No, no... I haven't been able to do it.
You see, ever since I got Sonnet's Crescendo G3/NuBus upgrade for the Power Mac 6100, I have always wanted to install Linux and enjoy the benefit of being able to use more modern software. Tools like Firefox and OpenOffice... ANYTHING to squeeze out the most life I could get out of my Mac... EVEN if it means not using the Mac OS. (gasp!)
Alas that it would be a dream to never come to fruition. The best options we Power Mac 61xx/71xx/81xx users have is to either go to eBay and get one of the discontinued G3 upgrade options provided by NewerTech, or to simply make due with the stock PowerPC processor soldered onto our motherboards. At the "Linux/PPC for NuBus Power Macs" site (http://nubus-pmac.sourceforge.net/), there hasn't been any activity since January 2006.
I have made several attempts at "spreading" my idea of making a Linux-side driver for the Sonnet upgrade card, but I don't think anyone was listening at the SourceForge page.
Today, I just came up with yet another idea:
Why not make a "Hybrid Virtualization/Emulator Environment" (H-VEE).
What is it?
Essentially, it combines a virtualization environment, similar to Parallels for OS X, with (part of) an emulator like VirtualPC or SheepShaver.
How would it work?
Well... here's how the process would go:
1) Launch the Mac OS, WITH the Sonnet Crescendo upgrade card and the corresponding system extension BOTH enabled.
2) Launch the "H-VEE" (a MacOS 7.x/8.x/9.x-compatible "application")
3) Pop-in a PowerPC distro of Linux, BSD, Darwin, or even OS X (non-Intel).
4) -ONLY- the hardware portions needed for each specific guest OS would be emulated; the Open-Firmware, the PCI architecture, the presence of USB/Firewire, etc. Perhaps even a JIT (just-in-time) compiler could be used, just like in SheepShaver for x86.
5) Proceed to install the guest OS and your favorite 3rd party software.
Why?
Because if you still have a working computer that is still in great condition, you should NOT have to toss it out to the trash or a landfill if you can still make some use of it (especially if you made the choice of upgrading it over the years). Lets face it... WaMCoM, iCab, ClarisWorks, and even Mac OS Classic just aren't cutting it anymore.
Clearly, this would mean that your seemingly worthless NuBus machine would have more added value. And it could serve you for even more years down the road! Lets face it... if you have maintained your old NuBus Power Mac fairly well, then you can agree with me when I say that Apple really made these machines to last.
Who?
Well, seeing as how I have no idea how to program, I would have to (again) submit my idea to all the helpful (MACINTOSH) programmers at SourceForge. I only wish I could still find a willing developer who also knows how to program for OS 7.x,8.x, and 9.x. Those programmers have always been rare and today, ever-increasingly hard to come by.
When?
I'll submit my idea as early as I finish writing this blog entry. As for when this project will break ground.... well, that depends on the developers (if there are any.... and if they are willing).
Where?
Well, since this would be a collaborative effort, amongst people from around the world, this project should be open-source, for anyone and everyone to be able to modify. So it would be fitting to give this project its own page at SourceForge.
