Baslinux mailing list

[baslinux AT lists.ibiblio.org]

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