| ... |
... |
@@ -37,11 +37,3 @@ Revision 5 provides a complete utility image, with full network capabilities, a |
| 37 |
37 |
v4 is a major overhaul, which still aims for compatibility with BL3 and Slackware 4 packages, but will ship a new core system - Linux 2.4.37, Binutils 2.12, GCC 2.95.3, glibc-2.3.1, BusyBox 1.32 (keesan's build). In addition, the 2.4 kernel enables the use of `tmpfs` and `mini_fo` to provide a complete virtual read-write liveCD experience (on systems with sufficient RAM) which also eliminates some of the very hacky tricks used in 3.5.1 to enable writable temp and lock files on the read-only CD filesystem. |
| 38 |
38 |
|
| 39 |
39 |
The change to 2.4 requires a complete rewrite of the `initrd` scripts, and likely changes to `/etc/rc` and `startx`, among other BL-LCARS scripts. |
| 40 |
|
- |
| 41 |
|
-### the 4MB problem |
| 42 |
|
- |
| 43 |
|
-The problem is that while 2.4 is actually pretty efficient in terms of memory, it adds a lot of CPU overhead. The system as-written is very slow on a 4MB 386, to the point of being mostly unusable, despite 4MB technically allowing the system to boot and load network drivers. One idea is to provide extra options in the MS-DOS boot menu - an expliclit "low memory" mode could be selected which uses the older kernel and init scripts. approximations thereof). |
| 44 |
|
- |
| 45 |
|
-An issue here is that calling `ls /lib/modules/$(uname -r)` takes *nearly five full minutes* with the current 2.4 build and 4MB of RAM on a 386DX-33. It's not realisitc; loading NE2000 drivers takes almost half an hour. Building fewer modules means less compatibility. |
| 46 |
|
- |
| 47 |
|
-I think we are going to need two kernels. a 4MB kernel with a small set of essential modules (network, IDE, SCSI, FS). 2.4 just takes absolute eons to do things with <4MB whereas 2.2 was slow but still relatively usable (seconds not minutes). |
| 48 |
40 |
|