Product Reviews

Linux, a free version of the Unix operating system put together by a worldwide network of coders, has long been a mainstay of the Intel computing world. Surprisingly, Linux is widely regarded as a threat to the commercial versions of Unix and Windows NT, particularly as a server for the Internet.

Users can download LinuxPPC for free (although at around 600Mb, it can take a while), or pay for a 'distribution'. Distributions include all the software required, plus technical support via phone or email. LinuxPPC 4.0 is the most stable version yet, and begins to make the Mac a viable platform for running Linux.

Installing LinuxPPC will be a culture shock to Mac users. The first step is to create a Unix-formatted partition using either a third-party disk tool like Hard Disk Toolkit or the supplied Pdisk utility. Next you create a bootable floppy disk by copying the 'installer.coff' file onto a floppy disk. Then comes the tricky part. The user must determine the correct Unix-style name for the hard disk or CD-ROM where the rest of the installation files are, and use a program called BootVars to set the Mac's Open Firmware to boot from the floppy disk and start the installation process.

Once the system has started to boot into Linux, LinuxPPC

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uses the RedHat installer, which walks you through installing the necessary system components, and through the configuration of networking and dial-up Internet connections. It also allows you to create a password for 'root', the main system account. RedHat will then reboot you, and you can set up the Mac to boot into either the Mac OS, LinuxPPC, or to give you the choice at startup.

Bundled with Linux are all the standard Internet packages, including the Apache Web server, mail and NNTP news servers. Also included are Netscape Communicator for mail, news and Web browsing, and GIMP, a popular image manipulation program.

When LinuxPPC starts up, it automatically launches the K Desktop Environment (KDE), a GUI which makes Linux much easier to use and administer. As well as running its own applications, KDE is an X Window manager, and can run any X-compliant application. KDE looks and feels like a cross between a conventional X Window environment and Microsoft Windows 95. It won't be to everyone's taste, but alternative window managers include AfterStep, a clone of the NeXTStep GUI, and Enlightenment, a bizarre window manager.

And this is one of the most delightful things about using Linux - there's a lot of latitude to customise it while running powerful Unix applications. It's also surprisingly fast thanks to the tight, well-written code that underlies it all.

Should you be looking at Linux? If you want to run mainstream applications on a familiar operating system with a large installed base and commercial support, you probably wouldn't benefit from a Linux installation. If, however, you want to put together a cheap and powerful Internet server, perhaps using an older Mac, then Linux is ideal. It offers a level of power and performance that AppleShare IP and Mac OS-based applications can't match for the price.