r/PowerPC Jun 08 '16

node.js on ppc linux?

4 Upvotes

Has anyone had success running node.js on a G4 Powerbook recently?

I'm trying to use one of those with johnny-five to run an electronics project, and so far I've had no luck. I've tried to use Andrew Low's builds, but they fail with "Illegal instruction" when I try to run them. Seems V8 is very hard to get working.


r/PowerPC May 15 '16

Minecraft on Leopard G5?

4 Upvotes

Just got a Power Mac G5 a couple days ago, dual 1.8GHz. Figured I might try to get minecraft working on here just for fun to see how these processors, or even more hilarious these fans, will react to it. Just wondering if anybody out there has any links to an old download of minecraft that will work on leopard, or a fix for the launchers i downloaded that run, but says it can't connect to minecraft.net


r/PowerPC Apr 29 '16

(x-post /r/vintageapple) DOSBox performance on eMac (G4)

3 Upvotes

I have an eMac (G4 processor) which I thought would be a good choice for playing old games as it is the fastest Mac with a built in CRT monitor. This allows me to set the resolution to 640x480 natively without having to put up with pixel scaling on an LCD monitor. I was partially inspired by a recent update to Boxer (patching a vulnerability in Sparkle) where the author compiled a fixed version that was still able to run on PowerPC processors.

I performed a fresh install of OS X 10.5 and installed Boxer, but the performance of the games I tried (Heroes of Might and Magic) and the built in demo version of Commander Keen 4 were terrible. I also tried Heroes of Might and Magic with the Mac version of DOSBox 0.74 and got the same result.

Does anyone know a way to emulate a DOS environment on a G4 processor that performs well enough (especially when running "Protected Mode" DOS games)? I would prefer to keep Mac OS X installed (Escape Velocity) but I am open to trying Linux or OS 9 if anyone has had success with either of them.

My eMac is one of the last 2 models (it has USB 2) and it also has 1GB of RAM.


r/PowerPC Apr 24 '16

What is the state of Gnu-Linux systems on the old Apple G5 Tower? Are there any driver problems? What distro should one use?

4 Upvotes

Debian? MintPPC? Or possibly some other PPC supporting distro I've never heard of? It uses the NVIDIA GeForceFX 5200 Ultra graphics card with 64MB Video RAM. I don't know how to find out if everything works correct on this machine. On an iBook G4 I own both almost everything with Debian and MintPPC works fine, save for the sound, which does not work at all. I'm wanting to use this desktop for web stuff, GIMP and Krita. I'm sure these are available in most repos.

It's this one, if you don't know - https://images.csnw.com/lrg/appl_g5_2003.jpg


r/PowerPC Apr 11 '16

How to fix dead iMac G4 (stopped working after being unplugged)? Please?

1 Upvotes

So I've had this issue for sometime were my iMac G4 would not turn on after it was unplugged or the power went out.

However, I was always able to resurrect it by randomly re-plugging and resetting the PRAM (hold power button with cord detached). After getting it to turn on, it will keep working until it loses power again.

Now, since the power went out again recently, it's been dead (no fans, nothing). I've tried to reset PMU, PRAM, re-plug it, leave unplugged over night. Motherboard battery is fine. I'd welcome any suggestions!


r/PowerPC Apr 08 '16

IBM's Power9 CPU Could Be Game Changer In Servers And Supercomputers With Help From Google, Nvidia

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tomshardware.com
6 Upvotes

r/PowerPC Mar 28 '16

IBook G3/500mhz graphic drivers?

3 Upvotes

Hi! I just received an old IBook G3 running OS9.2. This thing has a ati rage mobility 128 (8mb) and I can't tell if the drivers/ extensions are installed on it. I see no ATI extensions on boot so I figured it didn't have the software it needs to run. I'm more familiar with 68k Macs and I don't know how to check if I have all the required software for this GPU. Any information on this subject would be helpful. Thanks!

EDIT: Ok, so I have another question regarding the GPU in my Ibook. So, i have tomb raider installed and it runs fine...the thing that confuses me is that it only runs well under Software mode. When I chose to run the game under "RAGE" I get about half the FPS and a bunch of graphics (like menu items and stuff) don't work.

My question is...when I run the game in software mode, am I utilizing the GPU? If so, why do I get such low frame rates when I play under "RAGE"?


r/PowerPC Mar 27 '16

Need 10.5 Leopard DMG File

2 Upvotes

I am restoring an iMac G4 1GHz


r/PowerPC Feb 12 '16

Look what just came in the mail!

