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DSLR – Damn Small Linux Remake

dslr.dimakrasner.com

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Re: DSLR – Damn Small Linux Remake

#41

Post by peterwwillis »

If you're a developer who doesn't know very well how Linux distributions (or operating systems in general) work, you should spend a weekend or two playing around with an embedded Linux distro like this. Unfortunately DSLR's build environment does not seem like the easiest to understand for first-timers.

For example, instead of Makefiles per package, there's a package-specific shell script which incorporates some magic from scripts/build_package and is then sourced by the same to add some functions, with references to patches in a separate directory, and build dependencies tracked by a Makefile.deps file that's included by the root Makefile before the build_package script is run, which incidentally has tons of package-specific logic built in. You'd be re-reading 10 files over and over any time you build or troubleshoot a package.

All of this inside of a chroot using a bootstrapped cross compiler, which lord knows most people have never dealt with before. And the dependencies for building the cross-compiler aren't built from source, meaning this isn't a fully bootstrapped build environment, to say nothing of tracking versions. The resulting packages will vary from system to system, and it will be more difficult to port to non-x86.

Re: DSLR – Damn Small Linux Remake

#44

Post by jacquesm »

dave1010uk wrote: post #22
Zardoz84 wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

uLinux or picoLinux (I don't remember very well the name) -> Runs on one or two 3.5 floppies. There is a version with 3 or 4 floppies with an X-Windows included.

I remember running a QNX demo off a single floppy on a 66MHz 486. Included a web browser, a game ,and an editor, all in 1.44MB http://toastytech.com/guis/qnxdemo.html

and a kick-ass OS.

Re: DSLR – Damn Small Linux Remake

#45

Post by wangling2 »

cwyers wrote: post #37
Eiriksmal wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To quote the DSLR's author Very often, new versions of applications are heavier than older ones (Wirth's Law). If the old version already solves the problem ... without any compromise in security or stability, why make the switch [to a bloated new version]?

The author SAYS that, but that's ALL he says. There's nothing to back up the claim that the older versions are not a compromise in security. Are all known vulnerabilities patched? Are security fixes backported?

Almost never: which may causes issues likes thoses! : From Wikipedia & OpenBSD: The affected versions of OpenSSL are OpenSSL 1.0.1 through 1.0.1f (inclusive). Later versions (1.0.1g and ulterior ) and previous versions (1.0.0 branch and older) are not vulnerable. Installations of the affected versions are vulnerable unless OpenSSL was compiled with -DOPENSSL_NO_HEARTBEATS.

same applies for : http://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurity...

same applies for : https://blog.mozilla.org/security/2010/03/18/update-on-secun...

same applies for : http://www.debian.org/security/2000/20001013

same applies for : https://kb.isc.org/article/AA-01015/0

sticking to early versions (lazingly will save you)

Re: DSLR – Damn Small Linux Remake

#46

Post by DanBC »

Zardoz84 wrote: post #14
mcintyre1994 wrote: post #4

Nice, I remember being shown DSL and being amazed someone could make an OS that small. > DSLR's approach to security is different . It is possible to run as root without causing a global disaster. Is there any more information available on how this is achieved?

uLinux or picoLinux (I don't remember very well the name) -> Runs on one or two 3.5 floppies. There is a version with 3 or 4 floppies with an X-Windows included.

TomsRtBt runs off a floppy - http://www.toms.net/rb/

Re: DSLR – Damn Small Linux Remake

#48

Post by ja27 »

It was maybe about 5 years ago that I was still running DSL on a old Dell Pentium II laptop on the side of my desk. It made a decent ssh / x3270 terminal and acted as a digital photo frame most of the day. But it could do some light web browsing and stuff in a pinch. Booted from a mini CDR and used a 32 meg USB thumbdrive as storage.

Re: DSLR – Damn Small Linux Remake

#49

Post by sroerick »

peterwwillis wrote: post #41

If you're a developer who doesn't know very well how Linux distributions (or operating systems in general) work, you should spend a weekend or two playing around with an embedded Linux distro like this. Unfortunately DSLR's build environment does not seem like the easiest to understand for first-timers. For example, instead of Makefiles per package, there's a package-specific shell script which incorporates some magi…

What would be a good distribution for playing around like you described?
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