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Building the worst Linux PC ever: 6 hours to boot Ubuntu

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Re: Building the worst Linux PC ever: 6 hours to boot Ubuntu

#51
post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I love stuff like this. If only there was an easy way to make 'GUI' programs Flash/Java might have competition.

Working on it... The LatticeMico32 toolchain (gcc, gdb, ar, ld) is very bad, seriously... I'm thinking of doing a MIPS or ARM emulator, just because the toolchains are so much better to work with. Anyways, I do have a framebuffer demo that runs at a very decent frame rate on my machine (at this moment it is Chrome only and I unfortunately don't have the binaries for the demo on github). But this is not on Linux, it's…

Well, given the recent post about getting Access running on the web, I reckon you could take it to the next level: get Access running on Wine under Linux emulated in JavaScript on a web browser. Or get DOSBOX to run any old school line of business application in a web browser under any operating system.

Re: Building the worst Linux PC ever: 6 hours to boot Ubuntu

#52
post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I love stuff like this. If only there was an easy way to make 'GUI' programs Flash/Java might have competition.

Working on it... The LatticeMico32 toolchain (gcc, gdb, ar, ld) is very bad, seriously... I'm thinking of doing a MIPS or ARM emulator, just because the toolchains are so much better to work with. Anyways, I do have a framebuffer demo that runs at a very decent frame rate on my machine (at this moment it is Chrome only and I unfortunately don't have the binaries for the demo on github). But this is not on Linux, it's…

Hey, I've made a start on an ARM emulator. (Hardly anything done, unreleased, nothing runs yet.) I'll email you.

Re: Building the worst Linux PC ever: 6 hours to boot Ubuntu

#53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Theoretically you could boot X without a hardware framebuffer emulator. X supports rendering to normal RAM as well (for example, for VNC connections).

Actually, if you go read my source code, you'll see that the emulator DOES in fact emulate a framebuffer. In fact I even have code in place to output the image. I just didn't connect a graphical LCD to this particular built. It is, however, supported.

Wow, neat.

What's your day job?

Re: Building the worst Linux PC ever: 6 hours to boot Ubuntu

#55

This article got me laughing into tears. Only to make it even funnier by the glazed look in my girlfriends eyes when I was trying to explain whats so funny about guy bootstrapping a 32bit OS on a 8bit micro controller. I mean the idea of emulating 32bit OS on a 8bit machine is not something too ridiculous on its own. But the setup he used. Oh my god. Must stop trying to comprehend this madness. Kudos to Dmitry.

UUENCODE?

Re: Building the worst Linux PC ever: 6 hours to boot Ubuntu

#56
post #33

This link from the comments on that site just has to be shared here: "Hackers Successfully Install Linux on a Potato" http://www.bbspot.com/news/2008/12/linux-on-a-potato.html

I see your potato and raise you a dead badger!

http://www.strangehorizons.com/2004/20040405/badger.shtml

Re: Building the worst Linux PC ever: 6 hours to boot Ubuntu

#57

This article got me laughing into tears. Only to make it even funnier by the glazed look in my girlfriends eyes when I was trying to explain whats so funny about guy bootstrapping a 32bit OS on a 8bit micro controller. I mean the idea of emulating 32bit OS on a 8bit machine is not something too ridiculous on its own. But the setup he used. Oh my god. Must stop trying to comprehend this madness. Kudos to Dmitry.

That's how the first version of the ARM was made, by software simulation on a 6502 in BASIC:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARM_architecture#History

Re: Building the worst Linux PC ever: 6 hours to boot Ubuntu

#58
post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Actually, if you go read my source code, you'll see that the emulator DOES in fact emulate a framebuffer. In fact I even have code in place to output the image. I just didn't connect a graphical LCD to this particular built. It is, however, supported.

Wow, neat. What's your day job?

software engineer @ google

Re: Building the worst Linux PC ever: 6 hours to boot Ubuntu

#59
post #17

Impressive. And now I'm wondering if a Minecraft inside Minecraft would actually be realizable. As 8bit CPUs have already been made (altough with unknown architecture), it is a bit less crazy to imagine running linux with a java stack on it. It will be hellish slow and you probably need some sort of "hardware" graphic acceleration. And a lot more memory than the current versions. But hey, running Minecraft in Minecra…

How about Conway's Life in Conway's Life? (Yo, dawg: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Q... )

That pretty much completely blew my mind

Re: Building the worst Linux PC ever: 6 hours to boot Ubuntu

#60
post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I love stuff like this. If only there was an easy way to make 'GUI' programs Flash/Java might have competition.

Working on it... The LatticeMico32 toolchain (gcc, gdb, ar, ld) is very bad, seriously... I'm thinking of doing a MIPS or ARM emulator, just because the toolchains are so much better to work with. Anyways, I do have a framebuffer demo that runs at a very decent frame rate on my machine (at this moment it is Chrome only and I unfortunately don't have the binaries for the demo on github). But this is not on Linux, it's…

I think it's a great idea! I also think you are on the right path with using a barebones environment; I use Linux, but it's not right for the purpose.

The biggest market I see for something like this is games or displaying some sort of video. It seems like it is getting harder and harder to find something that Java/Flash can do that HTML5/Javascript can't but they still have their uses. For Flash it's RTMPS for encrypted video. For Java it's ease of development.

I'm so intrigued because it seems it seems like an awesome way to do some browser fuzzing :D

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