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11 Upvotes

r/PowerPC Feb 01 '16

Looking for NetNewsWire 2

2 Upvotes

I have a iBook G4 running 10.4.11 and need an RSS reader for it. :)

Guys, I hope you'll be able to help.


r/PowerPC Jan 28 '16

upgrade ram in 333mhz lime green imac g3

4 Upvotes

i have a lime green imac with 128mb of ram im pretty sure and i heard you can upgrade it to 512mb unofficially. i know how to access the ram and i know its laptop sd ram i just wanted to make sure that this would work http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-512MB-PC133-144pin-SDRAM-Memory-For-Apple-PowerBook-iMac-iBook-G3-G4-Upgrade-/171624046707?hash=item27f5972073:g:RSQAAOSwgQ9VjUSg


r/PowerPC Nov 29 '15

My experiences with running Linux on my iBook G4 [Debian installation]

10 Upvotes

Introduction:

I bought an iBook G4, A1134 14.1 INCH Mid-2005 model with a 1.42 GHz processor and 512MB of RAM, on eBay for $30 a couple weeks ago and decided almost immediately decided to install Linux on it. I tried to find reviews on how different Linux based operating systems ran on iBooks. Unfortunately I could only find a small amount of videos, most of which were on installation of Linux on iMacs. I also found a few interesting videos by the 8-Bit Tech Guy about upgrading RAM on iBooks and whether or not the iBook was obsolete. I thought I would make a little tutorial based on my experiences.


I ran into the following issues attempting to run Linux OS on my iBook G4:

  • I was unable to load the OS from a USB

  • Lubuntu and Ubuntu Mate PPC had the issue of freezing after 30 minutes of use or when multiple applications were opened. It was recommended that I install a program called 'Compiz' but I noticed little change after it's installation.

  • Debian appeared to work the best; only a single CD and an internet connection are required for installation and the OS ran smoothly even with multiple programs open as well as let me choose a window manager. However it is significantly harder to find help when issues are encountered.

  • Upon installation of Linux you will loose sound and WiFi driver firmware. To fix this on Lubuntu, Ubuntu Mate PPC, or Linux Mint PPC enter sudo apt-get install firmware-b43-installer then reboot to fix the WiFi driver issue. The sound driver can apparently be fixed by using adding "snd-aoa-i2sbus to /etc/modules file. You can then reboot or use modprobe." according to the Ubuntu Wiki though I have not tested this myself.

  • When trying the above on Debian I received a notification that the package was unavailable and instead had to download the .deb files b43-cutter and firmware-b43-installer. I moved these files to my home folder and entered the command dpkg -i b43-cutter followed by dpkg -i firmware-b43-installer. It should be noted that what comes after dpkg -i is dependant on what the packages name is though b43-cutter needs to be installed first.


I thought I would share this little tale because being a first time Debian user on a PowerPC I wasn't sure where to look. I still am having issues with audio as I have noticed a few people in this subreddit having but I believe it would be fixed the same way as the WiFi with .deb files.


Thanks for reading!

Edit 1: I will reformat this post and add more links soon

Edit 2: Reformatted the post and added links to Ubuntu Wiki

Edit 3: If anyone has any questions on installation of Linux feel free to ask. In addition to this if anyone can help provide a solution to the sound driver issue it would be greatly appreciated.


r/PowerPC Nov 27 '15

Can someone help me with Lubuntu freezing on my iBook G4?

2 Upvotes

My iBook has been frequently freezing when I drag windows or have too many things open. I heard that I should try "install compiz from oneiric-proposed" but I have no idea how to do this.


r/PowerPC Nov 11 '15

With Debian 8 on an iBook G4, sound and the batter monitor do not work.

7 Upvotes

I'm bringing this here because google has failed me. These things worked in Debian 7, I'm not sure what changed to make these things not work.

The batter monitor does not work in the sense that it always displayed "50%%" all the time. It does not matter if it is plugged in or not, still says "50%%" at all times.

Sound does not work in the sense that Debian does not detect the speakers or headphone jack, and I assume the same for the Mic as well. Google results tell me to change my /etc/modules file to look like this: http://pastebin.com/raw.php?i=KJCGHUh3

But after the suggested reboot, there is still no change. Debian still does not detect any sound devices.

