new to Linux on PPC, need suggestions

[CaptainPinko]

i have next to no mac experience but i have fair amount of *nix experience and LOTS of experience with x86 computers, so while i'm not clueless completlely i have no frame of reference for mac technology... now that the preamble is finished on with the question!!! i have this old (?) Macintosh Power Book G3 with 333 Mhz processor, 512k cache, 64 RAM (it doesn't specify what the 64 Mb is of my i would assume its RAM), and a 4 GB HD, what distros are out there and which should i use (i'm not looking for anything fancy just to type, browse the net, regular school stuff, and get files from a local lan, it doesn't have to be ultra-secure or support multiple processors or run web-servers or anything fancy), second of all what kind of performance can i expect relative to pentium terms? i know i can't candle Red Hat 8.0 on my p100 w/ 32Mb RAM and that KDE and GNOME want at least 64 Mb RAM to run decently... how about on a mac? due to my limited experience any (quite literally) help or tips or suggestions or ANYTHING will be useful and appreciated, thank you

[Hitchhiker]

If it is a G3, there are plenty of distros.
I am currently using Yellow Dog Linux. It was designed specifically for PPC. Very easy to install.
And, of course, this question has been asked God knows how many times. Please search the site, and you will find plenty of answers to your question.

As far as your G3's performance is concerned, it should be quick enough to handle any task. It's usually the speed of hard drive that matters. Your memory, however, could be increased. Most distros recommend at least 128 MB of RAM to work with GUI, I think.

[CaptainPinko]

can i still get RAM for my g3? and what price range am i looking at for more RAM?

[Hitchhiker]

I am terribly sorry, but I forgot to ask you which G3 you have.
Is it a beige G3? Something more reason perhaps? Blueberry thingies? Blue and white?

There are plenty of places where you can buy necessary memory for your G3. I usually go to Crucial.

Google it. There are plenty.

[CaptainPinko]

its not a G3 but a PowerBook G3 laptop, its black with a little white apple light on the top/back of the lcd

[Hitchhiker]

Originally posted by CaptainPinko
its not a G3 but a PowerBook G3 laptop, its black with a little white apple light on the top/back of the lcd

Well! That is fairly new :)
You will not have problem finding memory that.
You must understand that Macintosh machines are not exactly like PCs. PCs, in my experience, become paperweights within three years. Macintosh machines have slightly better longevity than that of PCs'. Your G3 laptop, probably, is less than four years old. In which case it is quite useful yet. You may even install OS X.
I had one myself. I was running Final Cut Pro with it! I was editing video/films with that particular machine.

So, you machine will be able to handle almost anything. Just increase your memory ;)

[CaptainPinko]

alright, what do i search for in terms of ram, like what are they called? i know for pc's for example there is RDRAM or DDR SDRAM and so on, whats it called for power books?

[Hitchhiker]

Originally posted by CaptainPinko
alright, what do i search for in terms of ram, like what are they called? i know for pc's for example there is RDRAM or DDR SDRAM and so on, whats it called for power books?

OK, Macintosh machines are computers after all. Just better built, in my opinion, than PCs. Their operating system was horrible, until now.

Your machine, I believe, uses SDRAM/66 MHz. If your machine is a PowerBook G3/333 MHz as you had described.
Please go to;-

http://www.crucial.com/

I personally like Crucial, simply because they are cheap and reliable. The web site will guide you step-by-step.

[Alex Cavnar, aka alc6379]

For memory, check out Other World Computing (http://eshop.macsales.com/). They have a great selection of Mac stuff, and their prices aren't that bad, either.

I found a 256mb PC100 SO-DIMM for that G3 there for 59.99!

[Hitchhiker]

Originally posted by Alex Cavnar, aka alc6379
For memory, check out Other World Computing (http://eshop.macsales.com/). They have a great selection of Mac stuff, and their prices aren't that bad, either.

I found a 256mb PC100 SO-DIMM for that G3 there for 59.99!

A very useful web site! Thank you very much for the info :)

[Modorf]

I have a Powerbook G3 400mhz Bronze keyboard and it runs Yellowdog and MacOS 9.2.2 with no problems at all. I tried OSX 10.2 on it and found it too slow, so I went back to OS9.

For memory, your looking for is a PC100 SoDIMM which is common.
There are two memory slots in the machine.
You need to carefully pull up the keyboard and unscrew the meddle cage over the processor. On the top of the processer should be one and one on the underside. you will need to carefully pry up the processor to get to the underside. I suggest using a plastic wedge as to not mess up the processor board.

hope this helps.
Nathan.