Linux on an Apple Powerbook G4 - even more about the Powerbook and Linux, here you'll also find decent keyboard layouts.
Ubuntu on the PowerBook G4 (powerbook5,6) describes some of the problems you have with Ubuntu on PowerBooks - for me as a reference when I switch my notebook.
Ok, since my Mac Mini is working hard and everything is functioning as it should, I took the opportunity to install Ubuntu on my Powerbook. I wanted to finally check out how well something like this works today - back in the day, notebooks were quite an adventure with Linux.
Overall, everything looks very good - just like the first impression from the Live DVD. Everything starts properly, the components are mostly well recognized, and the settings are mostly sensible - especially the simple installation (for a test drive, I like to use the DAU mode, just to see how well the people understand their job) leaves a well-set-up desktop system.
Unfortunately, I have a notebook. And not just any notebook, but a Powerbook.
Well, the software itself runs. The desktop is nicely set up, and the selection of software is very useful - even all the notebook features are mostly installed. What was missing?
Well, let's start with the simplest thing: a Powerbook has a fixed keyboard layout - the keys are labeled. I'm not planning to rub off the labeling and repaint it to match a PC. Why don't the Torfnasen provide a Powerbook keyboard layout? I did find something on the net, but to implement it, some major efforts are needed (either applying a not fully functional patch or adjusting the X start process - neither of which are particularly DAU-friendly). Why isn't something like this included with the system? After all, anyone who has seen a Mac keyboard up close knows that it's really not identical to PC keyboards. This is further complicated by the fact that there are quite a few Mac keyboard layouts included - but they only make sense with old ADB keyboards, as they have completely different keyboard codes.
Next up: power management. A lot of software is installed, most of which comes without useful documentation. That's fine - in theory, everything should just be set up. And for the most part, it is set up: when I close my display and open it again, the daemon.log properly records that pbbuttonsd was able to execute the appropriate script.
It would just be nice if the script actually did something...
People, power management is not just a nice-to-have feature for a notebook; it's essential. And everything necessary for it is actually present. Please include it and use it. The Ubuntu installation looks as if the part that would execute the actions was simply left out. And I haven't found out on the fly in which package this might be hidden.
Then there's Bluetooth. The system recognizes all sorts of things, and something is being done with someone - but how, what, and where you can now do something with Bluetooth, that's not really clear. Hey guys, Bluetooth is really not ultra-new anymore, and for Linux, there's been something for quite some time - how about at least some rudimentary tools that show the status?
WLAN still doesn't work - but that's not Ubuntu's fault, it's the stupid manufacturer of the cards. 3D acceleration of the graphics also doesn't work, which is why the desktop is a bit sluggish than it should be - same reason as with WLAN. It's really a shame that hardware manufacturers put extra obstacles in the way of a free operating system.
Minor annoyances: the trackpad is set to be ridiculously sensitive - almost unusable for people with motor problems. More conservative settings would be much more sensible. And Gnome is still quite wasteful with screen space - hey, my notebook only has 1024x768, I can't just add pixels!
All in all, Ubuntu confirms its good suitability as a desktop system - because the installed system itself is really useful. But notebooks are still the last adventure for the toughest.
And my notebook? Well, I'll probably just go back to Tiger.