I am in the process of buying a PowerMac to be used as a compile/development server in our company. Everyone uses MSWin here but I have convinced the boss to purchase a PowerPC machine to run linux so that we can develop code for a powerpc embedded system.
I was going to go for a G3 DVD Special Edition but I think that a G4 machine is more suitable. Out of the 3 Linux/PPC distributions (YellowDog, LinuxPPC and Debian), I would prefer to run Debian. Mainly because I would like to also run Debian on my Intel machines and it would be easier to maintain them all if they were in sync (ie. all running the same distribution and version. ie. potato) as apposed to running RedHat on my Intel machines and YellowDog or LinuxPPC on my powerpc machines. Having said that, people on various mailing lists say that both LinuxPPC is the easiest to install, closely followed by YellowDog and Debian bringing up the rear. I don't mind put some extra work during installation for Debian as it is supposed to have a great package management facility (better that redhat rpms ?). How stable is the Debian Linux/PPC port ? When is Potato actually going to be released ? Would it be better to go for a G3 DVD Special Edition or a G4 server ? I prefer G4 if the OS is stable and configuring things like X and networking isn't too painful. Do I need MacOS installed. I will probably install it at first. I may blow it away at a later stage if it is not needed. How much partition space should I reserve for a reasonable (not too bloated) MacOS installation ? Thanks, Brendan Simon.
