Linux Update on Apple Mac and Apple Mac Globe

 Posted by Asoka at 12:44 AM 

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Yellow Dog is is open source distribution that can be installed in a Apple Computer.
I do not think any one of us in the university can afford to buy an Apple computer for productivity work. I was involved in networking of our faculty (we had only Rs.500,000/= donated by Lions of Kandy), and we got some help from J.I.C.A. The guy who heads the Computer section who did not have any idea about networking was in charge. 

J.I.C.A donated an Apple Computer computer to the Computer Unit but this guy disappeared from the Faculty with the Apple Mac. 

 

Practically stealing. I did not see him again.

 

Leave alone if one us including academics can afford an old netbook, it is a luxury.

Some years ago, I figured out the cost of one Microsoft Computer not pirated, I could have three computers, one at office, one at home  for me and one for my kids for playing games (basically DOS games that are / were very good but out of vogue, now).

Linux Update on Apple Mac

I have lot to report now.
Even though, Apple Mac on IBM hardware is based on Linux architecture boot parameters are different from Microsoft.

There is no BIOS but it has something called EFI where Apple Mac boot parameters are locked in and that little bit less than 1 MB (in fact few kilo bites) cannot be erased or formatted.
That little bit is essential for booting the computer and probably the firmware is written there and is permanently resident there.

I could not change it and after installing Ubuntu, I could not boot any other CD.
I searched the web and an Apple user who seemed to be having the mind of a HakingTosh PLAYER helped me.

One has to hold down the C for Command line and P and R for RAM to get the factory boot options and then I could boot all the CDs I downloaded with Linux for Power Pack PCs.
 

I managed to install Debian xfce.

The old Mac has very little RAM.
It took a very long time while connected to the internet for updating files.
Ubuntu and Xbuntu (I have now installed Xbuntu because my favorite word processor is AbiWord ) 6.0.6 version (do not confuse with Debian 6.0.6) which is few years old and has no updates and installation was pretty breezy.

Debian is the latest 6.0.6 and has up to date facility.

I managed to install Yellow Dog 5.0.2 and had to terminate it due to not having the third CD downloaded.

It is like the old Redhat 8 with 6 CDs and it is pretty good.
 

I had to do lot of searching for the images.

Its partition tool detects Apple firmware unlike gParted in Ubuntu and Xbuntu.

I could also use a home partition.
Yellow Dog based on Redhat has the best partition tool for Apple Mac hardware.

OK then, thanks to Debian, Yellow Dog and Ubuntu for your their excellent work on Apple hardware.

I won't test or write on Apple Mac for sometime, lest I will destroy the precious little RAM I have in my old Apple hardware.

I have done enough installing already.
I am currently downloading the 4th, 5th and 6th CDs of Yellow Dog.

If you have any additional information on Linux on Apple Mac please do not hesitate to make some comments below for other users Apple users to experiment with Linux.

Posted by Asoka at 9:55 AM
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Linux-Ubuntu on Apple Mac
Linux-Ubuntu on Apple Mac

 
You may be wondering why there was no addition to my blog post.
I did not have access to internet for two solid weeks all due to thunder storms and the local telecom server unable to provide service.

I wanted to write about Linux on an Apple Mac and my first encounter with Apple Mac computer had to be delayed by about three weeks.

Three weeks ago, I was hunting for a RAM for IBM Server which I had misplaced after dismantling its components.
With the strike on, I did not want it (the server) to be obstructing my massive clean up efforts.

Before tidying up, I just wanted to see whether I could find few 266 DDR RAM.

I was looking for them over the past 9 months.

It needed an EEC (Error corrected) dedicated RAM.
I walked into a computer shop and the guys knew me instantly and after a little search gave me a negative reply.

As I was walking out I saw an Apple Mac (Globe) with a beautiful monitor.

I asked, is it working and the guy said not Apple but Ubuntu.

That was a pleasant surprise and I got the young chap to run it and he even did not know how to open the CD tray.

I jacked in a USB Linux and it did not boot but after a long pause it booted up Xubuntu and it had Abiword, my favorite word processor.

I told him nobody except me would by it and nobody knows Linux in Kandy as much as I do and it is not Ubuntu but Xubuntu to be precise.

I checked the hard disk capacity which was 36 odd and the RAM was pretty low in today's standard and it was a good toy for me to play with Linux testing.

I told him I will be back in two hours and if they quote a good price the deal was on.

I was collecting money for breast cancer project in those two hours.

Try all your tricks and tell me how it boots and BIOS etc were my instructions.

When I came back, they had given up on it and only the live CD was booting after a very long delay.

I managed to take the live CD out and could boot live only once at home and the thunder storms started and the install script did not work.
The same night the local server of the telecom was out and I could not have any access to download a Linux CD to install.

Ubuntu 5 and 9 power pack editions, I had were of no use and did not boot.
I downloaded Xubuntu 10 and it also did not boot.

All this was due to low RAM.

Toady morning I managed to download both Xubuntu and Ubuntu 6.0.6.1 and fortunately I managed to install Ubuntu on the first go.

Several goes with Xubuntu (to save the RAM) did not work with some file errors in the CD.

I could not find a Debian or any other less than 700 MB (CD version) to install on the old Apple Mac.

It is again Ubuntu to rescue.

What ever false propaganda people are spreading against Ubuntu, it was Ubuntu which had the nerve to spread its influence even on Apple hardware.

In less than 10 minutes it copied the files and in another 7 minutes it installed and configured the hardware in a Mac which had 80 odd RAM.

It is amazing what Linux can do even with low RAM.

It has open office 2 and Firefox which was old but got me to my email and blog spot in an instant but without cookies.

I hate cookies which is pain in the neck and delay mounting files.

BIG THANK YOU to guys at Canonical and the guys who keep old repositories full of old Linux distributions.

If not for you lot of working hardware would be in the junkyard.

Now I can say I am an Apple hardware (if not software) convert.