PowerPC Reference Platform (PReP) was a standard system architecture for PowerPC based computer systems (as well as a reference implementation) developed at the same time as the PowerPC processor architecture. Published by IBM in 1994, it allowed hardware vendors to build a machine that could run various operating systems, including Windows NT, OS/2, Solaris, Taligent and AIX. ![[WWW]](/moinhtdocs/modern/img/moin-www.png){kind=small}
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PReP systems were never popular. Finding current, readily available operating systems for old PReP hardware can be difficult. Debian and NetBSD still maintain their respective ports to this architecture, although developer and user activity is extremely low.
Power.org has a new Power Architecture Platform Reference (PAPR) that provides the foundation for development of Power Architecture computers based on the Linux operating system. The PAPR spec was in the fourth quarter of 2006.