Best Linux distro to run on iMac?

[joshdoe]

In my networking class, we've got 6 or so iMac's and a G3 that aren't being used at all. We've had trouble with them, and we'd like to set them up with Linux. Are there any free distros for Mac's? I've gotta get 'em running RC5.

 

[jsm]

I have been running PPC Linux on my Power Mac 9500 for a while and it has been pretty trouble free. The only real problem I ran into was formatting the disks.

I would recommend ordering the CDs from PPLinux.org rather than downloading the HFS versions and burning them to CD. I tried multiple times using Resedit to make the CDs bootable, even using the specific version of Adaptec Toast that they recommended, but it never worked out. Unless you want to make a dual boot between the MacOS and PPC Linux, I recommend paying the 40$ for the CDs.

You could also look into Yellow Dog Linux. I don't know anything about it, other than it is very popular as a server.

I don't hear anything about MKLinux. I fear it might have disappeared..?

 

[joshdoe]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm pretty sure that we'll need to run them dual-boot. I'll look into those options.

 

[goldboyd]

you could always wait for OSX, its based on FreeBSD, and it does give you access to the command prompt

 

[jsm]

I've tried using OSX and it is soooo slow. Anyhow, OSX is basically a port of the NeXT OS to the Mac - which is fine since the NeXT OS had a cool interface (I still have Steve Jobs introducing Lip Service on my NeXT box), but it is just too slow for it's own good. Starting and ending apps takes forever. And, anytime you change TCP/IP at all, it requires a reboot. This is a step backwards from Open Transport which never required a reboot for network changes. Running the Mac Classic OS on top of OS X is even worse (what color box is that one?). It's pathetically slow and flaky. OS X is just not worth it. I'll be waiting for Mac OS XI and maybe and a CPU that has more than a 5 stage pipeline. Being stuck at 500mhz is just soo.. 90s.

Apple has done UNIX on a Macs before - it was called A/UX and it was pretty cool. It just wasn't big.