Rich Shepard wrote: > On Mon, 8 Dec 2014, Richard Owlett wrote: > >> My original goal was simply purge Windows and run Linux. > > Richard, > > That's certainly a laudible goal. > >> Things influencing my outlook >> I predate CPM-80 > > I started with with either Honeywell or Burroughs main frames in 1962.
I started on a CDC machine in Sept. 1961 using Cornell's precursor of Dartmouth's BASIC. At least we beat them in hockey. > >> Reading about "Linux from Scratch" and Slackware > > Slackware might be just what you want, but see below. I need standard precompiled packages for use cases 2 and 3 above. > > You've been wrestling with this for a while and I think you're in a rut; > perhaps because you're still thinking of a PC-1 with 64K RAM and a 5-1/4" > floppy drive. No. I just think my Ghz dual core 32 bit with 3 GB RAM and TB disk should be able to do everything my Z80-A, 16 k, dual 8" floppy system S100 system could do. > >> 1. bring back *PERSONAL* to personal computing. >> Primary implication - shall not be capable of being a >> network server. >> Secondary implication - only one person will ever be the >> operator. > > Linux (and all unices) is inherently multi-user and multi-tasking. You > cannot get rid of that, but you don't need to have other users or run > client-server applications (other than your Web browser, of course), or even > to multitask. My preferred method don't install rather than don't run. If you had a car capable of a top speed of 150 mph, you could > still drive through a school zone at 15-20 mph, or on a county highway at 55 > mph, even without passengers in the vehicle. Just because the OS is network > and multi-user capable does not mean you _must_ run a network or ask all > your neighbors over to use your system. Install whatever distribution you > want and use it all by yourself as a stand-alone system. > >> 3. minimal number of modules, secondarily minimize size of footprint > > I've not run debian or any of its offspring and don't recall Red Hat since > I left that in 1993. But, I do know that with Slackware -- and I assume all > other distributions -- you install only what you want. The portion of my results that may be useful to the community in general will be met-packages for better control of what gets installed. There once was Debian work being done aimed at embedded systems that was going in that direction. That project has been terminated as small systems are now so big and fast that efficiency and careful design for purpose not relevant ;< Yes, you can do a > complete installation (disk space is cheap nowadays) but you can select just > which applications you want and not install the others. Given this, the GNU > utility/base packages are required. But, you can select to not install > end-user applications such as games, database systems, sound generating > apps, programming languages, etc. You'll have lots of fun going through the > choices and installing only those you want. And, even if you do a complete > installation, no one will force you to use every application you installed. I think we pretty much agree on underlying facts. We differ on what its worthwhile to pursue. > >> 2. understand Linux internals > > Perhaps you'll be better served by understanding the linux overview and > explore the tools available, rather than how the kernel or the utilities are > written. Maybe this is what you mean. Probably. > When I was learning linux a friend > explained that linux is quite easy: each tool does only one thing, and does > it well. The catch, he told me, is that there are thousands of such tools. > :-), When you have a task you wish to accomplish, learn how to do that task, > then move on to the next one. > > HTH, > > Rich Thanks _______________________________________________ PLUG mailing list PLUG@lists.pdxlinux.org http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
