An always helpful commenter named Keith came through again today by posting a comment about his experiences with trying the 13.04 build out.
His comment from the Firefox 18 on Lubuntu PowerPC post:
"Zen. I wanted to let you know I am running the live cd of Lubuntu 13.04 on my 12" iBook G4, 1.33 Ghz. I loaded it via the usb port because my combo drive has been broken for many years. Also, the cd is oversized, so unless one has a superdrive, usb is the only way to go.
I had the same issues installing this version as I did for 12.10--needed to use "live video=radeonfb:1024x768-32@60" to get the right resolution and color depth. Also, no wifi or sound, just like 12.10. I haven't tried the fix for those yet, as I don't have the time to spend on it tonight. Still, it is running very well off the ethernet. Keith"
I have been meaning to download and try it myself but my busy schedule has gotten in the way as per usual. I will provide some feedback and screens once I give it a test drive later tonight. I am downloading it as I type this.
As Keith notes above it is an oversized (772.1 MB) ISO so it will not fit on a CD. You will either need to use a DVD or the USB boot method from a thumb or external drive. The alternate install however does fit on a CD.
As Keith also notes above you will need to use this command at the Yaboot screen if you have a Radeon GPU:
live video=radeonfb:1024x768-32@60Change the 1024x768 to your screens default res if it is not that. 32 refers to the colour depth and 60 refers to the screen refresh rate. For best results confirm what all these are for the display in question.
If you have an Nvidia GPU you will need the Alt. Install image. Here are the configuration instructions for after the install.
For those with ATI Rage 128 GPU you need to follow the instructions found here.
Download:
Desktop
Alternate
Please share any feedback. These are daily builds so don't expect perfection.
Update
I installed 13.04 on my G4 1.0 GHz test system on thursday night after I originally made this post. It installed perfectly via a fresh install and all apps and updates installed without issue. I have not tried an upgrade install from 12.04 or 12.10 so I cannot speak for how that will work yet.
Although I have only been able to play with it a few times after setup I am quite impressed with the experience so far. The app versions keep climbing along with the kernel which is at 3.8 now compared to 3.2 in 12.04 and 3.5 in 12.10. The small amount of PowerPC developers in the Linux world are doing an incredible job in my opinion.
Some notable app versions in Lubuntu 13.04:
Firefox 19
Transmission 2.76
VLC 2.0.5
Thunderbird 17.0.2
Once I get a better idea of it's pros and cons I will write something.
Screenshot
Sounds like 13 is worth a test drive. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteAs a main desktop Linux I would still rely on 12.04. 12.10 still has several issues and I am sure I will find several in 13 once I use it more.
Delete12.04 gets constant updates still and in terms of overall usability is the best version.
I'd love to here how you get on with the sound and wi-fi issues. Lots of people asking about the sound on the web but i haven't found an answer yet
ReplyDeleteTo get sound on my iBook G4, I had to do the following:
DeleteOpen an LXterminal window and type "alsamixer" without the quotes. Alsamixer will open on the desktop.
Use the tab key and the arrow keys to manuever around until you can get to the setting marked "PCM". Use the Up Arrow to raise this to at least 75. The higher you set this, the louder your sound will be. Also, make sure the Master setting is 50, or above.
Run Firefox to open a video to check your sound level.
I also hit F6 to make sure my sound card is selected.
This is what works for me on the iBook.
Keith
Guess I'll give it a try too.
ReplyDeleteZen, just a quick question, on your G4's, the ones with processor upgrade did you flash Sonnet firmware update?
Since I have almost the same hardware as you (G4 sonnet (in my case 1.2GHz, sata pci card from sonnet,flashed nvidia 6200, nec usb pci) it is strange that I can't boot to linux.