Developer Employs NetBSD on iBook G4 for Game Development
In the world of technology, it's not uncommon for vintage hardware to end up gathering dust, but not for Chris and his early-2004 iBook G4 laptop affectionately named "Brick". Instead, this laptop has been repurposed as a game development powerhouse, thanks to the use of NetBSD.
Contrary to the year of the BSD Desktop, NetBSD is proving its worth on Chris's laptop, outperforming Linux in terms of speed and compatibility. NetBSD runs considerably faster on the iBook G4, achieving 60 FPS in pygame compared to 25 FPS under Linux. This significant boost in performance is attributed to NetBSD's superior support for PPC hardware, a focus that makes it more stable and reliable for this vintage equipment.
The fading PPC support in Linux, a result of the passage of two decades since the last PPC Macintosh, is a stark contrast to NetBSD's institutional commitment to a wide range of hardware architectures. Community-driven ports like the Debian Sid PPC32 can face reliability issues and driver problems, often described as "Death by a thousand cuts".
NetBSD's repositories also offer essential game development tools such as pygame, making it an ideal choice for low-power 2D game development on this machine. The operating system's portability and minimalism allow the iBook G4 to run modern workflows without the AI overhead or extensive resource consumption that might slow down other operating systems.
Chris is currently developing a 2D puzzle game called Slantics using NetBSD and pygame on his iBook G4. For those with old PPC hardware, NetBSD, without any AI code, could be an attractive option, offering better performance, reliability, and hardware compatibility compared to Linux.
MorphOS, another operating system that still targets PPC, is an alternative for those seeking a different experience. However, for Chris, the choice is clear - NetBSD works perfectly on his vintage hardware, providing a modern workflow that keeps the iBook G4 from becoming hoarded. It's great to see old hardware still being used for real work with NetBSD.
The NetBSD operating system, contrary to Linux, demonstrates superior performance on Chris's vintage iBook G4, achieving 60 FPS in pygame compared to 25 FPS under Linux, due to its better PPC hardware support. This choice of NetBSD provides a modern workflow for Chris's 2D puzzle game development, Slantics, on the iBook G4, offering better reliability, hardware compatibility, and performance compared to Linux, making it an attractive option for those with old PPC hardware.
