Baslinux mailing list

[qwms-avib AT dea.spamcon.org]

keesan2 AT cyberspace.org wrote:
> 
> I thought you said it depended on one (1) 
> file found in bin.tgz, 

That's right, it needs sed.

> I don't see how pkgtool is any more essential 
> than modprobe, 

pkgtool is more essential because it gives the user
the capability to install modprobe (or anything else
the user might want).

> or why you should need to download 1M of package 

As I said in my previous message, the BL2 installation
routine is designed to use the Slackware 7.1 CDrom.  
You insert the CDrom, mount it at /cd, and away you go.
For people without a CDrom drive, I included instructions
for using individual Slackware packages, but that is not
nearly as nice as using the CDrom.

> It took me several weeks to get mdacon working because 
> the instructions called for modprobe -  meaning that BL2 
> was not behaving like Slackware.  

There are three methods (or are there four?) of installing
modules:  insmod, modprobe, kerneld.  Any of them will do
the job (if you know how to use them).  BL2 has insmod.
Slackware has insmod and modprobe (and probably kerneld).
BL2 has one editor.  Slackware has several.  BL2 has one
shell.  Slackware has several.

The default HD installation of BL2 provides just a subset
of the normal Slackware installation.  However, by using
pkgtool, you can install any of the extras you want (like
modprobe).

> for people who don't want to download large packages to 
> get them.  (I also have a 33K modem, 

Downloading packages on a 33.6 modem is a big time-waster.  
If you are going to continue with BL2, I strongly recommend 
that you acquire the Slackware 7.1 CDrom.  It will make your 
life *much* simpler.  

> and my 120M of hard drive available for Linux is filling up fast.)

If you had a Slackware 7.1 CDrom, you wouldn't have to put
Slackware files (like MANIFEST.gz) on the HD.

> so far done fine without ANY of what is in bin.tgz.

What about zless?  The reason we started discussing bin.tgz
was because you were missing zless.  Actually, there are 
several important binaries in bin.tgz.  gawk, in particular,
is needed by quite a few applications.  file (which is in
BL1) is a command I use several times a day.  Full versions
of sed and which are useful, because the busybox versions
don't work in every situation.  The at binaries provide
functionality that might be useful one day.  And so on.
bin.tgz is not a waste of space -- there is lots of good
stuff in there.

> BL1, as you have pointed out before, won't let you use 
> binaries compiled for glibc6.  I don't have hard drive 
> space for a compiler.

The BL2 compiler is certainly too large for your HD,
but the BL1 compiler would fit just fine.  It needs
less than 20mb.

> It is also simpler to go out and buy RAM instead of trying 
> to run Linux on 4M RAM 

Indeed.  That's one reason I'm not doing a 4mb RAM version
of BL2.  486s with eight 30pin SIMMs can be upgraded to 8mb 
RAM for free.  You want some 1mb SIMMs?  I'll give you some 
for free!  I don't even keep them anymore.  Tin ones go straight 
into the trash.  I've got dozens and dozens of the damn things.  
Ditto 4mb 72pin SIMMs.  Old PCs with 72pin SIMMs can be upgraded 
to 16mb RAM for free!

> or to buy a new computer 

That's a whole different kettle of fish.

> but there are those of us who don't want to buy things 
> in order to run Linux on our old computers.  

Sure.  I'm with you on that one.  But it would be silly
to run your computer with empty SIMM slots, when suitable 
SIMMs are free.  It's also kind of silly running a 386
when 486s are free and Pentiums can be purchased for small
change.

> Do many 486s have CD-ROM burners in them?

Burners no (I don't even have a burner), but CDrom drives
yes.  I even found a double-speed on a junked 386 once.
 
> I am only suggesting that you offer an alternate
> installation without some of the 8 packages, and post 
> the more useful files from these packages

That's not going to happen.  If you feel so strongly 
about the matter, I suggest you set up your own website 
and offer that alternative.  I will link to it.

> Do I actually need to have all 8 packages in a /slakware/ 
> directory in order to install BL2 to hard drive? 

Yes.

> Could I install with only four of the packages, using your 
> install-to-hard-drive setup from the RAMdisk version,

No.

> and then add whatever files I need later?  

Yes.

> Which four packages were the ones you had hoped not to need?

fileutils.tgz, tar.tgz, bin.tgz, grep.tgz

> Which four packages are absolutely necessary?

No package is absolutely necessary.  The bare BL2 runs
on a ramdisk -- the same filesystem (with a few small
adjustments) will run on a HD partition.

Cheers,
Steven