Alrightey, since I haven’t updated in a few days now, here’s the scoop:

 

1. Debian 2.2 is happily running on my Classic II! It takes about 10 minutes to boot, and it’s pretty picky about a lot of things, but it’s running and running very well!

 

2. I’ve decided to add onto my Retro Challenge. I need to make that thing not only RUN Linux, but it needs to be useful while running it! I need to be able to do something on it besides futz with the CLI and piddle around in vi.

 

3. The Power Macintosh 6500/225 that has been previously mentioned will be playing a larger role in all this than was previously expected. I will next be installing Linux on that machine too to help out the Classic II with a few things to be named in the next note.

 

4. There is a large problem with the Classic II right now. It has no way to network with another computer or the internet while in Linux, and since it only includes the base system, it doesn’t have any of the requited modules to mount any disk that’s not in an ext2 format. Also, as has been reported all around the net, the floppy drive does not work under Linux and there seems to be no way to get it operational. This is where the 6500 comes in. After installing Debian on the 6500, I can use it to download packages for the Classic II from the internet. I can then take the HDD form the Classic II (which is still the 800 meg (100 meg HFS, 600 meg ext2 root, 100 meg swap) external SCSI drive and hook it up to the 6500, boot it into Linux, and mount it there to transfer the modules. The only one that I really NEED to transfer over is the ability to read an HFS volume. If I can do that, then the Classic II can be on its own for the most part. After that, I can transfer stuff between the 6500 and Classic II under the Mac OS using Localtalk, mount the HFS partition on the Classic II under Debian on there, and get the modules that way. It would be far faster than swapping the HDD between computers too.

 

5. I moved the Classic II over to a corner of my room. I had to rearrange half of my room so I could get my old desk in here for it. I also got a really long localtalk cable that can reach across my room from the 6500 to the Classic II, so they can still talk with each other if need be without moving anything around. Everything else is pretty much the same, except that the 6500 display is up on the shelf between the B&W and the 6500 again, and my Classic is on my desk as a floppy-only system in its place. ROM booting pwns! Also, I still haven’t found a decent display to be the second one for my main G4, but that’s *hopefully* coming sometime.

 

Well, I guess that’s about it for now. Looks like the next step here is to get Debian on the 6500. Eep, with those two running Linux, and with the Ubuntu install already on my MacBook, Linux will have invaded half my Macs!

 

BTW, that deal that I mentioned earlier for the FPU didn’t work out. This is Linux on just a 16MHz 68030 :)