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Interview Up until recently, there were only two versions of Linux for the PowerPC: MkLinux from Apple and the Open Source Foundation, and LinuxPPC, from group of programmers porting Linux to the PPC (now represented commercially by LinuxPPC, Inc.). Now there is a third, exciting entry: Yellow Dog Linux. This version of Linux, named for a dog named Potter (yes, that's him in the picture up top, and he his own email address--potter@terraplex.com), is already grabbing some attention and headlines, but many have asked the question: What is Yellow Dog Linux? The answer is essentially that it's an enhanced, cleaned-up version of LinuxPPC designed for professional and home use. YDL comes in two flavours: "Champion Server" (for high-end Web, file and print servers) and "Gone Home" (for the individual or home user). Like LinuxPPC, it uses available open source Linux software and ports it to the PPC, while adding some of its own functionality.
So who is Terra Soft Solutions, Inc.? Kai and Potter of course aren't all of Terra Soft: the main partners are, aside from Kai, who is CEO: Jamie Smith, Chief Financial Officer; Janet Logothetti, Director of Markets Strategy Development; Dan Burcaw, Director of Research & Development; J. Paul Reed, CGI Applications Development; and Troy Vitullo, Database Development. TSS evolved out of a Web design company, Terra Firma Design, and developed a background in e-commerce, FileMaker databases and robotic communications. You can find Terra Soft's Website at http://www.terrasoftsolutions.com/. Terra Soft is located in Fort Collins, Colorado. To help you get to know Yellow Dog Linux (and Linux on the PPC in general), I'm pleased to introduce Kai Staats. (And Potter.)
The personal stuffLaM: How old are you? Kai Staats: I am 28 (and a half), Janet's 29, and Dan is, well...young :) LaM: Married, divorced or single? Children? Kai Staats: Janet and I have been partners for a little over 2 years. We have a yellow lab named "Potter", the now famous Yellow Dog. We made the mistake of showing him the YDL website--I think it went to his head 'cause now he will only eat the expensive chew-bones. LaM: What other computer experience (personal or work) do you have? Kai Staats: Programming since I was 14, started on Sinclairs, Trash-80s, Commodore 64, early PCs, and now a die-hard Mac user: HTML, Perl (hack) and dabble in PHP. I have been known to rebuild computers way too many times, often taking Mac boards and putting them into PC towers. I have also been building small, unsophisticated robots and useless motorized vehicles since I could hold a soldering iron. LaM: Did you attend college or university? If so, where, and what degree(s) or diploma(s) did you receive? Kai Staats: Bachelor of Science, Industrial Design, College of Architecture and Environmental Design, Arizona State University...an intense 5 year degree that encouraged creativity and research, product development, marketing, and invoked many sleepless nights in the studio. LaM: How did you get started with Yellow Dog?
Kai Staats: The full story is available online at http://www.apple.com/creative/internet/kai/ ...basically, I decided we could greatly benefit our web clients of [Terra Firma] with in-house servers. I wanted Mac hardware and my SysAdmin wanted Linux...so we gave MkLinux a go...it worked incredibly well. We bragged a little to Apple, they ran our story, and the response from the public was unbelievable. We had considered developing a distribution early last year, but did not take it seriously until we realized how great the demand was. The best hardware with the best software that directly competes with NT is a no-brainer, but the same product offered with a beautiful case, binder, friendly install manual, and solid customer support was missing. So we gradually shifted away from web [developer] and into YDL...this is what I went to school for...loads of fun :) LaM: Do you have any other interests aside from programming and computers? Kai Staats: I have a serious travel bug and have ventured to Germany, Poland, Israel, Egypt, Turkey, and Thailand and have backpacked in most every state in the Western United States. Janet has travelled to 14 countries. I soloed in Alaska for 2 weeks a few years back and snow camp here in Colorado when I get a chance...Janet and I hope to spend some time in the Arctic wilderness this summer. We also enjoy remodeling old homes...bought a 1912 Victorian in old town Loveland last year and have enjoyed gutting and then rebuilding it...went for 4 months without running water in the kitchen--I guess remodelling has its downsides too.
Yellow Dog Linux: what's different?LaM: What makes YDL different from or better than other Linuxen on the market, especially Red Hat, LinuxPPC, and MkLinux? Kai Staats: You can't beat the speed and reliability of the Apple G3 RISC-based hardware when combined with the speed, stability, and security of Linux. MkLinux does not appear to have the forward momentum of the LinuxPPC effort. Also, LinuxPPC is reported to run a good deal faster (some say 20% or more). [W]e believe we are able to provide a highly professional distribution that is unparalled in the existing market. LaM: What makes YDL different from or better than other non-Linux OSes, like the MacOS, Windows NT, Solaris? Kai Staats: No blue screen of death. It's free. Speed. Our servers have run for over 9 months without a moment of unintentional down-time. Security. Accessibility. Recent support by most large computer manufacturers and software developers. Open source creativity and (r)evolution. Anything to butt heads with Big Bad Bill. [Ed. note: Gee, I wonder which Bill he means?]
