PPC version of Knoppix

**Rono64** · 07-20-2003, 03:13 PM

I wouldn't go so far to call OS X insanely fantastic.
It has a lot of problems and it seems to be getting worse not better.
Try finding an external USB cd drive that works, and I don't mean one Apple tells you that works, because they don't. Try getting 3rd party drivers for such peripherals, you can't ALL that manufacturers say OS X supplies the drivers, well the microkernal theory just does not hold up.
I was a rabid mac fanatic, I was on board to beta test OS X, and frankly the high Unix learning curve taught me the power of the command line, BUT if I can't use my Mac with "supported" drives which in reality are NOT supported, and I have had this happen not once but 5 times, each time I consulted Apple technichians and they swore the drives would work, and when proven wrong they just said, "oh guess it doesn't." Gee thanks Apple.
Apple seesm more intent on making gadgets and selling music than supporting their original customer base.
I mean do we really need honking big operating systems that take up gigs JUST for the OS? and offer less functionallity?
Apple plays fast and loose with the term "open source" also.
My next computer will be one I build myself, and will run a customized version of Knoppix, which will replace about 3000 dollars of software.
Anyone who wants to pull their hair out can try to get an unsupported peripheral to work in OS X, but if you have to use X11 or a Linux program, then why use OS X?

**rickenbacherus** · 07-20-2003, 08:24 PM

Originally Posted by gill1109

I have to object to many of the comments here! The MacOS has always been perfectly tuned to the state of the art, which means that the newest OS is always too big and too slow on 10 year old Macs, and insanely fantastic on the newest ones. As opposed to M$ where things work the other way round: the OS is designed around yesterday's hardware, not tomorrow's.

The UMAX s900 runs Macos 9.1 with no diffculties and it is possible (but not easy) to put OSX on it as well. I dislike Macos because you have no control over your hardware. As far as I can tell "control" in Macos is changing your keyboard layout and mouse settings.

With Macos you just pay for your closed source apps and click the installer- and hope it works. That's exactly like windows. Linux works on hardware from any time period. You can have as much or as little of an OS as you like. It's all about choice, it's all about options not about bending to the will of moneybags Steve.

I am educated and make some money, so I work with macs and play with linux. I would really have fun with a live knoppix cd on my iBook, and show it to all my mac friends, use it to give talks at conferences...

I'm uneducated and make some money and still can't see any reason to spend the ridiculous amount they are asking for Macs. x86's are so much more reasonably priced and it doesn't take alot of effort to get Linux to run on most any of them. For $500 I could build a Linux x86 that would kick the crap out of my bosses $2000 laptop. I was very suprised that the G4 w/ a G of RAM was so slow. Apps take 4-5 seconds to launch, it certainly didn't boot very fast and the screen is entirely too small.

If I were a Mac user I would be completely pissed at Steve for making me out to be an incompetent moron. Surely you've seen the commercial that conveys the idea that Macusers aren't smart enough to plug in more than one cable!

My 550K7 w 256M RAM boots to a desktop environment in under 60 seconds running SourceMage Linux.

I too would like to see a live bootable disc for ppc (not like the Gentoo disc) with a desktop environment.

**gill1109** · 07-20-2003, 09:14 PM

So it seems there are equally strong feeling about friend Steve as about Bill, I did not realise that! I think that results are important. I go to maths/physics conferences and see loads of laptop and beamer presentations. I kept some statistics at the last one I went to. Consistently: the ibook and powerbook presentations were perfect (technically and aesthetically speaking). Linux close second. Windoze usually all kinds of things went wrong, and people lost five minutes of their time because they needed to reboot when they plugged in the video adapter... Incidentally there were about equal numbers of the three contestants. People with apples were all in love with their machine. People with linux were spending more time than they felt they ought to tuning it, but otherwise content. People with windoze were "grinning and bearing it". The mac and the linux guys felt sorry for them.

**rickenbacherus** · 07-20-2003, 09:59 PM

Originally Posted by gill1109

So it seems there are equally strong feeling about friend Steve as about Bill, I did not realise that! I think that results are important. I go to maths/physics conferences and see loads of laptop and beamer presentations. I kept some statistics at the last one I went to. Consistently: the ibook and powerbook presentations were perfect (technically and aesthetically speaking). Linux close second.

Glad to hear that! Linux getting voted #2 is alright by me. (for now anyway.....)

Windoze usually all kinds of things went wrong, and people lost five minutes of their time because they needed to reboot when they plugged in the video adapter...

Now why doesn't that suprise me.

Incidentally there were about equal numbers of the three contestants. People with apples were all in love with their machine. People with linux were spending more time than they felt they ought to tuning it, but otherwise content.

OK it's true- my machine is never perfect. There's always another nano second to be saved somewhere right?

People with windoze were "grinning and bearing it". The mac and the linux guys felt sorry for them.

To my understanding this conversation inevitibly leads to the conclusion that each machine and OS is better in its own specific area. Mac is an excellent all-around graphics/media machine. All of those users can't be wrong.

Linux- well I think you know my opinions there as I may have voiced them once or twice somewhere before. :P

And our friend windows....well let's just say that at my office it's nice to know that when the pressure is on (and it does get a little tense) we have my Linux laptop to rely on.

**gill1109** · 07-21-2003, 10:11 AM

Originally Posted by rickenbacherus

To my understanding this conversation inevitibly leads to the conclusion that each machine and OS is better in its own specific area. Mac is an excellent all-around graphics/media machine. All of those users can't be wrong.

Linux- well I think you know my opinions there as I may have voiced them once or twice somewhere before. :P

And our friend windows....well let's just say that at my office it's nice to know that when the pressure is on (and it does get a little tense) we have my Linux laptop to rely on.

We reached perfect understanding, I agree entirely! Though... I would add "science" to the "graphics/media" of the Mac all-round excellence. I come from acadaemia (physics and maths) and the huge proportion of mac users there is not just because we are intensively into graphics and hate M$, or because we are all so rich and need to ostentatiously display it (we aren't).

And now... thanks to Klaus Knopper and Michel Boissou I have a splendid working linux on my iBook, knoppix-MiB-PPC-alpha-2e, which will keep me happy till I figure out how to do a nondestructive repartition of the Mac extended file system hard disk, and put in some linux partitions!

**zorbas** · 09-07-2003, 07:38 PM

Hi All...

On My iBook 500 (Dual USB) its runnig : "knoppix-MiB-PPC-alpha-2e" very well .
I didnt find any problems at all.
At boot :

knoppix xserver=XFree86 module=fbdev lang=us

I hope We can see in the near future the final release.

Regards

Paolo

**gill1109** · 09-08-2003, 07:07 AM

Originally Posted by zorbas

I didnt find any problems at all.

I have one problem and that is that when I try to give a presentation from my ibook sending vga through the video-out port of the ibook to a data-projector or beamer or whatever it is called, knoppix-ppc does not recognise the situation and the beamer gets an empty signal.

Originally Posted by zorbas

I hope We can see in the near future the final release.

I hope we will never see the final release but many many many new releases (linux is never to be finished!)

**zorbas** · 09-08-2003, 08:54 AM

Sorry.....but 4 "Final" I intend "Not Alpha"..... (Stable) !!!!

I cant help You with the "VGA" (Video-Out) problem.

Regards

Paolo

**rjoseph_beg** · 03-27-2005, 07:23 PM

Im confused. is there a knoppix for macs or isnt there? I've seen alot of tech talk that is a little beyond me and the usual arguments about windows vs mac but I want a clear cut answer and link here please.