Re: compact distributions for old equipment

[Doug Loss <dloss@csrlink.net>]

Malonowa wrote:
> 
> http://smalllinux.netpedia.net/
> 
> This looks promising - X windows in less than 4 megs.
> 
> Now it just so happens that I've got an old 40Meg HD to try this on and I can
> pull out some ram from one of my machines....
> 
> Maybe we could make a distribution out of this one.
> 
We talked about doing a separate distro for educational uses before. 
With the resources we have, might that not be something we could do a
proof of concept of and hand off to some other project?  I'd hate to see
us get stuck in the minutiae of developing, publicizing, and
distributing a Linux-for-education distro and then have no more useful
educational apps than we now have.  We talked about having a "bouquet"
of educational apps in an easy to install package that could be used
over any Linux distro.  I think this is a good way to go--separating the
acknowledged need for a small distro that runs well on old, small, slow
hardware (which isn't just an educational need) from the need for
educational applications.  Of course, those apps should also run well on
the small distro, but I don't think we need to get into the distro
business.  We should probably talk to Kylie Davies
<beckster@warehouse.net> from the Australian Computerbank project about
small Linux distros, as that's something that they've been investigating
for quite some time.

-- 
Doug Loss                 A life spent making mistakes is not only
Data Network Coordinator  more honorable, but more useful than a
Bloomsburg University     life spent doing nothing.
dloss@bloomu.edu                G. B. Shaw