Baslinux mailing list

[sindi keesan <keesan AT sdf.lonestar.org>]

On Thu, 5 May 2005, David Moberg wrote:

> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "sindi keesan" <keesan AT sdf.lonestar.org>
>
> > > You would need a new initfs.gz that included all
> > > the PCMCIA stuff (in order to mount the CF card).
> >
> > That would include cardmgr (36K), and modules pcmcia_core (52K),
> > i82365 (32K0 and ds (11K), totalling about 132K.  Could I use
> > David's ppa zip drive boot disk, make initfs.img about 100K bigger
> > (132K minus ppa.o size), delete insmod ppa.o, and change where it
> > looks for fs.img from sda4 to whatever the PCMCIA memory adaptor is
> > called (hdb?
>
> Yes. All that is basically needed is a filesystem at /dev/loop or
> loop0. How you get a filesystem there is up to you.

It may be beyond me this year.  I am getting confused by too many loops 
and if you add pcmcia which I can barely handle I am way over my head.
But I may try this using your grub - ppa boot disk with modifications some 
day.

> > - I forget what it was on the laptop with one hard
> > drive and no CD-ROM drive, but it might be different on the laptop
> > with a CD-ROM drive).  Maybe I would need to check hdb and hdc,
> > like BL3 checks hda1-hda4 for /baslin.  Do laptops ever have more
> > than hda and hdb (hard drive and CD-ROM drive or DVD-drive)?
>
> My laptop has a very strange drive map:
>
> hda = CDRW/DVD combo drive
> hdc = hard drive

This implies that one ought to check hda hdb hdc and maybe hdd for a 
/baslin.  Would the pcmcia memory card go to hdb in your case, or hdd?

> Both are completely internal, were installed at the Dell factory and
> are not easily replaceable. Don't ask me why the DVD drive is on the
> first IDE channel as master.
>
> > I might try this next winter if someone else does not beat me to it.
>
> I may be working on some things like this. I am interested in a way
> to be able to make changes to a bootable BL CD (by saving the changes
> to a USB key or other writable drive)

Please do and I will test the results.  How would you save to a USB key 
without using a later kernel?

> > Someone just gave us three fast computers or boards and we need to
> > round up two cases and a power supply.  Dual 450, 500, and
> > overclocked 700 that they overclocked by gluing resistors on the
> > board.  One of them ought to work for mplayer - any progress on
> > compiling it, David?
>
> No. It looks like the options are:
>
> - Use the original glibc version if you can (I still have it on
> disk but not at the web site)

I will try that when we get one of these newer computers working. 
Currently putting a power supply in one, and the other is now in a case 
with a power supply.  I don't think I saved the file so I will ask for it 
when I am ready.

> - Use the current version either 1) with sox 2) with a newer kernel
> 3) no sound
I AM using sox and the whole point of this was to play sound (realaudio).

> - See if someone else (e.g. Stephen Clement) can build a good
> binary
> - Wait and see if I eventually get something to work (this may be
> awhile, as I will need to set up a completely new development
> environment)

No hurry.  I have plenty of other toys to play with such as the matrox 
kernel and the pcmcia linux and today I picked up a smartmedia card reader 
for $3 so I can try USB to ramdisk linux from a 64MB card.  mpg123 is now 
playing 20 stations for me.


> I must say that you get a lot of hardware to try with BL. When I
> look through the archives, it seems that every month you have
> posted to the list about some new piece of hardware that you have
> been given.

We have a reputation among friends and neighbors for recycling or even 
finding homes for old computers.  The three latest donations are from 
someone to whom we gave our spare ATX case that we got with a nonusable 
board in it from someone who was asking where to recycle 50 computers at 
our local bbs.  The 600 MHz on which we replaced bad caps is from the 
brother of a neighbor whose yard cycle we recycled after, as is the dual 
pentium-pro.  Just let people know you will recycle for free and all sorts 
of things show up on the porch.  I think our new cutoff will be 233MHz.

Also we used to volunteer running the electronics dept at a local Kiwanis 
club with a weekly rummage sale and we still fix things there and raid the 
dumpster.  We now have two dead PDAs - can you put linux on them if they 
revive?

We have orders for two internet computers and will foist off the two 
working Windows/Opera models on the neighbor and his cousin, except that I 
seem to need Windows to test this dratted ppa 820cse printer since it just 
blinks three colored lights at me in linux.  The 722s worked but only one 
day and now do not like any cartridges.  Someone said there was a way to 
do something to the contacts to fool the printer - anyone know where to 
look?  The 722s were printing in linux (albeit at 1/4 proper size and in 
chicken tracks) and the 820 won't print even tho I followed instructions 
to increase margin size if the lights all blinked.

> David
> --
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keesan AT sdf.lonestar.org
SDF Public Access UNIX System - http://sdf.lonestar.org