[ Thanks to Sensei
for this link. ]
“This explains how to install Yellow Dog Linux Champion Server
1.2.1 on an iMac DV SE (400 mhz, 13 Gigs), the one available in
December 1999, with a non-extended keyboard and hockey puck mouse.
This installation procedure creates a dual-boot system and
assumes you have backed up your data and have a bootable OS 9
CD-ROM.”
“Expect problems. This is still leading- to bleeding-edge
technology. In the course of the installation the keyboard
played dead and the computer played dead: I mean for several
minutes no OS would boot, at all–neither from the hard drive, nor
from the CD. I must admit I got close to being rattled by that. But
I unplugged the machine for 3 minutes while I read Alternative
Press magazine and that did the trick. Of course, Alternative Press
may not do it for you. You might prefer Linux Monthly.”
“iMac DVs are New World machines and need Yaboot (Yet Another
Bootloader) and not BootX. (BootX is for Old World Machines, and I
think the rule of thumb is that if it can run an OS previous to
8.6, it’s Old World.) Because Yaboot is a Mac-, or rather Mac
Open-Firmware-, application that bootstraps the linux kernel into
RAM, you need to have a Mac partition on the iMac, even if you wish
to run only linux on it. Other HOW-TOs explain partitioning much
better than I can. I’ll only say that to run a dual-boot system I
used the OS 9 Software Install CD that came with the iMac to create
5 partitions (only three are essential for running Linux, dual-boot
system or not).”