[lug] Installing Linux on PowerPC G3

[Zichary O`Tea]

The God of Hand Me Down Computers has given me a PowerPC G3 (Beige,
Deskop).  Its currently running OS 9.1, but I would much rather have it
run Linux. 

However, I'm having some problems getting the installation to work.... or,
even, start. :) 

As I understand it, all "OldWorld" Macs need to retain some porition of
Mac OS 7.5-X, regardless of what else is being ran.  Also, if you're only 
using one drive on the machine (like I am), you need to re-partition the
drive, which requires booting off of something other than the harddisk
that you want to partition with MAC OS installation media.  I don't have a
copy of any Mac instalation media on CD.  I did, however, find the System
7.5.3 floppy images on apple.com. 

http://download.info.apple.com/Apple_Support_Area/Apple_Software_Updates/English-North_American/Macintosh/System/Older_System/System_7.5_Version_7.5.3/

Ostensibly, I could write all of these images to disk, and re-partition
the drive during the system 7.5.3 installation.  However, I can't seem to
get the Disk Copy utility to write any of the images to disk on the
PowerPC (after uncompressing them) and I can't find a utility for windows
that will write the image to a floppy either (there different kinds of
images than the kind you can use with rawrite).  Do any mac people know
how I could do this? 

Preferably, however, it would be nice if there was a System 7.5.3 bootable
iso image pre-made out there somewhere.  Googling for help with this
problem, I saw that a few people had made something like that with Toast.
But, I don't have Toast, or a Mac CD writer. :)  Do any mac people know of
something like this available online somwhere? 

Before you answer that last question, I also must be missing something
about mac keyboard.  I downloaded the yellow dog 3.0.1 isos and was
attempting to boot with CD 1/3 (which should be bootable).  Holding down
C, or pressing Command-Option-Shift-Delete at start up won't make it boot
from the CD -- even though it can read it just fine after start up, and
will even let me select it as a "Start Up Disk" to restart from.  Even
then, however, it still won't boot from the CD. 


And, once I get this taken care of, What Linux distribution would you
recommend fora PowerPC?  I was leaning towards yellow dog over other
distros that are more focused on x86.