Baslinux mailing list

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

On Thu, 17 Nov 2005, David Moberg wrote:

> On 11/16/05, sindi keesan <keesan AT sdf.lonestar.org> wrote:
> > On Wed, 16 Nov 2005, David Moberg wrote:
> >
> > > - a.out support as module
> > Which module is this?
>
> binfmt_aout
What is this used for?

> > > - modular floppy, parallel & serial port
> > > - booting from initrd or ide hard drive (but not scsi, usb,
> > > parallel zip, pcmcia, or loop)
> >
> > Some people might still want to boot from loop via a DOS partition.
> > (Another list member reports that the 2.2.26 kernel now boots from a loop
> > on his PII computer, which he could not do with 2.2.16).
>
> You also mentioned SCSI. All of this will take space. Maybe you want
> the SW10.2 kernel?

I am actually content with the 2.2.16 kernel I compiled except for the 
lack of framebuffer support.  It is only about 470K.  Would framebuffer 
and usb and the later kernel source add a whole lot?



> > > - no framebuffer/vga=ask support
> >
> > I use both of these.  The kernel I compiled lacks framebuffer and I had no
> > luck adding it.  BL3 lacks vga=ask, but I like to use that in order to get
> > more columns and rows.  I set it up with resizecons and restoretextmode to
> > show 80 (100) and 132 columns, with 24-60 rows (depends on the card)
> > Framebuffer is another way to get more columns, which I need to use links
> > conveniently in console mode.
>
> If you use resizecons, isn't vga=ask redundant?

I boot with loadlin and vga=ask in order to set up resizecons.
Boot with vga=ask, choose a mode, run restoretextmode -w to write a file 
80x30, then next time resizecons 80x30 gives you 30 lines.

> > > - proc, ext2 filesystem support
> > > - modular ntfs, vfat, isofs, etc.
> >
> > I can mount a DOS floppy disk or drive in BL2 without -t msdos.  Please
> > compile the kernel so this will still work (unlike in BL3).
>
> I think it does work in BL3.
I thought I had to specify it.  Can't check right now, no BL3 on this 
computer.

> > Please compile in CD-ROM support (not as modules) as in BL2.
>
> An even bigger kernel. Perhaps it would be helpful to take a
> SW10.2 kernel and decide what you need from that?

A custom kernel would probably be half the size and do more than the 
bare.i of SW10.2 (or does it include usb-storage and scsi already?).

As I said, the 2.2.16 I compiled works fine except for lacking framebuffer 
support, which I should learn to compile for, and support for USB-storage, 
found in your new kernel, which should work better once I upgrade svgalib 
to SW91 (are you sure I won't need SW10.2 svgalib?).

> > > Note that you will need to upgrade pppd and insmod
> > > when moving to 2.4.
> >
> > Is SW91 2.4.31?
>
> No,
>
> > If not, where do we find the modules?
>
> SW10.2 is 2.4.31. But those modules probably won't work
> with this kernel.

Because you compiled it not to accept any modules?
If you compiled a custom SW10.2 kernel then people could download the 
modules (probably as a single huge file ;=().

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