using MacOS 8.1 on Powerbook G3

[Thomas Laur]

Hello alltogether,

I am pretty familiar with Linux, but not familiar with Macīs, so at 
first I want to congratulate you all for such a incredible peace of 
code. Thatīs the things which make Linux so unique, thank you very much.
So, I have a friend, who owns a PowerBook G3.
He is running MacOs 9 right now, but he is interrested in installing 
Linux-ppc under the restriction, that he can use his old data and some 
of its old software like AppleWorks and more important Photoshop, so he 
can migrate step for step.
So, I figured that mol is for that purpose a very hot shot.
Problem is, that he only have a MacOS 8.1-CD. I tried to boot from it, 
which didnīt work. There was an message complaining that the installer 
is too ancient ;-)
Also, I discovered in the FAQ, that MacOS 8.1 needs a ROM-File for 
booting under mol (old-world-booting).
  The next Problem is, that my friend is not certain, which kind of 
PowerBook he has. He guesses WallStreet, but thats only a guess and I 
found nothing in the manuals or documentation about it.
 So how can I determine with MacOS 9 for sure, which kind of PowerBook 
G3 he has ?
And when itīs really a Wallstreet, is it supported by old-world-booting 
and whatīs the name of the ROM-File to get mol running ?
Or has he to upgrade to a newer MacOS version ?

Any help would be appreciated.


Thank you very much.

Thomas Laur
Germany