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linux help

 [1/18] from: norsepower:uswest at: 13-Sep-2000 23:56


I installed Monkey Linux, a MiniLinux on my 486 laptop. The only user is root. I created a .profile in ~ which has set REBOL_HOME=/rebol as the environment variable. I have a directory /rebol containing the rebol binary. The rebol binary is chmod +x REBOL won't run. What am I missing? I have tried both libc5 and libc6 binaries. I'm new to linux. Did I screw up something basic? I just want to be able to run REBOL and vi on this old laptop so that I have portable REBOL. Thanks. -Ryan

 [2/18] from: jhagman:infa:abo:fi at: 14-Sep-2000 14:19


Quoting [norsepower--uswest--net] ([norsepower--uswest--net]):
> I installed Monkey Linux, a MiniLinux on my 486 laptop. > > The only user is root.
If possible make another usename for normal use.
> I created a .profile in ~ which has set REBOL_HOME=/rebol as the environment > variable.
OK.
> The rebol binary is chmod +x
As it should.
> REBOL won't run. What am I missing? I have tried both libc5 and libc6 > binaries.
It won't run... In which directory are you at the moment? What is the error? I will be able to help more with more information provided. I am shooting in the dark, but is rebol binary included in your path? Try $ /rebol/rebol This should then run Rebol. Yours, Jussi -- Jussi Hagman CS in Åbo Akademi University Studentbyn 4 D 33 [juhagman--abo--fi] 20540 Åbo [jhagman--infa--abo--fi] Finland

 [3/18] from: bobr:dprc at: 14-Sep-2000 12:38


In general, if your laptop has something over 200mB of space you probably wont need to run a restricted version of linux on it. I had a plain linux install running just fine on a 386. I used this as a firewall/gateway for 2 years. [ nano-eons in tech-years ;] I did not install Xwindows; I did not install "development" software. I did have multiple users/loginids. On my previous laptop [486] I had a 3gig HD. all of that was taken by various winapps. Rather than waste hours of valuable time paring it down, I got it a 4gig HD and moved over the earlier stuff as-is. I then used the remaining disk space for linux. I installed redhat on it just fine in under 1gig [even with xwindows]. Rebol went fine on that and I used the whole thing as a web server (reb server?) to teach a course in reno. I also have no difficulty running programs I trust as root or not. However, I do maintain backups or use CVS and save all development work on a remote redundant machine. If you cannot afford a slightly larger HD (the cost difference to me was only $40) and you have more time then you can try installing rebol and linux on a pair of floppies. Most linux installations allow you to create a rescue diskette that can run stand alone. There is often about 300Kb of space left on it. Just enough for the rebol executable and some other stuff. The rescue disk runs the same real OS just stripped of all the ancillary fluff. [how I know this is possible is because it was part of my job back in the bad ole days. I was running UNIX from 128Kb floppies back when sharp came out with its first laptop in 1984!] I am suspect of this "monkey" linux. Do you have other programs created on redhat that work fine on monkey? Making your own rescue disk from redhat or similar and putting rebol on it should prove to you that the problem isn't space or environment. It will also quickly introduce you to many core linux concepts. It will be a lot tougher for you to say "I'm new to Linux." At 11:56 PM 9/13/00 -0500, you wrote:
>I installed Monkey Linux, a MiniLinux on my 486 laptop. >The only user is root.
<<quoted lines omitted: 8>>
>Thanks. >-Ryan
;# mailto: [bobr--dprc--net]

 [4/18] from: rchristiansen:pop:isdfa:sei-it at: 14-Sep-2000 12:03


I would LOVE to be able to install a "plain" Linux on my Dell Latitude 433MC 486/33 laptop, but I only have a floppy drive. I've looked for linux distributions which I can install from floppy, but it seems I can only find CD-ROMs. More than Linux, I'd like to put a BSD on the laptop, but again I can only find CD-ROMs.

 [5/18] from: holger:rebol at: 14-Sep-2000 10:20


On Thu, Sep 14, 2000 at 12:03:17PM -0500, [RChristiansen--pop--isdfa--sei-it--com] wrote:
> I would LOVE to be able to install a "plain" Linux on my > Dell Latitude 433MC 486/33 laptop, but I only have a > floppy drive. I've looked for linux distributions which I can > install from floppy, but it seems I can only find CD-ROMs. > > More than Linux, I'd like to put a BSD on the laptop, but > again I can only find CD-ROMs.
If you have a fast Internet connection (DSL etc.) then you may want to install Free/Net/OpenBSD over the Internet. All three BSDs allow you to download one or two installation floppy disk images and then download the installation sets live during the installation via ftp. -- Holger Kruse [holger--rebol--com]

 [6/18] from: jhagman:infa:abo:fi at: 14-Sep-2000 20:40


Quoting [RChristiansen--pop--isdfa--sei-it--com] ([RChristiansen--pop--isdfa--sei-it--com]):
> I would LOVE to be able to install a "plain" Linux on my > Dell Latitude 433MC 486/33 laptop, but I only have a > floppy drive. I've looked for linux distributions which I can > install from floppy, but it seems I can only find CD-ROMs. > > More than Linux, I'd like to put a BSD on the laptop, but > again I can only find CD-ROMs.
If installing over the net is acceptable to you. FreeBSD could be an alternative. Also some linux distributions are installable over the net. You just download a few diskimages for boot and rest is loaded over the net. Yours, Jussi -- Jussi Hagman CS in Åbo Akademi University Studentbyn 4 D 33 [juhagman--abo--fi] 20540 Åbo [jhagman--infa--abo--fi] Finland

