Best Linux ??

I want to install some version of linux on my friends G3 Clamshell laptop because i had so much trouble trying to install Osx panther, so im opt'in for the Linux route. I have never played around or used any Linux for macs before, so can anyone tell me the best version to use. One that looks good, but will run stable on 386Mb of ram. hes only using the laptop for internet use

I know Gentoo has PPC support. But it's pretty painful to install.

Alot of people swear by Ubuntu

What problems did you have installing Panther on that G3? I have panther on my G3 333Mhz iMac with 256Megs RAM and had no problems at all.

For that machine Ubuntu would be the best Linux distro at least that I have messed with.

Reel1 said:

Alot of people swear by Ubuntu

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Yes.. Ubuntu is fantastic, and VERY easy to install.

I had problems getting Gentoo on my G3. It took much more work than any other version of Linux that I have ever installed. For some reason, I kept having problems getting the boot configuration matched with that of the G3. It was a pain in the *butt*.

Reel1 said:

Alot of people swear by Ubuntu

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i am one of them!!!
as dtravis7 said panther should be easy to install with no problems
-chris

I would recommend Sabayon Linux. It is like gentoo but easier to install. You get the benefits of using portage without the headache of installing gentoo (even though stage 3 isn't too hard). Plus sabayon linux comes with a bunch of programs and Beryl. The beryl developer uses Sabayon Linux.

http://www.sabayonlinux.org/
http://www.beryl-project.org/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T67kricXYRE Sabayon Linux video with Beryl

-Hans

Unless you are a very experienced Linux I would not recommend Gentoo. You might try either Ubuntu or Yellow Dog Linux.

Another vote for Ubuntu here!

Suse is also very good

Will Suse install on a Mac?

There is a Suse PPC

PapaNoHair said:

Will Suse install on a Mac?

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Ubuntu is user-friendlier, though. Easier to install and has more of a "Just works" effect.

I didn't know it was PPC compatible! I'm getting a gumdrop iMac soon, and might try it out.

Ubuntu does have a PPC load. I tried it on my G5, but it doesn't support a lot of the hardware, and in particular the fan controllers, so it was a no-go.

There are a limited number of Linux distros that will run on PPCs, and I would guess that Ubuntu is the best of them. Last time I looked, Yellow Dog was behind the times, and support was bad (want to see a bad forum? go check out their G5 support forum - yuck!). Gentoo is likely higher effort than you want. SuSE would be an excellent choice if they have PPC support.

Finally, and please no wars here, remember that there is Ubuntu, which is Gnome based, and Kubuntu, which is KDE based. There is also Xubuntu, which is XFCE based. Pick the desktop environment that you like best and try to get the PPC version for that. Personally, I have a Ubuntu/Xubuntu combo loaded on my PC and have been very happy with it.

I had Ubuntu installed as the sole OS on my G4 iBook for over a year and it was fine with everything except the wireless card. They may have fixed that by now though.

Amen-Moses