Re: OldWorld ROM Macintoshes
Hi Riccardo,
On 9/2/25 4:01 PM, Riccardo Mottola wrote:
> Hi,
>
> Cedar Maxwell wrote:
>> Can anyone provide any guidance on how to install Debian onto an
>> OldWorld ROM Macintosh?
>
> how old is oldworld?
It's my understanding that if the system has built-in USB ports, then
it's most likely a New World system.
Some systems (such as the PowerBook G3 Wallstreet and G3 Beige Desktop)
have Open Firmware but are still Old World, so the existence of Open
Firmware by itself doesn't indicate New World.
This seems to be a pretty good summary:
http://www.hardwarebook.info/Old_World_ROM
>
> I have a PMac 8200 which has been sitting for years unused. It was my
> development box for MkLinux, but I think it is perhaps to say goodbye to
> it, attempts reviving this interesting kernel failed, also by myself,
> since hacking in kernel code to support ext2 failed :( a pity.
>
> It is really old.. first PCI series and so has proper OpenFirmware (v1
> if memory serves, those that default to serial console) but has PPC 601
> CPU. A strange mix of Apple harware and a PPC cpu which is still POWER
> compliant... old times!
>
> Is that CPU still supported in the kernel or is it dead? I remember that
> some OS remove it, but I don't remember which.
>
> Riccardo
>
According to an Internet search, the last Linux kernel to support the
PPC 601 chip was 5.10. Your PowerMac 8200 is an Old World system, so it
might be interesting to see whether it could boot the standard Linux
5.10 kernel from Mac OS 9 using BootX in Mac OS 9. If yes, it's likely
that you could still use the current Debian SID distribution, or
something close to current.
Some PPC 601 systems, such as the PowerMac 6100, used Nubus, and
anything Nubus is indeed dead since the Nubus changes to the kernel were
apparently never added to the official kernel tree. So the last kernels
to support PPC 601 Nubus systems were 2.4 (and in some cases 2.6). I
have no direct knowledge of any of this, just some experience trying to
get a PowerMac 6100 running something other than MkLinux. I was able to
mostly get the 6100 to run Debian Etch (4.x) after booting a Linux Nubus
2.4 kernel; see this link for more information:
https://nubus-pmac.sourceforge.net/
Some systems, such as the PB 3400, use the 603e chip and are Old World.
They can boot the latest version of Linux from BootX (just like a PB G3
Wallstreet) and run the current Debian SID.
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