 [7/18] from: ryanc:iesco-dms at: 14-Sep-2000 11:08


The real problem is he has only 4MB RAM. Memory for some older laptops can be outragiously priced too. --Ryan

 [8/18] from: rchristiansen:pop:isdfa:sei-it at: 14-Sep-2000 14:51


Nah. I do have 8MB RAM, but it shows up as less than 8MB, which is too bad because if I had 8MB I could run QNX and have REBOL that way.

 [9/18] from: rchristiansen:pop:isdfa:sei-it at: 14-Sep-2000 14:56


This is the FIRST thing I tried but it reads my 8MB RAM as 7602K (something like that) and will go no further in the boot process.

 [10/18] from: ryanc:iesco-dms at: 14-Sep-2000 13:14


Oh! Oops. BTW, how much does it report? --Ryan [RChristiansen--pop--isdfa--sei-it--com] wrote:

 [11/18] from: bobr:dprc at: 14-Sep-2000 16:39


8mb or slightly smaller will get the job done. If you cannot get out over the net, the CDs that you install linux from also contain floppy disk images. All you need to do is find a place to play the CD temporarily. Most of the CDs come out dos readable. Look for a utilities directory and a pgm called 'rawrite' which is used to transfer a disk image to a floppy. in my smaller systems I had to use slakware, and I had luck also with mandrake. Many of the versions of linux I have used are dual floppy boot. One contains the OS the other the file system. It stops and prompts you when it wants the filesystem one. Others do it all on one floppy (OS and FS) which leads me to believe that there is probably quite a bit of room on the 2 floppy boot versions. I didnt know you had no HD at all. You must have aquired the laptop very cheap. you can usually show up a little more ram by turning off bios shadowing. At 02:51 PM 9/14/00 -0500, you wrote:
>Nah. I do have 8MB RAM, but it shows up as less than >8MB, which is too bad because if I had 8MB I could run
<<quoted lines omitted: 5>>
>> >>
;# mailto: [bobr--dprc--net]

 [12/18] from: rchristiansen:pop:isdfa:sei-it at: 14-Sep-2000 16:07


> If you cannot get out over the net, > the CDs that you install linux from also contain floppy disk images. > All you need to do is find a place to play the CD > temporarily. Most of the CDs come out dos readable.
Great! I use the BeOS and so this should be no problem. I'm going to look for a distro pronto.
> I didnt know you had no HD at all. > You must have aquired the laptop > very cheap.
Oh, I do have a hard drive (256MB IIRC.) It has OS/2 Warp 3 currently installed. But yes, it was very cheap. I paid only $25 for this Dell Latitude 486 laptop. -Ryan

 [13/18] from: norsepower:uswest at: 14-Sep-2000 21:24


This worked. But it would not run rebol by simply typing "rebol" within the rebol directory. Strange. But now I have REBOL on my 486 laptop. Cool.

 [14/18] from: jack:rigley at: 14-Sep-2000 20:21


[norsepower--uswest--net] said:
> This worked. But it would not run rebol by simply typing "rebol" within the > rebol directory. Strange. But now I have REBOL on my 486 laptop. Cool.
Try adding "." to your path,or typing ./rebol in the rebol directory.
> >I will be able to help more with more information provided. I am > >shooting in the dark, but is rebol binary included in your path? Try > > > > $ /rebol/rebol > > > >This should then run Rebol. >
Jack

 [15/18] from: bobr:dprc at: 15-Sep-2000 3:36


check the PATH environment variable. if it does not begin with a colon, end with a colon or contain the sequence :.: somewhere within, then the current directory is excluded from consideration. root frequently disables . (the current directory) as a safety meassure to protect unwary admins from harm. PATH=/usr/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/local/bin vs PATH=/usr/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/local/bin: to me its about as protective as a tissue. At 09:24 PM 9/14/00 -0500, you wrote:
>This worked. But it would not run rebol by simply typing "rebol" within the >rebol directory. Strange. But now I have REBOL on my 486 laptop. Cool.
<<quoted lines omitted: 4>>
>> >>This should then run Rebol.
;# mailto: [bobr--dprc--net]

 [16/18] from: agem:crosswinds at: 15-Sep-2000 13:44


you are running as root? current dir is then not in the path, to avoid accident wrong program starts (high security needed..) login in as normal user should work with current dir. [norsepower--uswest--net] wrote on 14-Sep-2000/21:24:25-5:00

 [17/18] from: norsepower:uswest at: 15-Sep-2000 8:15


Ahh, I understand now. But Monkey Linux is not multi-user and has no security. Monkey Linux is just a quick way to install linux anywhere MS-DOS resides so that you can use Linux. Now I can use REBOL, too, on my old laptop.

 [18/18] from: curt:hibbs at: 15-Sep-2000 11:37


You can also install the Debian linux distribution over the net. Curt

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