Baslinux mailing list

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

> > I compiled a busybox 1.1.10 (I forget if it needs to be used with kernel
> > 2.4.31 which I also compiled) which includes a small vi.
>
> Does it do macros?

I only played with it briefly and don't know. 
http://keesan.freeshell.org/bl/html - please check for yourself.
It might need a 2.4.31 kernel to work (because I was booted with one when 
I compiled it with uclibc?).

> > > > pdf viewer/creator
> > >
> > > Slackware 4.0 has a pdf package, but it is not
> > > up-to-date
>
> They never are. PDF keeps changing, apparently to ensure
> that everyone downloads and instals the latest version,
> regularly, which is suspicious.

> Who knows what's in those non-open-source executables?
Apparently the creator of xpdf, because it always works now.

> > and is unable to display some pdfs.
> >
> > > I use xpdf 3.01 on BL2.

Displays pdf 1.5 files, unlike the SW71 gs and older xpdf.

> > xpdf 3 does not work with the BL3 X11, but I posted at my site
> > a minimal package of the ghostscript fonts and a config file
> > based on them which you need to add in order to use the other
> > parts of this package with BL3. And also discussed this on the
> > list a while back. pdftotext (for info only) and pdfimages
> > (useful to view files that got scanned and made into pdf)
> > probably work without this package, but pdftopbm requires the
> > fonts to produce the pbm image. Convert the pdf file to a pbm
> > file and view with zgv (does xli also view pbm files?).

> That looks promising. But zgv is the only app I've ever used that
> crashed my box regularly. Never could figure out why, even after
> exchanging many mails with the maintainer.

I have had trouble with zgv and ATI video cards.  Something to do with odd 
modelines?  Try editing libvga.config to specify chipset=VESA, try booting 
without config.sys or mouse drivers or framebuffer (use lilo), unremark 
out the 640 modeline, find some way to determine the correct modelines 
(and let me know it), try zgv at various resolutions (some don't work for 
me with some cards, 800 usually does, probably due to odd modelines). 
What is your video chip?  Some video chips don't seem usable in linux for 
much.  S3 always works for me, Nvidia is also good.

zgv has crashed linux a lot for me too.

> Maybe it's different on BL. Hope so.

> > In about 50MB I have BL3 with three browsers, svgalib, zgv,
> > xpdf without X, kermit, and a few other things. Abiword can
> > be added but then you need to set up non-text printing (with
> > ghostscript). I also added a swapfile twice the size of my 12MB
> > RAM.
>
> 12MB RAM!?

I did get BL3 working in 3MB but without graphics and it was a bit slow. 
12MB is dandy if you have a swapfile, otherwise it may crash with Opera.

> Do you have to pedal it? :-)

How did you guess that we use bicycle power to run all our computers?

> Seriously: I'm impressed.

I was not the first to do it in 3MB RAM.  You can try it yourself if you 
boot with mem=3M.  Don't try using X, that needs at least 8MB (more?).
There was a long discussion of this a couple of years ago.  I put linux on 
a 386 with 3MB RAM, but DOS works better (lynx with a small viewer).

> > > > imagemagick
> > >
> > > There is a package in Slackware 4.0.
> >
> > netpbm for BL3 is smaller and faster - it converts between
> > various image formats, crops, rotates, resizes, and even prints
> > directly to an Epson (black only) or HP Deskjet (including
> > color) without ghostscript. I posted a package with sample
> > scripts for printing.
>
> That sounds promising. No way am I going to install ghostscript.
> That arcane monster has always driven me nuts.

Just a few fonts from gs will let you view pdfs.  You can use gs directly 
to print pdf and ps files, or convert everything with pdftopbm and print 
with pbmtolj.


> > > > Sure wish that I could integrate the xserver and screen. I
> > > > love screen
> > >
> > > I think Sindi has done a lot with screen.
> >
> > I have used the basics. It is not easy to learn. Use it in CLI.
> > You should not need it in X. You can cut and paste without a
> > mouse.
>
> Not like screen does. It can do things like isolate columns and
> append to the buffer and join lines with spaces or commas, and
> copy entire files into the paste buffer and search while in paste
> mode. All from the KB. Vi keybindings.

I don't know vi, which is why I had trouble with screen.  Sounds promising 
for when I have lots of time to learn it.

> > splitvt (comes with Slackware) is smaller and simpler.
>
> I rarely use the split-screen capabilities of screen, preferring
> to use another window instead. You can switch back and forth like
> lightning.

I translate, and like to see both files at the same time and sometimes 
paste pieces between them.

I can display Russian at the top and type English in the bottom screen 
using textmode fonts.

I think you can paste between full screens with screen too.

> And it will network better than X.
>
> My recent version on debian is only 230K.
>
> My new w3m displays inline images in webpages in the screen ptys,
> which is promising, although it seems to need X to do this.

Does w3m work better than links graphical at some sites?  Can it be set to 
work with libvga instead of X?


> > > > Presently, I run screen in a tiny x-terminal-emulator in a
> > > > tiny window manager.
> > >
> > > I don't think you'll get anything tinier than the swm in BL3.
> > > It's even smaller if you leave out the optional menu        .
> >
> > You can run X-based programs without a window manager to reduce
> > RAM usage, but some, like Opera, lose functionality (you cannot
> > change focus via keyboard). This has been discussed on the list
> > but perhaps Steven could illustrate again for Xvesa and links2
> > -g at various resolutions and color depths. I forget how to do
> > it without rxvt.
>
> That sounds interesting. I'd like to hear more about images
> without X, too.
>
> The only reason I use X is for images, although, like James
> Miller, I mostly 'surf' in text-mode. If I can do images without
> X, (including editing them) it's history.

svgalib programs:  zgv as a viewer for lynx and links, or graphical links 
(the version that does svgalib not just X).


> I also need a browser that will number the links for menu-like
> selection. Moving the cursor via keyboard for this purpose is too
> clumsy: The use of Tab/Shift-Tab is screwed up by frames.

links and lynx both can be set to number links.
Type 'o' for options, 'links and formfields are numbered' - lynx.

> But first-things-first: I haven't got networking up yet! :-/.

It only took me a year or two.  BL is my first and continues to be 
my only linux.  Have fun playing with it.  There are several very 
knowledgeable people on this list who will be very helpful.


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