TerraSoft share with us where they stand with Yellow Dog Linux v4.0 development and an overview of the development process so you may understand the complexity of this effort and perhaps further appreciate the pending v4.0 release.
Yellow Dog Linux v4.0 devel update: 2004 07/13
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Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
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I had planned on using YDL as a server, combining it w/ MacOS X for certain server functions (google for “myPhoto.”) However, due to the long-term lack of information about release plans, or any details about what the product would include, I investigated alternate means of achieving the same goals. Now it is safe for me to say that I can achieve all of my same goals, as well as consolidate two machines into one, only using MacOS X. Sorry Terra Soft, best wishes with the 4.0 release, though.
I feel quite similiary. TerraSoft does a wonderful job, but I don’t know what to expect. By “hardware support” for G4 Powerbooks, they say that it will boot on this powerbook. I’m mainly interested in the hardware features, such as dualview support or Airport Extreme support, the way to synchronize iPod, etc.
I currently have to use Mac OS X, but I would honestly rather use Linux (or have better support for X-based application, the support in OS X is there, but is really awful).
why buy a mac if ur going to put linux on it :o)
I am currently running YDL 3.0.1 on a beige G3, and a 7200. To learn that YDL 4.0 will no longer support “OldWorld” Macs, disappoints me – to say the least. That’s about all I have to say. I’m very pleased with the product I’m currently using, but It’d be nice if TSS continued to support older machines, which always seemed to be an objective of Linux, in general (be it, an “unwritten” one, if you will).
Ah. Typical. Just when I’d replaced YDL with Debian Sid, an update shows up in the horizon (weren’t they supposed to _release_ the software when someone does this?). I must say YDL was very good at a few things, especially the installation went much smoother. But apt-get is better in Debian, even though it’s supported by YDL as well. And as we say — you only install once.
No regrets here, though. No OldWorld support means no YDL for me, no matter what.
I installed YDL on my Mac and hated it so much that I went out and bought a PC so I could install Red Hat. Then I realized that even though it was nice to have updates more than once every 12,000 years, it still sucked because Red Hat is RPM based and full of Red Hat “quirks”. So I switched my PC to Debian and life got a whole lot better. Then I found out that Debian on a Mac is practically identical to Debian on x86! Now that I’ve got Debian on my powerbook with 2.6.7 kernel and KDE 3.2.3, I can’t even imagine going back to RPM dependency hell. It’s nice to see that TerraSoft finally got around to updating YDL, but there’s no way I’ll give up Debian for it.
i’m not so sure why you think x11 on os x is aweful. install apple’s x11.app from the 3rd install disk, and install the free xcode tools, and the free x11 sdk on the xcode tools disk. at this point you can get all the free x11 software you want from darwinports or fink (and soon gentoo macos!). best of both worlds really. also the other cool feature of apple’s x11.app is it’s quartz extreme accelerated, meaning expose works with x11 apps. you can also minimize x11 apps into the dock. that’s *very* goot integration with the system if you ask me.
Given that Yellow Dog’s software is proprietary (GPL’d) you might as well just run OS X. If your hardware cannot run it, use NetBSD.
> Given that Yellow Dog’s software is proprietary (GPL’d)
Can I have some of what you’re smoking?
> why buy a mac if ur going to put linux on it :o)
Because my 12″ IBook G4 can work for 8 hours straight on its battery and its very lightweight compared to an x86 laptop.
Do you think that helps NetBSD? (rethorical question)
Anyways, Debian seems to support more hardware (like the valkyrie video, the AWACS audio, the SWIM floppy controller) than NetBSD, so now that Yellow Dog will not support OldWorld Macs anymore you are probably still better off with Debian than with NetBSD if you want to use your system as a desktop.
As a server, I prefer NetBSD, though, as its base system is so much more clearer. The dmesg output and the man pages for all drivers are only an example of that.
Like some other people above also posted, debian is much sweeter for linux/ppc users. Setting up things is a bit more difficult but the testing/unstable apt tree offers much more recent software like gnome 2.6 and firefox 9.1
I like how an honest refrence to Gentoo is moderated down. What about all the Debian comments?
“why buy a mac if ur going to put linux on it :o)”
Yeah, if you have a newer Mac, but Linx on an Older Mac is a joy. OS9 vs. Linux stability? I’ll leave it at that.
A/UX forever…
“”why buy a mac if ur going to put linux on it :o)”
Yeah, if you have a newer Mac, but Linx on an Older Mac is a joy. OS9 vs. Linux stability? I’ll leave it at that.
A/UX forever…
”
Well put! If I have to pick between putting BSD/Linux/OS9 on my OldWorld Mac.. that choice is left between Linux and BSD.
“why buy a mac if ur going to put linux on it :o)”
why buy a PC & put linux on it?
i say get the best of both worlds when you can!