Installing Fedora on a Powerbook G4?

[GerPowerPC]

Hi, guys.

I'm a new Linux user. Well, I want to install Fedora 9 in my Powerbook G4 PPC. Tell me what I have to do. I want still ussing Mac OS X, a partition or something like that. Well, I dunno.

Thanks, guys.

[ppesci]

1) You must to resize the macosx partition in order to make room for Fedora 9.

2) Insert the install DVD and press "C" while starting.

3) Follow the installer instructions.

Sorry about the response delay.

HTH

[Janl]

As noted by ppesci, it's fairly simple to get Fedora 9 installed. Here's a slightly outdated here that you can use for how to partition your disk.

I have F9 on a G4 Powerbook myself, and the only real problems I've come across are sound not working out of the box and not being able to disable tapping on the touchpad.

The sound issue can be solved by following the steps in this thread to get it working.

I haven't really spent a lot of time to figure out the touchpad problem.

[woofer68]

I just installed Fedora 9 on my 1.2GHz, 1.2GB ram iBook G4 (PPC) and after dealing with a few hurdles, it runs pretty good.

I had the sound problem too, but the worst thing was getting Airport Extreme to work - after trying the fwcutter trick a few different ways and failing, I found an Italian link (currently down, of course) that gave me the logic to go through it.

Nuisance problems:
- no Linux PPC drivers for my printer, and 'close to my model' drivers don't work
- Emerald loads at the wrong time, and doesn't work flawlessly for me, so I don't use it
- not fedora's fault, but the one button trackpad sucks for right-clicking, so I have a Logitech thumb trackball connected.
- just the fact that the PPC architecture limits the amount of software I can use.

Even so, Fedora 9 runs well enough on the iBook that when it finally dies, I'll buy a $500 Intel-based laptop with Wi-Fi and install Fedora on it.

[Janl]

If you check the guide I linked before it gives some steps you can take to simulate the right and middle mouse buttons using the keyboard.

As for your problems with Compiz (assuming that's what you mean by Emerald), can't help ya there. Unfortunately I have a Powerbook with a Nvidia graphics card and am limited to using the "nv" driver which does no 3D acceleration. I've tried using the "nouveau" driver which isn't much better but can only manage to get a kernel panic out of it.

[woofer68]

Thanks for the Apple trackpad button help. I just like using a multibutton mouse or trackball better. Big hands. When I used the laptop in school for Photoshop and Illustrator the Apple trackpad drove me nuts. I needs my right button and scrolly wheel, but in case I can't use a mouse your info will help.

As for Compiz/Emerald, I have to use the terminal window to boot it up, and from researching around the Net, I think I have to rearrange the program's loading order, HOWEVER, the fancy-schmancy themes only last for a few minutes until the windows' borders -disappear- and they become unmovable until I turn off the graphics. So it seems the neato graphics are more trouble than they're worth.