Hi all,

I've gotten a couple of recommendations to look into MacOS X (in various
forms). I have a copy of MacOS X Server at work that I could borrow and
install, but I have found from my [very] limited use is that it is still
somewhat klugey. Overall it seems terribly documented and some of the
things which should be pure UNIX are not, for example the NetInfo and Mac
Manager stuff seems to trip up or complicate some of the basic user and
networking issues. Also, setting up something like DHCP is nearly
impossible because it doesn't come with the OS and in many cases does not
seem to work properly. I tried using the basic scripts that are
circulating for configuring the system to use DHCP but have not has
CONSISTENT luck. I have gotten it occasionally to find the DHCP server but
not with any regularly. I haven't looked into Darwin (which some people
suggested), does anyone know how this compares with MacOS X Server (direct
from Apple). Also what's the word on MacOS X Client? I could probably dig
up a copy of the Developer Release if needed, but I wasn't sure it would
be worth it. Unfortunately the G3 is probably a 233 or 266, but that
should still be fast enough to handle MacOS X, right? Any more
suggestions?

I've downloaded the ISOs for YellowDog, LinuxPPC and MkLinux so tomorrow
I'll need to bring some blank CDs to work so I can bring them home ;)

Thanks,
Mike



On Wed, 6 Sep 2000, Jaron Omega wrote:

> 
> On Wed, 6 Sep 2000, Michael Jeffrey Tucker wrote:
> 
> >
> >
> >---------- Forwarded message ----------
> >Date: Wed, 6 Sep 2000 11:15:33 -0400 (EDT)
> >From: Michael Jeffrey Tucker <mtucker@fas.harvard.edu>
> >To: mklinux-setup@public.lists.apple.com
> >Subject: Choosing a Unix
> >
> >Hi all,
> >  I was wondering if someone could offer some advice or point me at a FAQ
> >about picking a UNIX distribution for a beige G3. I am currently running
> >NetBSD on an 68k machine, and mklinux on a 7200. Now I am looking at
> >setting up a machine that I will be using heavily under X. I'd say that
> >rules out NetBSD because the graphics support seems minimal. I
> >want something secure, I want something decently fast, and I want
> >something that will work well with X applications am I out of luck? ;)
> 
> None of the Free unix/unix-like OS's for the Mac can display graphics
> very well, or better X11 performance is not too impressive.  This being
> said in reference to my own experiance with dealing with X on a Performa
> 6360 with 32M RAM and on a 233Mhz Beige G3 with 320M RAM.  Neither was
> really able to run X well, not even across a network.  Linux/NetBSD
> was the free unix(like) OS's I have run on them.
> For some reason, I believe this is to be largely due to the immediate
> use of framebuffering, on the PC side running with framebuffers suck
> memory like no tomorrow.  But PC is not PPC, so for what ever its worth.
> Its more than likely undeveloped X drivers for the Mac hardware thats
> the culprit, its definately not anything to do with CPU power, because
> at the console LinuxPPC flies.
> 
> The only Unix I have run on Mac/PPC hardware where X/or some GUI was
> able to run flawlessly and with impressive performance was MacOS X Server.
> Which brings me to admit that I have not toyed with the X server for
> MacOS, and I wonder how far, or if, or what happened, or what the is
> the status on John Carmacks work on the X server for Darwin?
> 
> X desperately needs work on Mac hardware, and we need if possible
> to stop using OF as a crutch to keep the OS running, rather than just
> using it to help get the system to going.
> 
> 
> >  Well, if anyone has a recommendation I would love to hear it, just drop
> >me a line. To an extent this will be my experimental box, I will probably
> >end up screwing it up royally, but as my desktop machine it'll be my
> >little toy so it will be ok.
> 
> MacOS X<whatever they put out> is my best suggestion.
> 
> >Thanks,
> >Mike
>