Quick and functional OS

Num3 · Post by **Num3** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 4:59 pm

Try FREEDOS

dracflamloc · Post by **dracflamloc** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 5:12 pm

Am I mistaken or does that not have a GUI

Num3 · Post by **Num3** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 5:59 pm

dracflamloc wrote:Am I mistaken or does that not have a GUI

Yes it does...

http://sealsystem.sourceforge.net/about.php

BasicGuy · Post by **BasicGuy** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 6:48 pm

I'm currently following this OS: http://www.minix3.org/ They recently added the Equinox Desktop system and MINIX supports a number of useful programming tools http://www.minix3.org/software/ already. (I'd love to see PureBasic ported over.)

Short intro: http://osnews.com/story.php/15960/Intro ... to-MINIX-3

LINUX is getting too big and there's no way I'm going to Vista (I'll buy a MAC first!)

MINIX is worth checking out IMO.

WishMaster · Post by **WishMaster** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 7:13 pm

> LINUX is getting too big
That's nonsense.

dracflamloc · Post by **dracflamloc** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 7:22 pm

Its not that linux is getting too big, its just that many common distros tend to enable way too much crap out of the box. You can fit a pretty functional linux distro on a 1.44mb floppy.

WishMaster · Post by **WishMaster** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 7:34 pm

That really depends on what you call "functional".
I personally prefer having a graphical KDE environment this doesn't fit on a floppy.

(and it has nothing to do with the Linux kernel)

BasicGuy · Post by **BasicGuy** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 7:38 pm

> LINUX is getting too big
That's nonsense.

Ok, well, I see it from the perspective of the 0.99 kernal days when I first started using it...

...its just that many common distros tend to enable way too much crap out of the box.

Is probably the better answer...

However, IF you want to compare the amount of source code for the kernel (using the gzipped tar for convenience):

linux-2.6.19.tar.gz = 52509kb vs linux-1.0.tar.gz = 1230kb

I'd say the LINUX kernel (specifically) has gotten a bit larger over the years... and yes, you can control the size of the kernel image by configuring it before compilation, but then you've got a severely limited amount of functionality. Much like the earlier versions...

BTW, I still use the Debian distro which I consider to be about the "purest" (next to Slackware, maybe) LINUX distro around and it occupies 8 CDs or 2 DVD formatted disks...

PB · Post by PB » Tue Jan 23, 2007 9:27 pm

> You can fit a pretty functional linux distro on a 1.44mb floppy

I don't know enough about Linux to know if you're joking or not... are you?

dracflamloc · Post by **dracflamloc** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 9:35 pm

http://www.linuxlinks.com/Distributions/Floppy/

http://modest-proposals.com/Hacklin.htm

BasicGuy · Post by **BasicGuy** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 10:35 pm

I don't know enough about Linux to know if you're joking or not... are you?

Actually, if you want a fairly "slim" LINUX install, you can take one of the leaner distros, like Debian, and pare it down to the bare essentials. It takes time and some experience, but quite a bit of the OS can be removed and discarded. Once it's done, the image can be written to CD and made bootable.

SuSE used to allow a user to install only the features they needed for a particular use, server, development, desktop, etc from the install menu. But even then, there was still a lot of extra stuff laying around.

WishMaster · Post by **WishMaster** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 10:45 pm

> SuSE used to allow a user to install only the features they needed for a particular use, server, development, desktop, etc from the install menu. But even then, there was still a lot of extra stuff laying around.
I really must disagree. OpenSUSE allows you to choose every single package when you install it.

Trond · Post by **Trond** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 10:46 pm

PB wrote:> You can fit a pretty functional linux distro on a 1.44mb floppy

I don't know enough about Linux to know if you're joking or not... are you?

He's joking, but he doesn't know it. The X server with all drivers takes about 100 floppies. Without it no graphics, or with a smaller X server with only VESA driver, you get graphics, but you still can't fit it on one floppy.

BasicGuy · Post by **BasicGuy** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 10:54 pm

OpenSUSE allows you to choose every single package when you install it.

I would assume you can choose packages "after" the core install is done. My point being that there are still unessential files installed even with the core.

I have not used "openSUSE" since Novell bought SuSE out. That's when I moved permanently to Debian, so my information regarding the "older" installation packages is somewhat dated.

WishMaster · Post by **WishMaster** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 10:59 pm

During the installation you can choose the packages to install, of course....