Who'll use YDL?LaM: What is YDL's target audience? Who would be its typical customer? Kai Staats: Our first distribution is called the "Champion Server" and is geared toward high-end, hard-core Linux users such as ISPs and network Admins. A good deal of ISPs are already using Linux but on Intel hardware...we offer them a very real solution--switch to Apple RISC and keep the operating system they already know and love. LaM: What is the long-term strategy for YDL, in the sense of where do you see it going? Kai Staats: We see a great deal of potential in terms of market fulfillment and partnerships with industry leaders in software development, hardware manufacturing, and support. We will be interested in moving into new arenas and working hard to offer an Apple/Linux combination that satisfies as many customers as possible. At the same time, we are very eager to contribute back to the development community and fully support the Open Source system that has made Linux possible. LaM: How do you think YDL could best be used? What's it intended for (server, workstation, graphics, 3D)? Kai Staats: The Champion Server distribution is best used in an ISP or development environement, as previously stated while the Gone Home distribution will be more appropriate for home users who require a graphical interface, desktop utilities, and games. LaM: How similar is YDL in its base technologies to other Linuxen? Can it work together with them? What about other UNIXen? Kai Staats: Linux is essentially Linux...it requires some basic porting to move apps from one hardware platform to another, but that is one of the elegant traits of an Open Source OS--portability. LaM: Will YDL be offering any sort of games or bundles with the Gone Home or Champion versions, like ApplixWare or WordPerfect? Kai Staats: We are working hard to build relationships with software providers and are eager to bundle their products. These relationships are in the works, and will be announced on our website. We will also be bringing a developer in-house to work on the porting of games.
Hardware and software supportLaM: Is YDL designed to work [on Macs and PCs]? Kai Staats: We will only support Apple hardware. LaM: How about working with Macs and PCs? Kai Staats: Certainly, "Samba" and "netatalk" provide communication between the YDL box and PCs/Macs running their native OS. Also, for the home user, a dual-boot environment is simple to setup. Infact, I have seen a co-worker maintain on his Mac the ability to boot into the BeOS or Linux and then also operate a DOS and Commodore 64 emulator on his MacOS partition. LaM: Is YDL easier to use than other Linuxen? Kai Staats: We believe our Install Manual is one of a kind and are eager to gain feedback from our first customers.
Comparing YDL to other OSesLaM: What would you say is more imporant for YDL: ease of use, or power and stability?
Kai Staats: In the early days of Linux, power and stability were prime, but you had to know a good deal about Linux to get around. Now the power and stability are even better and you will find more people working with Linux who swore they couldn't handle a command line interface...and the many desktops for Linux have offered a whole new realm of friendly interaction and subsequently helped Linux move to new heights of "ease of use". LaM: Will YDL reach the ease-of-use level of, say, the MacOS or Windows? Or will it be essentially something for technicians? Kai Staats: Already has...if I recall correctly, Linux is one of the number one installed OSs world-wide. LaM: How about improving the ease of use and intuitiveness of the graphic interface? Kai Staats: We are shipping with KDE and GNOME, offering familiar desktop environments that are continuing to mature. LaM: What about streamlining the install process a la LinuxPPC Live? Kai Staats: We will not be producing a "read-only" distribution (LinuxPPC Live) ... we are working to make the install process as easy and user friendly as possible. LaM: Are there or will there be general benchmarks available for comparing YDL to other OSes? Kai Staats: The benchmark tools are just now being ported. LaM: How does YDL compare in performance to Windows NT in file and print server tasks? Kai Staats: Here is a link that demonstrated Linux' superiority over NT...
YDL and the MacLaM: Is there any truth to Apple's claims about the superiority of the G3 chip in comparison to the Pentia? What about the Pentium III? Kai Staats: Oh yeah...a whole lotta truth :) LaM: Will YDL support NuBus and hybrid PowerPC computers, like the PowerMac 6100 and Performa 6200? Or will it be PCI- or G3-only? Kai Staats: YDL runs well on most Macs newer than the NuBus/PowerPCs and we provide Install Support for the G3s and up...a good list is available at http://www.terrasoftsolutions.com/support/faq_hardware.html LaM: How will YDL's performance compare to those same systems using typical graphics and 3D applications, like POVray? Kai Staats: The Mac hardware is a natural with complex graphical rendering...while Linux apps that take advantage of the Mac hardware are up and coming, the potential is very much there.
Developing YDLLaM: Will YDL have its own GUI and installation systems, like Red Hat does, or will it rely on Red Hat's software, as MkLinux and LinuxPPC partially do? Kai Staats: While our installer is Red Hat-based, there are modifications that have been made by an individual in the [developer] community in conjunction with Dan, our YDL developer. In the future, we look forward to lending our creative efforts to more original endeavors. LaM: How much independent development of YDL will there be, i.e. will it be in the future essentially a modified LinuxPPC, or will it eventually take on more and more of its own character? How so?
Kai Staats: We are eager to perform as much development as will be feasible over the next year in order to increase the performance of the YDL product and to offer our work back to the [developer] community. LaM: So YDL will be different from LinuxPPC mainly in terms of support and packaging, or will it have more basic differences from it? Or are they going to end up being the same thing? Kai Staats: In addition to the Install Manual and Support, the Champion Server includes many software packages which would be used specifically in a server environment, such as MRTG, TSS Web Manager, netatalk, HT://DIG, and the default installation is more secure than that of Red Hat or LinuxPPC, Inc.
And one last thing...LaM: How will YDL be made available for sales and distribution, especially in Germany and Europe? Kai Staats: We are working closely with Federal Express to offer the highest quality deliver possible. We have developed a database-driven, web-interfaced, close to fully-automated ordering/shipping/support system that will enable us to readily provide YDL to over 200 countries world-wide. LaM: Thanks for doing this interview! Kai Staats: Thanks...my pleasure.
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Graphic design, Web design and original content copyright © John L Grantham. All rights reserved where applicable. Built to last with BBEdit 5.0 and Photoshop 5.0 on a PowerMacintosh G3. |
Who makes Yellow Dog Linux? You may be familiar with the Web site from Apple entitled 
