[REBOL] View on a minimal Linux distro
From: atruter::labyrinth::net::au at: 16-Feb-2003 18:50
Thought I'd post this to the list as I received a few off-list queries on
it . . .
Inspired by a recent Knoppix article on OSNews I set out to find the
smallest Linux distro that will support REBOL/View. I got this down to a 3
disk set (Linux, X11, REBOL) by doing the following (on Win2000):
Prepare disks
1. Download and unzip 2dskX from
http://www.thepub.nildram.co.uk/mirrors/2diskxwin/2dskx-1.0.tgz
2. rawrite2 -f 2dskxwin.img -d A (1st disk)
3. copy x11.bz2 to A: (2nd disk)
4. Download and unzip REBOL/View from
http://www.reboltech.com/downloads/view1208042.tar.gz
5. copy rebol (and scripts) to A: (3rd disk)
Reboot system
1. Ensure disk-1 is in FDD and BIOS Boot options have been set to boot from
floppy
2. Ensure both mouse and keyboard are PS/2 (I used PS/2 to USB adaptors to
get mine working)
3. Insert disk-2 when prompted
4. Enter "root" at the login prompt
Install rebol
1. Insert disk-3
2. Type "mount /dev/fd0 /mnt"
3. Type "cp /mnt/rebol ."
Start X
1. Type "xwin" then "2" for PS/2 mouse and enter your graphics mode (mine
was "0x0118" for a 1024x768 True-color display)
2. Double-click the XTerm icon
3. Type "./rebol" and it should install if all has gone well!
While this is pretty minimal, it could be made even smaller/simpler by:
1. Removing all files not required for booting/X11 (a one disk 1.7mb
version of the above already exists at these guys home site,
http://www.angelfire.com/linux/floorzat/11dsk.tgz)
2. Recompiling the kernel with minimal services
3. Using SYSLINUX to create a minimal boot environment and allow booting
from other devices such as CD-ROM and USB Flash drives
4. Pre-determining which drivers (eg. video, FDD, CD/ROM) to include
5. Scripting the login, X11, XTerm and REBOL/View steps
6. Getting latest source for main components (especially the Tiny-X Kdrive
code) and recompiling.
While I'm looking at this from an embedded perspective, it would also make
a nice "one-boot" REBOL/Linux environment for those needing to demo/test on
an X86-based PC where it was not desirable or possible to install software.
Given its been five years since I seriously looked at Linux, anyone have a
handy "five steps to building your own minimal distro" type guide floating
around? ;)
Regards,
Ashley
