BootX (Linux)

{{Short description|Linux bootloader for Macintosh computers}}

{{About-distinguish-text|a bootloader used to boot Linux on PowerPC Macs| BootX (Apple), a similarly-named Mac OS X bootloader}}

{{Notability|date=May 2024}}

BootX is a graphical bootloader developed by Benjamin Herrenschmidt, which runs as an application or an extension to Mac OS 8 and 9 that allows Old World Apple computers to dualboot Linux.{{Cite web |last=Dalheimer |first=Matthias |date=1999-08-11 |title=Preparing to Boot LinuxPPC - Running Linux, Third Edition |url=https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/running-linux-third/156592469X/apds03.html |access-date=2024-05-13 |website=www.oreilly.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Stotler |first=Larry |date=2006-09-05 |title=Installing Linux on a PCI Power Mac, Part 1 |url=https://lowendmac.com/stotler/06/0905.html |access-date=2024-05-13 |website=lowendmac.com}} It uses code derived from quik, a replacement boot loader for PCI-based Old World Apple computers using Open Firmware.

BootX requires a Linux kernel and compressed ramdisk image to be available in the Mac's system folder.{{Cite book |last1=Carling |first1=M. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tK4oIcnngiUC&dq=%22BootX%22+Linux+-wikipedia&pg=PA92 |title=Linux System Administration |last2=Degler |first2=Stephen |last3=Dennis |first3=James |date=2000 |publisher=Sams Publishing |isbn=978-1-56205-934-7 |language=en}} It will then automatically choose which partition becomes the root partition.{{Cite book |last1=Welsh |first1=Matt |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=er1QAAAAMAAJ&q=%22BootX%22+Linux+-wikipedia |title=Running Linux |last2=Dalheimer |first2=Matthias Kalle |last3=Kaufman |first3=Lar |date=1999 |publisher=O'Reilly |isbn=978-1-56592-469-7 |language=en}}