Linux on the Mac — state of the union

This whole situation sounds like all the Compaq computers from the 90s/early-00s I've seen — a thin veneer of “look, I'm a Windows-compatible PC!” over a twisted wreckage of non-standard form factors and firmware. Partially on-disk firmware too, so if that ever had an accident you were left with a large paperweight.

IIRC, Compaq lost the war against ATX.