[ydl-gen] Installation

[Derick Centeno]

On Sat, 6 Nov 2010 20:39:51 +0100
Luix Gaztañaga <luixgaz at gmail.com> wrote:

> I have installed 5.0.2 in my imac g3 but when I boot I have a
> black screen with a login . I don't have any idea to solve
> this situation . What do I have to do? Any help will be
> welcomed. Regards

Hi Luix,

A few questions:
Did you partition your internal hard drive for both OS X and YDL?
Were you aware that even if you partitioned your internal drive
so as to prepare to install only YDL, you had to use Apple's Disk
Utility booting from the Apple Install Disk to wipe the entire
drive so that it is selected (within Disk Utility as Untitled or
Free Space).  Once this is completed then you can boot from the
YDL install DVD so that Anaconda (the software which installs
YDL) can then build the Linux ext3 filesystem on top of the
partition layer prepared by Apple's Disk Utility?

If however you chose to maintain both OS X and YDL on the same
internal drive you still had to boot from the original Apple
Install DVD and run Disk Utility from within the Apple Install
DVD because only Disk Utility can build the partition structure
for both Apple OS X and the partition necessary for YDL -- at
the same time!  

The blank or non-working screen you report appears to be
something which occurs, unless memory fails me, when the ext3
partition filesystem wasn't created properly and then YDL of
course cannot boot from the malformed partition.

The ext3 filesystem is the standard file structure for all Linux
variants including Ubuntu, Debian and others.  Unfortunately,
building a Linux system on a PowerPC was easier years ago when
Terra Soft Solutions the original designers of YDL existed.  

Although they were a commercial entity they provided a great
deal of support to users of PowerPC systems, however back in
those years, they were making money.  Unfortunately for you,
they no longer exist and the engineering talent went with them.
I'm an old time YDL user who picked up some skills across the
years, but I'm running YDL from a G4 laptop and I don't have the
resources to investigate the details of your difficulties from
my end.

However, if you are willing to work with me perhaps we can
help you move forward to a bootable YDL system.  Regarding the
use of YDL, I use YDL 6.2 but in the past I used every
incarnation of YDL that ever existed including from YDL 2/3
forward.  So perhaps I could be helpful in whatever quirks and
weird stuff you see, if you are willing to answer questions.

You will have to be patient as the question/answer process may
be slow as we may not be online simultaneously or even often.
However, if you are willing then I'll help as best I can.

Of course, if working through Linux is too much I can only tell
you that sometimes it really is.  Also it is true that x_86
based Linux (meaning Linux which run on Intel and compatibles)
have always had a tremendously large body of software support
which never was developed for PowerPC machines.  In practical
terms this means that when you do get YDL working you may not be
able to move any further than YDL 6.2 which is what I use.

If you want a more current version of Linux than YDL, you'll
have to switch to Fedora Linux which actively supports PowerPC
development.  Terra Soft Solutions was "eaten" by Fixstars and
Fixstars decided last year that no further development of
PowerPC based Linux would come from them.  Lest you be mislead,
Ubuntu stopped supporting PowerPC computers officially some
years ago even before Fixstars.

If you care to consider support with modern Linux which is
similar to YDL then Fedora is the best way to go.  I have great
reverance and respect for Debian but as far as the PowerPC is
concerned Debian came to develop for the PowerPC rather late and
then Ubuntu (a Debian Linux variant) decided they wanted no part
of it leaving those using PowerPC systems on their own.  That
means users like you and me trying to figure things out.

As far as trashing your PowerPC it depends on your skills and
your limits.  Not everyone is interested in research or
programming for the PowerPC processor which has the capacity to
process code at 128 bits in special modes with specially
designed programming instructions.  What interests me, I'm sure
doesn't interest everyone.

Still it's a shame to not know your computer well and not
understand what one is giving up or abandoning.

Still Linux is not easy although hanging with the Fedora
community is larger as it is current.  Also Fedora is a free
product of Red Hat Linux so you won't ever go wrong there.

Well, my email client is permanently set to recieve mail from
the YDL mail list.  If you decide to stick it out, let me know.

All the best...