I just installed Xubuntu 8.10 Intrepid on my iBook G3 600 MHz. Xubuntu 8.10 is not allowing me to open Firefox & many other applications' windows. I get the spinning gray navigator-icon whenever I click on application-icons in Xubuntu. (Note: Only 2 sets of things open up after I click on them:
1. Xubuntu's "Quit window" (the icon, which represents that option-window has a Door with the red arrow-icon on the far-right side of the Xubuntu panel).
2. Anything listed in the context-menu of the "Panel" (The context-menu appears after I right-click on the Xubuntu panel).

Earlier, I noticed that whenever Xubuntu 8.10 starts up, 3 small black squares appear in the Xubuntu panel/taskbar. To be specific, they're horizontally lined up with each other with an inch (or more) of space between each of them.

(This is not just happening to my screen. Others have noticed this glitch as well: If you read through this IRC-chat session [Link]: there, you'll discover someone else alerted others about the "black squares" he or she noticed on the taskbar).

2 or more minutes went by before the red triangle-icon appeared (it only appears whenever software-updates are available for Xubuntu). I attempted to install the software-updates on my machine, but it wouldn't work, so I quit and I restarted my computer.

(Apparently, after restarting Xubuntu: the black squares have vanished from the taskbar, but many of the windows are still not opening after I click on them. However, none of the windows (besides the 2 sets I already mentioned) will not open after I click on the icons in the panel. Also, the red triangle with the exclamation point in the middle of it is still showing up in the panel, and it still won't allow me to update any of the software listed in the "update manager".

Please help me to solve these problems. Would any of you please tell me if I should downgrade to Xubuntu 8.04?

Here are the specs of my iBook G3:

CPU: 600 MHz PPC 750fx
Bus: 100 MHz
Performance: Geekbench 2 (Tiger): 304
ROM: 4 MB, NewWorld ROM in RAM architecture
RAM: 128 MB of SDRAM soldered in place, expandable to 640 MB using one 1.25" 3.3V PC100 compliant SO-DIMM
Level 2 cache: 256 KB on-chip cache
Video: ATI Rage Mobility 128 with 2x AGP
VRAM: 8 MB
Display: 12.1" 24-bit SVGA (1024 x 768> color active matrix, resolution scaling for 640 x 480 and 800 x 600 modes
Video out: VGA and composite video
Hard drive: 20 GB UltraATA-66
Media drive: choice of CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, or CD-RW/DVD-ROM
Floppy drive: external USB only
Expansions bays: none
USB: 2 USB 1.1 ports
FireWire: 1 FW400 port
Ethernet: 10/100Base-T
Modem: v.90 56k
WiFi: 802.11b AirPort optional
Microphone: built in
PC Card slots: none
Battery: rated at 5 hours
Size: 11.2 x 9.1 x 1.35" (28.5 x 23.0 x 3.4 cm)
Weight: 4.9 pounds (2.2 kg) with battery


Source:
http://lowendmac.com/pb2/12in-ibook-g3-600-mhz.html

@ NewsAndHistory. Hey. Did you find a solution to this issue? I've installed Xubuntu on a 500 MHz g3 imac with 256 MB ram and am having the exact same issues.

No. My mac was corrupted by Xubuntu (including other Debian-based distros). I would have to be an computer-expert to understand (and enjoy) how Linux works (especially on a PowerPC). I recommend you go to Debian-forums to learn exactly how to make Linux work on old Macs.

http://forums.debian.net

Hey,
In case you haven't already been there, here is another site that has info on linux on ppcs. http://ppclinux.info/wiki/maclin. There is a major bug in Ibex such that Thunar won't work on the ppc distro. The guy who started ppclinux.info recompiled all of the packages and has a link to those on his site as well as the two commands to execute (from the command line) to get it running. He also had a long thread that documents the process he, and others, went through identifying the bug. (In case you haven't already seen that it is at http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=977120)

You said that Xubuntu killed your machine? What exactly happened, did you see? I did get Thunar working using his recompiled packages but now I'm going to use my imac g3 to find bugs in the Jaunty distro. Try to learn something about development... .

Let me know how it goes.

Thanks for telling me about PPCLinux.info. I've joined that website to get PPC-help for ArchLinux & Debian-based Linux distros. I like what I've found there. When using Xubuntu or another Debian-based distro, I lost control of the CD-drive. So I found it hard to eject the install CD I used to install Linux on PPC.