however that if you downloaded the src files, you could easily run it on your Mac. You simply have to type ./configure <enter> make <enter> make install <enter>."

I have tried that and it doesnt work.
I dont understand why you say "Linux isn't meant for Game's".


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## kwotakid (Dec 4, 2002)

I have Red Hat 7.3 installed on my old Windows box at home and it's been of great use to me learning about the new o/s, and getting more technical, hands-on knowledge with unix in general.

I run OSX.2 at work and have set up my machine as a dev server for MySQL & Tomcat/JSP. The reason I would like to install Red Hat 8.0 (is this even possible?) on my Mac is so that I can basically use a much faster computer than my beater Windoze version, which chugs along on an old AMD-K6.

Linux isn't just for games, and it's not just for playing around. Don't get me wrong, OSX.2 is the best o/s out there, but for those of us looking to learn more about enterprise-level software and programming, having a dual boot to Linux on Mac is a great option.

geof


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## Vard (Dec 4, 2002)

Thanks for the segway kwotakid....

I got my first Mac in April and have been loving it ever since.  Now I want to get into the beefier side of it...and other Unix stuff.

I had fun over this past (US) holiday getting Jag networked to both XP and Win98 laptops.  As soon as I find my old Win95 floppies I will be adding a couple of ancient, yet cool Thinkpad 701c (butterflies) to the mix.  Need the disks for the network card adapters...Doh!

Next is printing to a shared windows printer, which I think I found the answer to this morning.

Now, I am thinking about taking one of those old laptops I have and giving Linux a go on it.  I have 2 to choose from right now.  The first is a Pentium 90 with 40 meg of ram....what would Linux run like on this.  Last night I downloaded Mandrake 8.0 (I think it was 8.0).  The other laptop is one of the butterflies....486 75mhz with 16 meg of ram!  Don't knock it...this thing screams with Win95!  Would Linux even be worth attempting on this machine?

What are some of this forums thoughts on the differing versions of Linux?  Is one any better than the next?  What about windowing systems?  

I only chose Mandrake because a buddy of mine from Minneapolis (that's right btoneill, the mini-apple-where I used to live and miss more than anything!) said he found it the easiest to install....and since I know nothing about linux or Unix, I figured that was a good place to start.

OK....enough of this....looking forward to reloading my browser every 30-40 secs waiting for responses....thanks


Eddie


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## hazmat (Dec 4, 2002)

> _Originally posted by Vard _
> *
> Now, I am thinking about taking one of those old laptops I have and giving Linux a go on it.  I have 2 to choose from right now.  The first is a Pentium 90 with 40 meg of ram....what would Linux run like on this.  Last night I downloaded Mandrake 8.0 (I think it was 8.0).  The other laptop is one of the butterflies....486 75mhz with 16 meg of ram!  Don't knock it...this thing screams with Win95!  Would Linux even be worth attempting on this machine?
> 
> ...



Eddie, Linux will absolutely run on that 486.  It will run on a 286!  Usually the thing you have to be conerned about with systems is if you plan to run X Windows.  If you do, then try a really slimmed down window manager like TWM.

As for your question about what distribution of Linux to run, it's personal preference.  My personal favorite is Debian.  But, beginners seem to have a hard time installing it.  Red Hat is the most popular, but personally I hate it.  The only other distribution I have run was Slackware, but not since 1995, so I can't comment on it.  If you want to do this to learn more about OS X, then try installing Darwin on the PC.   It's free and open source.  My only real advice is this: Back in the mid-90s, and hopefully still today, if you really wanted to learn Unix, the rule seemed to be to install the worst distribution, so it was almost guaranteed to be broken so you were forced to fix things.  That's the best way to learn IMO.  Back then the best for this was Slackware.  I hear it has gotten much better, so I don't know what to tell you.

Good luck and have fun.


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## Vard (Dec 4, 2002)

Ah, the X (or w, as it were) factor!

I do plan on using a windowing system.  Especially on the P90...this is my bros machine and he is not very literate on the computer....and least not a computer without tiny little pictures to pick and click from.  But to great extent, neither am I.

