PowerBook 3400c running Ubuntu Linux 9.10

Before posting comments, please read this:
Fact: It's slower than Christmas. I know.
-- Think about its age, and specs. Then think about what it's successfully doing.

Fact: There are many browsers to choose from for the Linux platform, and FireFox is by far one of the most bloated and memory-hogging one of them all
-- and yet it runs on this system.
-- I've had success with other more lightweight browsers on Linux with this machine such as Gecko.

Fact: I could use Mac OS 8 or 9, and run Classilla.
-- I know Mac OS 9 can run Classilla, and that this is under active development. You don't need to post comments reminding me of that.
-- Thank you!

Here's a circa 1997 PowerBook 3400c running Mac OS 9.1, and also booting into Ubuntu 9.10 Linux.

It uses SLiM login manager, and Icewm GUI.

I installed Ubuntu using the Ubuntu PowerPC 9.10 Alternate Installer, and BootX. If desired, I can post more details about how I did it. It's not a process for the faint of heart. It would take several pages of text to fully explain how I did it. I can't point to one specific website of resources. I probably used the advice of 20 websites combined to complete the task, along with a great deal of experimentation on my own.

There's still a lot of configuration and work to do, but here's a brief video of startup sequence, and a tour of the hardware. Enjoy!



Specs:
Apple Macintosh PowerBook 3400c
Processor: PowerPC 603e 240 MHz
RAM: 80 MB
Hard disk: 40 GB 5400 RPM PATA
Display: 800 x 600 16-bit color
6X CD-ROM drive
Battery still holds a nice charge (an hour or more)
For specs of this computer when it was originally released, see http://support.apple.com/kb/SP176
5 GB partition with Mac OS 9.1
33 GB partition with Ubuntu 9.10

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• PowerBoook
• 3400c
• Linux

[nannynicky4life]

this was a cool little video hey do you still have the od powerbook?

[sopranojam]

@nannynicky4life Yes, I do. Not much going on with it now, but it still works like a champ!

[sopranojam]

@kbhasikevin - exactly right! BootX is an extension and control panel.

[DarkBallYE]

I didn't think Ubuntu was built for pre-G3 PowerBooks O.o I'm still tying to get Debian on my PowerMac 7500, but to little avail :\

[sopranojam]

@DarkBallYE No, it wasn't, but the PowerPC processor commands are quite similar, so it "works". Just minus all the enhancements that came with the G3 - just about all processor command translations go through, just slower than with the G3.

Good luck with your PowerMac 7500 - those are good machines - and the processor is upgradable too if you know what to look for!

[DarkBallYE]

@sopranojam Good News: I've got everything done successfully.

Bad News: I can't (or likely don't know how to) copy vmlinux from my Linux partition to my Mac partition. How did you manage to copy the kernel to your Mac partition? :P

[sopranojam]

@DarkBallYE I'll send you a PM.

[THEtechknight]

Classilla runs on MacOS 9 and is still under active development.

[ThePhoneUpdate]

Classilla isn't a bad choice for simple browsing on OS 9, there used to be a trick for ResEditing Flash to get YouTube to work as well, but doubt that works anymore!

[kbhasikevin]

I guess that bootx is the first extension that loads, and if you select Mac, it'll allow the rest of the extensions to load, right?