Ubuntu Linux axes support for PowerPC
updated 11:30 am EST, Thu February 15, 2007
Ubuntu axes PPC support
The Ubuntu Technical Board has reclassified the PowerPC edition of Ubuntu Linux as unofficial, but said the PowerPC software itself and supporting infrastructure will continue to be available and supported by a community team. The demotion of Ubuntu's PowerPC edition signals the end of official support for the operating system edition, leaving further progress and support in the hands of the community. OSnews reports that the major blow to the PowerPC architecture translates to "Ubuntu PPC can shake hands with the dodo." Apple utilized the PowerPC architecture in its legacy Macs prior to the company's transition to Intel chips in 2006, making systems as recent as its G5 Macs officially unsupported by Ubuntu. PowerPC Ubuntu Linux users faced with unofficial support can turn to Yellow Dog Linux as an alternative, which still offers official support for its Linux distribution alongside 64-bit support.
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Apr 2000
kind of ironic
Linux remains a good way to squeeze every last bit of horsepower out of aging machines, as "mainstream" OS releases tend to create a premature ceiling as a result of increasing UI overhead.
Kill off Ubuntu PPC eliminates this option for old Macs. Of course, I would suspect the folks who are running Linux on PPC Macs are likely capable of maintaining the PPC release as a community effort... assuming they are so inclined.