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Boot Naked Linux

nick.zoic.org

41–50 of 60 posts

Re: Boot Naked Linux

#41

As I'm currently exploring kernel build things, the alternative to `make tinyconfig` is `make allnoconfig` which is supposedly will not disable expert options and might be a little bit safer starting point.

There's an option `make localyesconfig` (or similar)/which uses the kernel modules loaded on your current system.

Re: Boot Naked Linux

#42
I went through a similar "thought process" to build this: https://www.endbasic.dev/endbox.html last year. I originally wanted to "just" launch my binary right after the kernel started... but in the end settled for a full NetBSD base system to get things like network and WiFi configuration to work with ease. (That said, I still hook very early in the boot sequence to launch my own program and take over the console so that the rest of the system is invisible and initializes in the background.)

Re: Boot Naked Linux

#43
post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I remember seeing a linux firewall/gateway set up to run with just the kernel, without any userspace at all. Completely unhackable. Do you remember any details that would let me search for it? Because that does sound cool, and even maybe useful; the thought has certainly crossed my mind that a router or VPN box doesn't really get a lot of use out of userspace... Although maybe it's worth keeping for control/configu…

That's a halted firewall setup. Normally as part of shutdown you would tear down networking in SysVinit or systemd but you don't actually have to do that. When shutting down you can choose whether to power off or just to halt. It's basically like the old Windows "It is now safe to power off your PC".

That beautiful orange text on a black background gives me nostalgia warm and fuzzies

Re: Boot Naked Linux

#45
post #33
post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Somewhere, a LLM is trained on this code as we speak :) If we collectively have to change the way we do things to better fit our tools rather than changing our tools to fit what we would naturally like to do, then we've failed as an industry.

Hmm LLM hype aside, remember the first writing system (Grafitti) for PalmOS? Change the way you write to obtain much better recognition.

Sadly, I don't remember it. I was born in the early 90s, so although I remember PalmPilots being a thing, I never had one

Re: Boot Naked Linux

#46
post #32

> .. There was a brief moment in the early 2000s where the newly introduced SSDs made booting quick .. Anyone else reading this and getting the feeling someone is reminiscing about a past they didn't live and thus are seeing it through rose-colored glasses because it didn't exist? In the early 2000s, SSDs had an obscene price tag of ~$1000 per gigabyte, so even an 8GB drive would cost you about $8000. There was nothi…

It was also around the time of the early netbooks, when the premise was a lean laptop and you'd do tasks that'd usually be done with relatively demanding local clients by the browser, as google and others were improving their online app offerings. They'd be using things like SATA/IDE to compact flash adapters to keep power down and responsiveness up, they were an ideal candidate for early SSDs as they didn't need a lot of capacity to run a linux + lightweight DE. Then they became just cheap laptops running full windows.

Re: Boot Naked Linux

#47
post #42

I went through a similar "thought process" to build this: https://www.endbasic.dev/endbox.html last year. I originally wanted to "just" launch my binary right after the kernel started... but in the end settled for a full NetBSD base system to get things like network and WiFi configuration to work with ease. (That said, I still hook very early in the boot sequence to launch my own program and take over the console so…

Awesome work. I wish you'd write the process of getting it done step by step. I too would love to DIY my own netbsd.

Re: Boot Naked Linux

#48
post #32

> .. There was a brief moment in the early 2000s where the newly introduced SSDs made booting quick .. Anyone else reading this and getting the feeling someone is reminiscing about a past they didn't live and thus are seeing it through rose-colored glasses because it didn't exist? In the early 2000s, SSDs had an obscene price tag of ~$1000 per gigabyte, so even an 8GB drive would cost you about $8000. There was nothi…

When I swapped my disk in my mac for a SSD for the first time... It was insanely faster. Booted in 5-6 seconds. Apps like photoshop opened up cold in 2 seconds. So no, I think it was a huge leap.

I think no matter what the advance in tech is, it will get enshittified to tolerated "computer is working" slowness within months of said upgrade.

Re: Boot Naked Linux

#49
post #47
post #42

I went through a similar "thought process" to build this: https://www.endbasic.dev/endbox.html last year. I originally wanted to "just" launch my binary right after the kernel started... but in the end settled for a full NetBSD base system to get things like network and WiFi configuration to work with ease. (That said, I still hook very early in the boot sequence to launch my own program and take over the console so…

Awesome work. I wish you'd write the process of getting it done step by step. I too would love to DIY my own netbsd.

Thanks. I haven't documented it (yet?) but I did give a talk last year on the process that got me there and the internals behind this system: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZFYTInWAqc

Re: Boot Naked Linux

#50
post #3

I... fail to see the point of running just one process. If it's just a PoC, then: 1) I remember seeing a linux firewall/gateway set up to run with just the kernel, without any userspace at all. Completely unhackable. 2) To print some text or run a simple program, I belive DOS without a memory manager would be even faster. 3) It takes 1s to boot linux, but an ordinary PC takes 10s to get to that linux. Even U-boot on…

> Completely unhackable.

I don't think this could ever be true.

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