I like your method of learning....really.....I never learned anything about anything so much as being able to break it first and learn from there.  That's how I learned Windows back in the day....and to some extent OS X.  But I have to be more careful here, cause if I mess the Mac up my wife is going to beat me to death.  I guess this is part of the reason I want to install Linux on the laptops....great for breaking and learning without the previously mentioned risk to my health!

Anyway...thanks for the reply....I went home at lunch and found that I had been successful in downloading Mandrake 8....as soon as the boss goes to bed tonight I'm gonna start the assault on the P90....wish me luck.  Anyone have any suggestions before I go for it.

Not backing anything up....don't need to....that laptop is used as a surfer anyway.

Thanks again,
Eddie


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## kwotakid (Dec 4, 2002)

As Hazmat posted, if you just want to learn unix, there's no reason to install Linux as a second (or even primary) boot. The Terminal window provides you instant access to the confusing land of *nix  A great resource for some very beginner level Unix commands is David Pogue's book, MAC OS X: The Missing Manual which has several chapters on working with the Terminal. Besides that, it's an awesome book all around for learning about OS X.

I've only ever used Red Hat for my Linux fumblings, so I will blindly recommend it because it works for me. But from all I have read, Mandrake Linux is the easiest to use. They also have a Mac (PPC) version that you can download at their site if you do decide to put it on your main box.

geof


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## Vard (Dec 4, 2002)

Don't temp me on the Mandrake PPC....I was looking at it last night....maybe it was the beer, but I almost went after it.  

At this time, I can't really afford to loose the Mac in the event that I mess something up.  MY wife and I use it as part of our fledgling photography studio.  If it were to go down....I would need to run really fast--which is why I also tend to stay away from the terminal on that box....just to nervous

I know, I know....I've told her the same thing...."Hun, there's an easy fix to this.  Let me buy you an iBook, and I promise not to mess with it....too much....ok, that's a lie....better let me get one too!"  But she just doesn't go for this rationale.  Maybe I'm not good enough at argueing with her?

So for now, attemped destruction of ancient portables is all the comfort I can enjoy.  Some day....some day....


Eddie


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## michaelsanford (Dec 7, 2002)

Wow! I'm downloading yellowdog (as a play-around interim between Puma and Jaguar) at almost 200 kps! I'm very impressed 

Oh, it's settled down to 120k; well still better than any of the other things I've ever downloaded. (Hmm, guess I'll have to stop by my campus book-store and get some CDs on my campuscard...)


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## 96.9 (Dec 8, 2002)

Linux rules , if you can set it up on your apple product .

The open firmware is strange , the intel architecture is much easier to setup with the bios on the mainboard but after the hassel linux on mac is amazing stuff .

There is also a ppc port of open bsd for those interested . 

http://www.openbsd.org

The advantage of stretching out and getting into linux is that you can move to other linux applications like embedded or wireless development without spending huge ammounts of money on the software . The hardware is getting cheaper and cheaper to become a home enthusiast for designing computer systems and linux is getting into just about everything nowadays .

Check out 

http://www.linuxdevices.com

With linux its just having the time to figure it all out , I suggest if you want to delve into linux you should see about training in the operating system structure and concepts .


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## moon.drop (Dec 9, 2002)

> _Originally posted by UtaTr3y _
> *
> Uhh, I am sure however that if you downloaded the src files, you could easily run it on your Mac. You simply have to type ./configure <enter> make <enter> make install <enter>. *



Sure. Have you ever tried to &ldquo;make&rdquo; lots of UNIX software? Once you get the architecture figured out, there's still the issue of libraries and dependencies.
This is why packages such as fink http://fink.sf.net were made. There was a good MacWorld column by Andy Ihnatko about compiling GIMP on OS X&hellip; or, rather, trying to get it compiled. Wish I could find it&hellip;


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## 96.9 (Dec 11, 2002)

OS X is hard to figure out cause its not compatible yet with everything like Linux has been with MS Products for many moons . They are still porting over from Free BSD .

I prefer BSD but the emebedded linux kicks ass .

I want to sell my own open source OS .

Free LSD-25 ( Lithuanian Sockets Division ) .


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