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The exact release date of the Debian GNU/Linux 9 "Stretch" distribution has not yet been announced, but we're now fully aware of the supported hardware architectures, which include 64-bit (amd64), 32-bit (i386), AArch64 (ARM64), MIPS, MIPS 64-bit Little Endian (mips64el), Armel, ARMhf, IMB System z (s390x), MIPS Little Endian (MIPSel), and PowerPC 64-bit Little Endian (ppc64el).
[...] The Debian Project [has] decided that it's time to deprecate the support for the PowerPC (PPC) hardware architecture from the Debian GNU/Linux operating system, starting with the upcoming Debian GNU/Linux 9 "Stretch" release. Also in question is if the PPC (PowerPC) port will remain an architecture in the main FTP archive of the GNU/Linux distribution.
That being said, if you're currently using Debian on a PowerPC computer, you should be aware of the fact that you won't be able to upgrade to Debian GNU/Linux 9 "Stretch" when it's officially released. However, that should not be an issue because the Debian GNU/Linux 8 "Jessie" release should receive support for at least a couple of years.
Will this affect any Soylentils?
Are there Soylentils running a PowerPC who have already abandoned Debian because of other issues?
(Score: 2) by meustrus on Friday November 11 2016, @07:56PM
PowerPC [wikipedia.org] was used more recently than 2006 in all prev-gen game consoles, including XBox 360, PS3, and Wii, as well as the later Wii U. So, not quite long-abandoned, but abandoned nonetheless.
If there isn't at least one reference or primary source, it's not +1 Informative. Maybe the underused +1 Interesting?
(Score: 2) by Marand on Saturday November 12 2016, @01:25AM
You're right, but of those the only one that isn't from 2006 is the Wii U and they're also not the usual sort of targets for installing Debian, so the gist of my comment is still accurate enough.
Especially since I don't believe any of them use bog-standard PPC processors, though the Wii/Wii U are probably closer than the other two. As far as I can tell, even the Wii needs a custom kernel and other work, and a quick search seems to indicate the Linux releases for the Wii are all based on 2009-era distros (Debian 5.0, Gentoo). Not sure about XB360 and PS3 support, though a quick search didn't seem to indicate the situation was much better.
This most likely only affects Apple PPC users, and like I said, that's a hardware path that's been long-abandoned so it's not surprising to see support dying off. Plus, in its defense, Debian supported it longer than Apple did. ;)