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Jim_MDP · Oct 13, 2003, 09:08 PM

Just thinkin' last night about my unused Wallstreet with it's puny 2gig HD.

Could I have just Darwin and X11 and slap KDE or Gnome on for de/wm (not that I don't just love TWM)?

It's not something I would tackle soon, hell I'm wondering how I would get the basics on so I could use it to load the rest.

But is it doable?

pwolfe1 · Oct 14, 2003, 01:03 PM

2gig is kinda skimpy. you might wanna use something like fluxbox, but I don't see why that couldn't be done. I'm sure we'd all like to hear when you pull it off!!

Jim_MDP · Oct 14, 2003, 01:38 PM

True, I've only taken quick looks at a handful of the de/wms so I just threw KDE/Gnome out there as an example. I haven't a clue how much space they need, but I see your point.

Anyway it's just the seed of an idea and I would need plenty of suggestions before trying but it could be nice.

Like a Linux box but with better hardware.

pwolfe1 · Oct 14, 2003, 03:24 PM

or you could judt put linux on it. linux will run on alomst anything. and i know from experience. I even have a distro that'll boot of a 256mb usb stick.

honestly, I think it would be easier to just slap a ppc version of linux on there. check out mandrake 9.1.

Jim_MDP · 05:06 PM

Yeah, good thought with Mandrake.

But don't Linux installs need some wacky partition scheme?

*edit* Hmmm, $60... maybe not.

superlarry · Oct 14, 2003, 06:59 PM

i've always been a fan of debian. it's free: http://www.debian.org/
you just need to get a .iso for powerpc, like on this site http://mirror.pacific.net.au/debian-cd/3.0_r1/powerpc/

the partition scheme isn't that weird - a swap space for virtual memory, and then your regular filesystem for storage. 128 MB seems to be standard for swap space, leaving you about 1.9 gigs for other stuff. debian's really easy to use because things come in precompiled packages - you can "apt-get install packagename" for almost anything imaginable.

theolein · Oct 14, 2003, 07:34 PM

I second the idea of debian with the caveat that debian is perhaps a bit old in the stable version. The other option would be YellowDog, which is what I used on my Lombard and it runs very well and fast there.

pwolfe1 · Oct 14, 2003, 08:26 PM

the other distros mentioned a great in thier own regards, but I have always been a mandrake nut. It is the most bleeding edge distro in my opinion. There is a huge community behind it too, and always easy to get help. (I know this because I help moderate www.mandrakeusers.org)

Mandrake also has thier own package management system called urpmi. I uses the rpm package format. and its a hell of a lot easier to find rpms than deb's in my opinion also.

where's the 60 dollars from? price of mandrake? thats for the version that comes with commercial software. you can still download it for free you know.

As I speak I'm downloading 9.2 for the x86, they have a subscription club, and are seading it out early today. (subscribe to help them pay thier employees and keep the lights on...after all, they do give thier product away)

Jim_MDP · Oct 14, 2003, 08:36 PM

Hmmm... Six and a half full CDs worth of download for Debian? Damn.

And I thought it was three various partions, so just swp/usr sounds better. Unix formatted?

If you understood how much I know of Linux - nil, and how little I've used any *nix CLI - damned little, you'd see why I felt Mandrake with it's Jim proof installer was second in consideration only to YDL (same reason) when I thought at all about a Linux route.

Several factors have me in extreme frugal mode for the time being... so I had the Darwin/X11 idea as a way of doing it on the cheap (free).

Although Mac-on-Linux is a tempting factor.

Jim_MDP · Oct 14, 2003, 08:41 PM

Originally posted by pwolfe1:

where's the 60 dollars from? price of mandrake? thats for the version that comes with commercial software. you can still download it for free you know.

As I speak I'm downloading 9.2 for the x86, they have a subscription club, and are seading it out early today. (subscribe to help them pay thier employees and keep the lights on...after all, they do give thier product away)

Sorry, I was typing a previous reply when yoiu posted...

