My main objective is to set up a database server on Linux (MySQL or
PostgreSQL) that I can connect to from my other computers via an Ethernet
hub.

To that end I've tried 3 different older machines (both Intel and Apple
hardware), 2 different newer machines, and 3 different distros of Linux...

Currently, I'm trying LinxuPPC 2000 Q4 on a Beige "Gossamer" G3 desktop.
233 MHz
128 RAM
4.3 Gig HD -1.5GB HFS w/OS9.0.4 - 256MB Swap - rest as /
Apple Color Sync 17" monitor

The machine also has an ATI Rage Orion 16MB video card and a Belkin USB
2-port card in it.  Both are PCI.

Following the instructions I could find, I formatted the HD into 2
partitions.  One 1.5GB HFS and the rest unallocated.  Then I installed the
MacOS onto the HFS partition, copied the Linux Kernels folder into the
system folder, the kernel image into the System folder, BootX into the
Control Panels, BootX Preferences into the Preferences folder.

With the LinuxPPC CD still in, I reboot.  Using BootX, I booted into Linux
and got to the point where the graphical installer started up and gave a
little dialog box saying it was getting ready to go (with the light blue and
grey color scheme) and it crashed (frozen screen).  I rebooted and checked
the no video box on the BootX screen.

This time I got through the whole installer, partitioning the unallocated
space as Swap and "/", formatting and mounting those partitions, selecting
the packages that I wanted and installing.  Confused by the three selection
boxes at the bottom of the select packages window, I changed the ignore
dependancies box because I wanted the installer to install dependent
packages to the ones I selected if I missed one (Like the RedHat installer
does).  The installer started and after about the 15th "couldn't install
"package ..." I stopped the thing.

I went through it all again, reformatting the "/" partition and did it again
with the ignore dependancies box in the other position.  This time it only
gave me about 3 or 4 errors of packages it couldn't install.  One for
instance was Apache, which I did not choose in the select packages window...

So, everything seems to be going okay at this point.  All of the install
screens are in nice bright 1024x768 resolution on the Apple ColorSync 17"
monitor running off the ATI Rage Orion card.  The USB card is being
recognized as Linux boots up (as best as I can tell from the text flying by
- no errors there).

I reboot and change BootX so it doesn't use the install image but rather the
boot kernel and still have the no video checked.

Linux starts up, goes through all the text messages, and right at the end
where it should stop with my Bash$ prompt, I get "INIT: Id "x" responding
too fast: disabled for 5 min" and no following prompt.

I hit the return key and get to the login prompt.  Log in as root, change to
the X11R6 directory, and enter XConfigurator.

The configurator starts up, and tells me that I have a ATI Rage 128 card
with 16MB memory.  Great!  Then it asks what kind of monitor I have.  I
select the Apple ColorSync 17" from the list.  It asks what resolutions I'd
like.  I choose 1024x768 in 16bit color.  It says it's going to give it a
shot.  I get some flickering and then the message that there's something
wrong with my configuration settings and I can go back and fix it.  I tried
a custom monitor setting and that didn't even flicker... just the
something's wrong message go back and fix.  Then I tried 832x624 or whatever
the next lowest resolution is and it seemed to work...  I was never asked
about my mouse...

But when I Bash$ start x I didn't get thrown into KDE or GNOME but rather
another window manager that looked a lot like Win95 (complete with "start"
button) with the "control panel" window open on the left hand side.  I could
switch to AfterStep, but none of the other 3 window managers listed in the
switch to list (KDE and GNOME were not listed).

I looked through the Xconfig readme's for the config file, the ATI read me
and the Mach64 readme.  I was fairly confused by the end - particularly as
to whether the Rage Orion 16MB PCI card is even supported.  I was thinking
"no" by the end of all the reading, but they why did XConfigurator find it
and tell me exactly what my video card is?

I'm sorry this is so long.  Thanks for reading if you've gotten this far!
I've been through the install with RedHat, YDL, and now LinuxPPC a few times
on a number of different machines.  All with varying points of success, but
none of which get to the end goal of setting up and running a database
server that can be connected to through ODBC or JDBC from a 2nd computer.

This last attempt with the old G3 is the best use of my available hardware
and it just "should" work.  Shouldn't it?  I don't care about 3D
acceleration or anything like that.  I just want to be able to run at
1024x768 with more than 256 colors in KDE or GNOME.

Please, any pointers?

Thanks!  Michael