Linux/PowerPC - basic stuff

From: "Joseph L. Brothers" 
Date: Fri, 7 Jul 1995 09:15:58 -0700 (PDT)

ftp://liber.stanford.edu/pub/linuxppc/

-rw-r--r-- 1 ftp   999  3421159 Jul  7 07:48 binutils.tar.gz
-rw-r--r-- 1 ftp   999  8415240 Jul  7 07:55 linux-ppc.tar.gz
-rw-r--r-- 1 ftp   999  4680379 Jul  7 08:00 linux-ppc.update-950626.tar.gz
-rw-r--r-- 1 ftp   999  4347391 Jul  7 08:06 linux-ppc.update-950705.tar.gz
-rw-r--r-- 1 ftp   999  1834475 Jul  7 08:08 powerpc-lib.tar.gz
-rw-r--r-- 1 ftp   999    10663 Jul  7 08:08 powerpc-lib.update-950626.tar.gz
-rw-r--r-- 1 ftp   999    58500 Jul  7 08:08 simppc-linux.tar.gz
-rw-r--r-- 1 ftp   999   268578 Jul  7 08:09 tools.tar.gz

This release of Linux/PowerPC is fragmentary and cannot recompile itself. It boots only on a Motorola 1603 board. It has minimal capabilities, including ability to boot via Ethernet to a ramdisk file system, run single-user, execute the rc shell, and run a few simple utilities like ls.

The extended binutils-2.5.2 included with this release implements ELF on this platform. Patches to gcc-2.7.0 adequate to cross-compile this release of Linux/PowerPC are forthcoming and will be announced when they can be ftp'd.

The Motorola 1603 board is the only platform currently supported. Work continues on Apple NuBus PowerMacs, Motorola Ultra and PowerStack and IBM RS6000 PowerPC platforms. Others are welcome. Contributions to Linux/PowerPC can be made via the linux-ppc@vger.rutgers.edu mailing list or by anonymous ftp to

ftp://liber.stanford.edu/pub/incoming/

I am not the developer of this software, nor its archivist (source supervision is still in debate), but I will attempt to respond to email as time permits. Linus Torvalds will get first priority for his suggestions, naturally.

Many thanks are due to the people who have put code, time, documentation, effort, hardware and inspiration into Linux, the tools and this port.