The 60 was for the sub club. I didn't see just a free plain vanilla d/l listed, nor a link.

pwolfe1 · Oct 14, 2003, 08:48 PM

the club is actually pretty cool even if you are not a develper. they have an rpm voting system, so you can vote on what gets included in revision releases. there are also user submitted rpms of software you would normally have to grab source code to install. makes avoiding dependency hell that much easier.

Jim_MDP · Oct 14, 2003, 09:44 PM

So is there an actually free basic install available?

I would help support the effort when I could afford it or buy the additional packages. just not now.

pwolfe1 · Oct 14, 2003, 09:46 PM

try this:

http://www.mandrakelinux.com/en/ftp.php3#ppc

Jim_MDP · Oct 14, 2003, 10:37 PM

Originally posted by pwolfe1:
try this:

http://www.mandrakelinux.com/en/ftp.php3#ppc

Which gets me to the web store where the lowest 'contribution' is $60.

Been there, seen that.

Partisan01 · Oct 14, 2003, 10:51 PM

Originally posted by Jim_MDP:
Which gets me to the web store where the lowest 'contribution' is $60.

Been there, seen that.

OR...

you could go to linux iso and download Mandrade 9.1 PPC for FREE. Tons of linux iso's there all for download, all for free, all legal.

For the record, I think X11 and Darwin would be a find combination. I would install Darwin and then just compile X11 from scratch, config out all the stuff you don't need, slim system not tons of space needed. I've run BSD systems on 200meg hard drives without breaking a sweat. You can even get linux installs that will put a full featured system on a single floppy disk (1.44mb)

Nate

Jim_MDP · Oct 14, 2003, 11:41 PM

Originally posted by Partisan01:
I would install Darwin and then just compile X11 from scratch, config out all the stuff you don't need

Well there's a man with no grasp of how little I know on the CLI.

Ok... thank you for the link. Should I feel uncomfortable if I want to d/l YDL no charge?

pwolfe1 · Oct 15, 2003, 02:02 AM

man, did you actually read the page? at the bottom are 2 links:

Code:
I agree to support Mandrake Linux, please send me to the Mandrake Linux Users Club Registration page

which will ask you to pay

and

Code:
I'm already a member of the Club or plan on registering soon, please send me to the download page

which will take you directly to the download page.

Jim_MDP · Oct 15, 2003, 02:27 AM

Originally posted by pwolfe1:
man, did you actually read the page? at the bottom are 2 links:

Wow, I apologize. When I read the 'I am already a member' my eyes popped right back to the button and text above it.

Odd thing... earlier I did follow the upper 'loin' link to the "store site' and it logged my IP, so now both AND the 'downloads' link at the top of the page take me straight to the page of mirror links. Ooooooooo.

pwolfe1 · Oct 15, 2003, 08:40 AM

no prob. you're not the first!

smitty825 · Oct 15, 2003, 12:49 PM

Another distro you may want to try is Gentoo. They have a bootable "live CD" that is available for free. It boots up off of the CD-Rom drive, loads up KDE/Gnome and lets you run that way...

http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/gentoo-ppc-install.xml

superlarry · Oct 17, 2003, 11:45 PM

Originally posted by Jim_MDP:
Hmmm... Six and a half full CDs worth of download for Debian? Damn.

you only need the first. the cd's are just archives of packages arranged by common-ness. when you're done with the cd, you can upgrade via the web. on x86 (and maybe powerpc, i'm not sure) you can even just download a ~30 MB cd image to boot from which installs everything from the web.
and to those worried about the "bleeding edge," you can change your debian sources to "unstable" (meaning they haven't been tested as extensively as the "stable" packages) - these and gentoo are by far the most up-to-date. debian unstable packages are update multiple times per day.

mike one · Oct 21, 2003, 09:02 PM

i would second the debian recommendation.

also given your limited space, forget gnome and kde, which everyone talks about, try windowmaker! that is what i run as my X11 and debian window managers, it is great, small, configurable and fast, since all the eye candy is stripped away

there should be a way to get X running on darwin, but i'mnot sure apple's x11 is the way to do it, i know there are some other projects out there, outdated perhaps, but they will work, and should allow fink to install apps.

GL!