Re: [TCLUG:2065] Small Linux distribution fit for my friends?

[Michael Hicks <hick0088@tc.umn.edu>]

> No, but I have used Micro Images X server and it works (though not as
> well as others).
> The win32 version is reasonably stable running xterms, xemacs, and
> netscape, but it has it's own window manager that it doesn't do too
> welll without. The mac version has not behaved very well for me, but I
> haven't kicked it around too much yet (haven't had the time). Maybe in
> December?

Yeah, that's the one that I've tried...  I've set up two people with
MI/X, plus one other friend (on a Mac) has found it on his own.  (The
Mac user is seriously thinking of getting LinuxPPC or MkLinux,
though..)  The two people I set up with MI/X aren't great with
computers, and I'd like the setup to be as painless as possible (for
both me _and_ them..)  MI/X has not been painless, in my experience...

> I've never heard of ZipSlack, but tell me more because it sounds
> pretty interesting.

ZipSlack is found along with normal mirrors of Slackware..  one place is
ftp://ftp.cs.umn.edu/pub/Linux/zipslack

It's distributed in a ~32MB zip file, ready for unpacking on a Windows
system..  (since the file is so big, your old 16-bit unzippers won't do
the trick.. a 32-bit version is required, apparently.)

After doing more reading, it seems I've basically answered my own
question..  The unpacked system takes ~70MB, plus you'd probably want to
put a swapfile somewhere..  (there's info in the fourmeg.README file) 
I'm not sure, but adding X would probably put it over 100MB, but the
compressed files would still be transportable on a single Zip disk.. 
(ZipSlack w/X would probably fit on an LS-120, though..)

Anyway, I think I'm going to try setting up something for one of my
friends tonight..  I'll tell you how it goes..

-- 
                    --== Mike Hicks ==--
http://umn.edu/~hick0088	mailto:hick0088@tc.umn.edu
                        ICQ:6883760
Linux User Since 1.2.13            Current Kernel: 2.1.125