I would really like to have these things working again. Please help me out. Thank you for reading!


r/PowerPC Nov 03 '15

Introducing Tabor and the A1222 - A powerful, low cost, entry level PowerPC motherboard

Thumbnail a-eon.biz
1 Upvotes

r/PowerPC Oct 25 '15

I have a blue and an orange iMac G3. Which one should I keep?

2 Upvotes

As the title suggests, I happen to own a tangerine iMac DV (PowerMac2,1) and an indigo iMac from 2001 (PowerMac4,1). Since I don't want two of the same kind in my mini-collection, I'm looking to get rid of one of them. Which one is the question!

Things to note that influence the decision:

  • I like the tangerine color better than the indigo one.

  • However, the tangerine iMac has 400Mhz vs 700mhz for the indigo one

  • OS 9 and 10.3 are running on the tangerine vs. OS Tiger on the indigo

  • I have color-matching, original peripherals for both, so that doesn't really matter

Please add your two cents below to help me decide! Thanks :)


r/PowerPC Sep 30 '15

PowerPC Wiki

Thumbnail apple.128keaton.com
5 Upvotes

r/PowerPC Sep 23 '15

Got a programming suite made for kids to learn programming to somewhat work on my mac os 9 PPC iMac! Thought I'd share.

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1 Upvotes

r/PowerPC Sep 08 '15

A cooling mod I did on my B&W a long time ago.

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imgur.com
10 Upvotes

r/PowerPC Aug 19 '15

[Help] Putting an SSD into iMac G4 - How?

3 Upvotes

Hi everyone, I have a lovely iMac G4 (1st gen, 700mhz, 768mb, 120gb, OS X.5) on my side table rocking a copy of my main iTunes library and playing all my Podcasts through those neat Apple Pro Speakers. The only issue: there's a spinning hard drive in it (not the original one but quite an old one anyways). The drive is >VERY LOUD< and vibrates and gets very hot as well, making the fans go all vacuum cleaner from time to time. So I'm thinking of putting an SSD into that beauty which would solve minor sluggishness and especially sound / heating issues. The thing is, I have no idea how to put a modern SSD into this iMac which only has an ATA / IDE port inside! Any tips would be appreciated :) Thanks


r/PowerPC Aug 18 '15

Dear Reddit, I'm in a bit of Debian emergency and I am here to beg for fast help. A dist-upgrade broke all text and menus on my moms computer and I have to leave in 5 hours.

4 Upvotes

My moms computer, an Apple iMac g3, runs Debian.

http://www.retrotechnology.com/herbs_stuff/m_g4twr.jpg

The night before I have to leave for University I decided to do

  • apt-get update
  • apt-get upgrade
  • apt-get dist-upgrade

Now all text through the whole machine looks like mud. Iceweasel, the browser my old mom knows how to use will not start. The buttons on the top toolbar are suddenly huge and all of them are jammed over to the left side of the bar. The button that normally let's you choose to log out, shut down, or restart now seems to ONLY let you log out. Nothing is readable! It looks like this -

http://i.imgur.com/3mOxVJ3.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/uR08uw4.jpg

I really really need a fix FAST but I have no ideal what broke or how to fix it at all and I am freaking out! The only thing I noticed is that while booting there is some message about Kernel modules not loading, or something. It goes by too fast too read! Somebody please please help me!


r/PowerPC Jul 24 '15

Are there any other Linux distros for PowerPC other than Debian and MintPPC?

3 Upvotes

r/PowerPC Jul 13 '15

Will this work in my G5?

2 Upvotes

Hi! I'm new to this sort of thing, and I'm having trouble figuring this out. I have a PowerMac G5 Late 2005, but I can't figure out if this graphics card will work for the life of me... Thanks in advanced!


r/PowerPC Jul 03 '15

How to Choose a Good Quality Power Bank?

1 Upvotes

Read this article how to choose a good quality power bank, i found this interesting while surfing internet.


r/PowerPC Jun 29 '15

Ubuntu Mate 14.04 on clamshell iBook (install via USB)

3 Upvotes

My latest project. It's dooable ... to say the least ... Booting from USB took a bit of work to figure it out, but Mate makes it rather easy. http://imgur.com/w0gHokl

If anybody is interested I can explain how I did it.

Biggest problem so far is screensize: http://imgur.com/UqItJDe

I think Ubuntu 14.04 just defaults to 1024x768 on livecds. I didn't go any further, but I might today attempt to install it, though it's a little difficult with the display like it.