[LUAU] Minimum Macs

[Jim Thompson]

Almost any PCI-based Mac can be made to run linux (and most netbsd as 
well.)

The cut-off is probably a Power Mac 7200/7500.

Those with the optional external CPU cache and/or 2MB enables screen 
size up to 1280x1024) or
4MB (additional pixel depth) of VRAM are probably preferred.

Even without these extras, they can be upgraded to a G3 @ 500Mhz, and 
up to 512MB of RAM (if you can
still find the DIMMs.  Note that you can't use EDO ram in the 7200.)

Most of the G3 machines can be upgraded to G4, which is almost current.

(Musenki used (and I still own) a B&W G3 that I upgraded to a 550Mhz G4 
with 1GB of SDRAM, for the original "build machine" (we were
doing PPC embedded linux work, and the cross-compilers weren't quite 
all the way 'there'.   We actually had 2, but the kid of one of
my employees back in Washington wanted to start hacking linux, and I 
had it available...)

The 7200/75, 7200/90 and 7200/120 were introduced (and discontinued) in 
1995 through 1997.

Jim


On Dec 13, 2004, at 2:27 PM, R. Scott Belford wrote:

> A question we get more and more often when people call to donate 
> computers is, "Can we give you our Mac?"  I am having a hard time 
> determining a safe cut off with respect to model and year.  With PC's 
> we cut off at a P166, and, for the older folks who are clueless about 
> this, I use 1996 in my math when asking 'how old'?
>
> Does anyone know Macs well enough to say that from a Quadra xxx up, or 
> whatever, is usable?  I know it is safe to say, 'starting with the 
> G3s' but I also know that we have some beige donated model a member 
> put gentoo on that simply rocks.
>
> Any idea on model or year that is a safe cut off for accepting Macs to 
> be used with Linux would be appreciated.
>
> --scott
>
> -- 
> R. Scott Belford
> Founder/Director
> The Hawaii Open Source Education Foundation
> PO Box 392
> Kailua, HI 96734
> 808.689.6518 phone/fax
> scott at hosef.org
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