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Damn Small Linux 2024

damnsmalllinux.org

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Re: Damn Small Linux 2024

#41

Post by codethief »

ravenstine wrote: post #27

Wow, this is crazy. I came across the DSL website last night while trying to figure out how to compile a minimal Linux kernel myself, and now here it is on HN! I used DSL back in high school when it was new. As a side note, why does compiling Linux have to be so... obtuse? It just stops for me after several minutes of building out objects with no explanation.

Are you looking to build just a minimal kernel or also a minimal distribution? (Which is what I happened to be thinking about last night :)) In the latter case, do you know any good resources about that topic?

Re: Damn Small Linux 2024

#44

Post by vardump »

haunter wrote: post #38

A truly damn small Linux is the xwoaf rebuild project 4.0 https://pupngo.dk/xwinflpy/xwoaf_rebuild.html >The forth version of xwoaf-rebuild is containing a lot of applications contained in only two binaries: busybox and mcb_xawplus. You get xcalc, xcalendar, xfilemanager, xminesweep, chimera, xed, xsetroot, xcmd, xinit, menu, jwm, desklaunch, rxvt, xtet42, torsmo, djpeg, xban2, text2pdf, Xvesa, xsnap, xmessage, xvl,…

"2.1mb https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8or3ehc5YDo"

2.1 MB installed? The ISO file seemed to be just 1716224 bytes (1.7MB).

Re: Damn Small Linux 2024

#45

Post by glenstein »

cromka wrote: post #35

Interesting fact is that DSL used to be 50MB because that’s how big a business-card sized CDs were. And yes, there used to be business-card sized CDs.

A different way of saying the same thing: business-card sized and shaped.

Re: Damn Small Linux 2024

#46

Post by e12e »

bachmeier wrote: post #11

I just checked Wikipedia, and was surprised to see the original DSL only had releases for about 3.5 years. > Though it may seem comparably ridiculous that 700MB is small in 2024 when DSL was 50MB in 2002 If you go all the way back to 2002, 50 MB for an old computer wasn't that small. I bought a new computer with 192 MB of RAM as late as 2005. My 32-bit, $400 discount laptop from 2009 has 4 GB of RAM, so 700 MB is rea…

Iirc DSL used to fit on mini/business card CDs. No real motivation to get much smaller - unless fitting on a floppy. Then for a while there were small usb drives that were interesting, and with better options for persistent user data than r/w CDs.

Re: Damn Small Linux 2024

#47

Post by throwaway71271 »

glenstein wrote: post #45
cromka wrote: post #35

Interesting fact is that DSL used to be 50MB because that’s how big a business-card sized CDs were. And yes, there used to be business-card sized CDs.

A different way of saying the same thing: business-card sized and shaped .

those used to make the most horrible noise when you actually use them

Re: Damn Small Linux 2024

#48

Post by sgc »

alchemist1e9 wrote: post #4

Fantastic to have another option with modern tools! great work that will be appreciated by many. Between this, Puppy, and Tiny Core Linux so much old hardware can be put to potential use. I’d also mention Finnix as an excellent rescue image solution. Any other awesome projects for limited hardware and Linux use that should be more well known?

For rescue I have used Slax, which is very convenient as well.

Re: Damn Small Linux 2024

#49

Post by moffkalast »

haunter wrote: post #38

A truly damn small Linux is the xwoaf rebuild project 4.0 https://pupngo.dk/xwinflpy/xwoaf_rebuild.html >The forth version of xwoaf-rebuild is containing a lot of applications contained in only two binaries: busybox and mcb_xawplus. You get xcalc, xcalendar, xfilemanager, xminesweep, chimera, xed, xsetroot, xcmd, xinit, menu, jwm, desklaunch, rxvt, xtet42, torsmo, djpeg, xban2, text2pdf, Xvesa, xsnap, xmessage, xvl,…

So uh, who's gonna be first to get it running on a Pi Pico?

Re: Damn Small Linux 2024

#50

Post by brnt »

pushedx wrote: post #8

I used DSL back around when it was released (and 64 MiB flash drives were common) to get around my school's network filtering. I think this was one of the reasons they hired new IT staff the following year, because the technique caught on even with the non-nerdy crowd.

Reminds me of cramming an installed QuakeII on a 64MB USB stick, and quickly booting it up on a few library computers when we had an hour off in high school. They blocked installers, but not 'portable' executables or network access.
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