future of PPC

[Derick Centeno]

I have my own complaints regarding Apple, however I'd like to suggest 
that we use this energy in a positive way and regroup around building 
upon the foundation which already exists that is YDL.  I've always been 
very much pro-YDL almost exclusively because TSS production aims for 
and, in my view, achieves impeccable quality -- and has done so when 
other entities choose to "go soft" or lower their standards or go off in 
a completely different direction such as Ubuntu's apparent sudden and 
formally unannounced abandonment of the PowerPC platform.

I've always believed building a participatory community around YDL is 
something useful for users of PowerPC macs and other PowerPC systems.  
I'm sure that there exist quite a few opinions differing from mine, 
however there are none which cannot be constructively developed or 
explored via a variety of media.  If we each can recall that even the UN 
can't function without fundamental human foibles which continually 
interject themselves, there is no reason why we cannot move forward. 

I'd like to see projects based on YDL develop on a variety of PowerPC 
systems connecting or working together -- where possible -- the way 
Folding @Home or SETI@ Home used to work, but better.  Keep it open 
source, functional on YDL while utilizing the unique features of the 
PowerPC.  I need to research this further but I believe I recall reading 
the that Altivec within the G4 can process calculations at 128 bits.  
Utilizing that well is a challenge but really everything occurring today 
is a challenge.
Exploring what is possible to do with the Altivec is pretty enticing to 
me; however I know that moving forward with a group I could participate, 
learn and cooperate with via these lists or the YDL Board would spur me 
further beyond mere interest.

The pros of course are playing with the Cell. 

I'm sure an analog of this kind of idea can be willed into activity.  
Our various differences should not be an impediment to the goal of 
unifying and cooperating on very useful projects which can be and should 
remain viable on the PPC via YDL.  IF this can move forward, it won't 
matter the choices other distros make, what will matter is that these 
YDL community driven projects and efforts come into existence, 
prolonging our chosen platform even deeper and further.

Who knows?  It may be possible to achieve something beyond what Apple, 
or any other commercial entity, ever dreamed of!  We have each 
experienced a heap of disrespect from Apple and other unexpected 
sources, let's use that and do something unique and wonderful with it.

Come on... let's come together and do something completely amazing....
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Larry Cafiero wrote:
> Oh, there's no question, Ali: Leopard WON'T work on G3-based Macs (or 
> at least it's not supposed to), and I hope you're right about working 
> on G4s, because I was talking with an Mac tech a few weeks ago and he 
> said that Leopard won't work on the eMac (which is a G4).
>
>  
> On 4/30/07, *Ali Rastegar* <rastegar at gmail.com 
> <mailto:rastegar at gmail.com>> wrote:
>
>     Don't worry, Mac OS X(10.5) Leopard officialy supports G4 & G5
>     PowerPC Macs. Only G3 support is in question.
>
>     On May 1, 2007, at 12:49 AM, Larry Cafiero wrote:
>
>>     Thank you, Norberto: That's exactly my point -- recently, Apple
>>     has really blown it in both customer service and hardware support
>>     when in the past they had been much better (and I base this on
>>     being an Apple user for 15 years). And now Leopard only works on
>>     Intel-based Macs? That sure gets a WTF, no? Especially if you
>>     bought a non-Intel Mac in the last, oh, year or so.
>>
>>     Customer service and hardware quality are apples and oranges.
>>     It's a pity that the former isn't on par with the latter.
>>
>>     Which, again, gets back to the point of what OS one should be
>>     running on pre-Intel Mac hardware, and I would like to think that
>>     there is a market for long-time Mac users who do not pitch their
>>     hardware for the flavor of the month running GNU/Linux instead of
>>     being stuck on, say Mac OS 10.3. I vote with my OS, and on one
>>     machine -- a G3 tower upgraded with a Sonnet G4 -- I'm running
>>     Yellow Dog.
>>
>>     On 4/30/07, *Norberto Quintanar* < nquintanar at yahoo.com
>>     <mailto:nquintanar at yahoo.com>> wrote:
>>
>>         Larry,
>>
>>         I know three people who Apple has left in the lurch with their
>>         terrible customer support specifically when it comes to their
>>         switch
>>         to Intel based chips.  All you have to do to verify this is
>>         go to any
>>         Apple store in your area on a Saturday and wait for a
>>         disgruntled
>>         person to start walking out.  Politely ask them what happened.
>>         You'll get the picture.
>>
>>         Norberto
>>
>>         --- Larry Cafiero <larry.cafiero at gmail.com
>>         <mailto:larry.cafiero at gmail.com>> wrote:
>>         ---snipped-----------
>>         > I'm sorry to inform you -- Apple was never "notorious
>>         > for
>>         > leaving customers with 3-month-old outdated machines," as
>>         you say;
>>         > the truth
>>         > is that it has been quite the opposite at Apple regarding
>>         support.
>>         > At least
>>         > not until now with Leopard, which I understand is no longer
>>         > supposed to work
>>         > with non-Intel based Macs.
>>