More Hardware questions

[Clinton MacDonald]

Dave:

On Saturday, November 1, 2003, at 06:48  PM, dfro
wrote:
> Thanks everyone for the advice and encouragement. I
found a linux users group in my area that meets once a
month. So I will start attending those meetings.

Very cool move. I wonder if Lubbock, TX (where I live)
has such a group?

> Since I can't afford to buy another computer at the
moment, I think I will get OS X and install it on my
existing 20 gig hd. Any advice on which version of X
to get?

Unfortunately, you have not given enough information
for anyone to help you. Which Mac do you have?
PowerMac, iMac, eMac, iBook, etc.? How fast a
processor? You do say your hard drive is 20 GB, which
is good. I assume that, if you have a Firewire drive,
you have a more recent Mac, all of which are supported
with Mac OS X 10.3.

> Does the latest version of a Mac or Windows OS's
always create a bunch of new bugs that have to be
worked through?

;-) No one can answer that question except Steve Jobs
and Bill Gates, and they aren't talking.

> 1. After installing OS X on my existing internal hd,
I will then get a new internal hd, either preinstalled
w/ YDL, or install YDL myself, and then put my
existing OS X hd in a firewire cradle.

That's awfully extensive (and expensive) just to run
some form of Linux. If you are just experimenting,
consider getting an older PC for Linux. If you are in
a university environment, you might find surplus sales
of older PCs for $20-50 (500 MHz or more would be
ideal, though we are looking to get an old 350-MHz
machine up and running soon).

> Will yaboot boot OS X from an external hd?

No:

"FireWire: starting with YDL 2.1, the kernel DOES
support FireWire but not for booting. And as with USB,
the individual device driver must be present."

<http://www.yellowdoglinux.com/support/hardware/breakdown/index.php?hw_cat_id=4>

Will running OS X from an external hd be incredibly
slow?

Well, were it possible, it would be fast enough, since
Firewire is such a speedy bus.

> 2. Partition my hd for OS X and Linux and backup to
another OSX/Linux partitioned external firewire hd. I
am thinking this is the more funcional choice at the
moment. I am guessing that Mac-on-Linux would run
better in this case too.

If I am reading you right (and, again, this *all*
depends on which Mac you are running), then it would
be a reasonable setup. But, if you have not yet taken
the plunge into Mac OS X, try playing with that,
first. Many of the perceived advantages of Linux
(stability, memory management, device management, cool
applications -- including the gamut of Linux-based
X-11 applications) are available with Mac OS X, today.
The Panther version of Mac OS X (with which I have not
yet played) should be zippier on more marginal or
older Macs, too.

Write back to the list with your particulars, and we
can answer your questions much better!

Best wishes,
Clint

-- 
Dr. Clinton C. MacDonald | <mailto:clint DOT macdonald
AT sbcglobal DOT net>