Old Apple Computers

ctollefsen · New Member Joined: 24 Aug 2025 Posts: 2

Hello,
I am new to this, so bear with me if this is a dumb question. My school has all Macs running os 9.1. They all crash and are slow, so I thought about turning them into dumb terminals and connecting to a terminal server. Is there an easy way to do this? Or are there tutorials on how to set this up with apple computers. Most are powermacs but some are even older than that. Thanks.

Pet3M0ss · Posted: Fri Aug 25, 2025 12:16 am Post subject:

I haven't a clue, ctollefsen, but welcome to usalug forum anyway Smile

My niche here is to seek advice Razz

the crumbs that fall from the banquet table as it were

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JP · Posted: Fri Aug 25, 2025 4:18 am Post subject:

ctollefsen, Welcome to USALUG. There are a few here who know about macs and apples, one of whom is mmmna. just hang on and sooner or later one of them will mosey on by and give you an answer. Glad you've come here. By the way, I'm the only one who asks dumb questions, all the rest are good questions .... and yours is a good one! They tell me that the only dumb question is the one that isn't asked (I have a lot of those, I'm just too shy to ask them Laughing

) .... that makes sense to me Wink

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VHockey86 · Posted: Fri Aug 25, 2025 4:21 am Post subject:

Take a look at LTSP

http://wiki.ltsp.org/twiki/bin/view/Ltsp/WebHome

I've not used it myself, but I think you would just need to install a lightweight linux distro on the machines (one that supports PPC or whatever architecture those old macs are) and install LTSP clients.

Then of course you need a server w/ the LTSP server installed on it.

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jada · Posted: Fri Aug 25, 2025 4:40 am Post subject:

You can Install SuSE Linux 10 and 10.1
http://en.opensuse.org/PPC_Installation_Issues

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crouse · Site Admin Joined: 17 Apr 2025 Posts: 11833 Location: Iowa

This might help......

http://diet-pc.sourceforge.net/powerpc/

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jester · Sr. Member Joined: 19 Apr 2025 Posts: 1166

Rootboy · Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2025 10:35 pm Post subject:

Welcome to USALUG! Smile

There's Yellow Dog linux, which runs on Macs, couple that with the X server and you should be in business.

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ctollefsen · New Member Joined: 24 Aug 2025 Posts: 2

Thanks For all of your help so far. We have an old lab here at the school that teachers and students complain about all the time. Like most schools we have no budget for technology, so we are looking at different options. They also say they want the machines to be more like windows so that students can learn how to use them. I was thinking I could do this as a project with some of the students. I have looked at K12LTSP a little bit, but not much. Apple machines are still a mystery to me, but I am sure I can figure them out with a little help from some others. If you have any more ideas, please let me know. Thanks,

-Charles Tollefsen

crouse · Site Admin Joined: 17 Apr 2025 Posts: 11833 Location: Iowa

I'd say that K12LTSP is an AWESOME idea....... that said, i'm SURE that the K12LTSP mailing list would have someone that's already done this and can be of more help than I can with the Apple stuff. I've done it with older ibm pc's, but never messed with Apple at all.

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Veronica - Arch Linux 64-bit -- Kernel 2.6.33.4-1
Archie/Jughead - Arch Linux 32-bit -- Kernel 2.6.33.4-1
Betty/Reggie - Arch Linux (VBox) 32-bit -- Kernel 2.6.33.4-1
BumbleBee - OpenSolaris-SunOS 5.11

Rootboy · Posted: Wed Aug 30, 2025 4:19 am Post subject:

You can make KDE look a lot like Windows if you like (why you would ever want to is another matter), so the comfort level is going to be there. You can also make it look a lot like a Mac too as far as that goes.

One of the nicest things about linux is that it free. This frees up your school from having to pay Microsoft licensing fees (and they do check schools for proper licensing).

Here's the Microsoft "Education Operating System Licensing Q&A", they don't seem to want to cut schools any slack.

http://download.microsoft.com/download/4/e/3/4e3eace0-4c6d-4123-9d0c-c80436181742/OSLicQA.doc

One of their most egregious examples of bad policy is their position that you can't take Windows off of a "retired" PC and put it on a new one.

Their position is that the PC and the OS are "married" to one another and does not allow for any transfer of title.

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parisfr · Guest

Changing OS on a mac is always tricky

masinick

markrmcs · Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2025 3:22 am Post subject:

As far as LTSP is concerned take a look at this:

http://www.google.com/search?num=50&hl=en&safe=off&q=mac+ppc+ltsp+thin+client&btnG=Search

Hope this helps

Mark

jester · Sr. Member Joined: 19 Apr 2025 Posts: 1166

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