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  • From: baslinux AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • To: baslinux AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [BL] My BASIC Linux derivative SAMEL
  • Date: Fri, 12 Oct 2007 23:48:59 +0200

baslinux AT lists.ibiblio.org wrote:
So if you add DOS to the floppy disk it will run in less RAM?
Yes, but I do not know why exactly. Probabbly syslinux does not free his own memory, in a way loadlin does. But, you do not need complete DOS.
Just boot sector and bootable files (msdos.sys and io.sys (for MSdos) - or kernel.sys for freedos - or ibmbio.com and ibmdos.com (for pcdos and caldera/novell opendos) )
and put in config.sys line
shell=a:\loadlin.exe zimage root = /dev/loop0 initrd=initfs.gz rw

However booting with syslinux is a bit faster solution, but when I reduce memory to 3 megabytes in QEMU and try to boot emulated floppy with syslinux, kernel has disk errors. So I keep loadlin on this floppy image too.

Will your download contain both syslinux and loadlin, and we remove one or the other depending how we use it?

Yes. And the download is available now.
BL3 works in 3MB RAM but only if run from hard disk. You can hit Ctrl-C instead of loading the second disk (you lose X and modules, I think).
How much of the 3MB is left after booting your disk, to run programs in?

Command free gives me
total used free shared buffers
Mem: 1672 724 948 144 112
Swap 0 0 0

So, 948 kilobytes is free. For asmutils more than enough :)
David Moberg put together a 1-floppy BL-based linux with kernel 2.4.31 and usb-storage and mouse driver, useful for copying files from a usb-storage digital camera and viewing with zgv. I forget how much RAM it needs. I put a small BL3 onto it and can boot with floppy then chroot to it to view and edit images. Would a larger kernel also fit into your SAMEL?

Depends how much larger. Some modern kernels are more than three megabytes long.

On the other hands, I think also about some older kernels.

Kernel 1.0.9 boots in 2 megabytes and there is a patch to boot it in just one megabyte

http://www.superant.com/files/smallapps/linux-lite.html

and patch to understand elf format

http://old.lwn.net/lwn/1998/0430/a/linuxlite.html

Unfortunately big part of this site is lost.
If nothing else, to say: My computer from trash bin can use Linux.
However, there are 800 kilobytes space to add yet some commands. It
might become rescue floppy or you can convert your computer to telnet
terminal, or installer of hard disk based Linux ....

With telnetd. Will it have e2fsck (not in my asmutils), mke2fs?
You could probably shrink the BL3 kernel some more.
I think they can be added optionally. It is fat16 floppy so adding programs is quite easy.

BTW, See how I lived without hard disk and still developed software
http://www.worldofspectrum.org/warajevo/Story.html

Interesting story. What is a Spectrum?
My first home computer, which had only 48 kilobytes of RAM, and probably the most popular European computer ever created. In spite 3.5 MHz processor and tape recorder as external memory it had about 20000 programs (mostly games, but also spreadsheets, word processors, painting programs, 3D modelling , compilers and interpreters for languages like assembly, C, Lisp, Pascal, Logo, Basic, Microprolog, Forth , backup, educational, accounting and DTP programs were available).

I STILL use linux with TTL and/or mono VGA, and 360K floppy drive.
Nice. I like keeping old machines available.

Samir






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