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From: Folderol on 12 Nov 2008 17:25
Can Anyone suggest a fairly simple fast-loading distro to be used on an
800MHz processor, in an embedded application.

Essential requirements are being able to run X.

That's about it really. The program I want to run is written in python
(using pygame for simplicity of screen and I/O control), so doesn't
need any desktop stuff - although I'd install openbox for basic
software updates etc.

Currently I'm using Zenwalk, but I think even that loads a lot of
stuff I simply don't need, and it takes over a minute from switch on to
get to my program.

--
Will J G
From: Whiskers on 12 Nov 2008 18:16
On 2008-11-12, Folderol <folderol(a)ukfsn.org> wrote:
> Can Anyone suggest a fairly simple fast-loading distro to be used on an
> 800MHz processor, in an embedded application.
>
> Essential requirements are being able to run X.

[...]

*Which* CPU? How much RAM? How much HD (or equivalent) space? How do you
want to install - floppy, CD, DVD, USB, LAN, FTP, ...?

Have you tried the questionnaire at <http://distrowatch.com/search.php>?

--
-- ^^^^^^^^^^
-- Whiskers
-- ~~~~~~~~~~
From: Szymon von Ulezalka on 12 Nov 2008 19:30
On 12 Lis, 22:25, Folderol <folde...(a)ukfsn.org> wrote:
> Can Anyone suggest a fairly simple fast-loading distro to be used on an
> 800MHz processor, in an embedded application.
>
> Essential requirements are being able to run X.
>
> That's about it really. The program I want to run is written in python
> (using pygame for simplicity of screen and I/O control), so doesn't
> need any desktop stuff - although I'd install openbox for basic
> software updates etc.
>
> Currently I'm using Zenwalk, but I think even that loads a lot of
> stuff I simply don't need, and it takes over a minute from switch on to
> get to my program.
>
> --
> Will J G

slackware, debian, arch, pld, kateos....
From: Gordon Henderson on 13 Nov 2008 04:17
In article <20081112222507.6bdbd025(a)folderol.ukfsn.org.ukfsn.org>,
Folderol <folderol(a)ukfsn.org> wrote:
>Can Anyone suggest a fairly simple fast-loading distro to be used on an
>800MHz processor, in an embedded application.
>
>Essential requirements are being able to run X.
>
>That's about it really. The program I want to run is written in python
>(using pygame for simplicity of screen and I/O control), so doesn't
>need any desktop stuff - although I'd install openbox for basic
>software updates etc.
>
>Currently I'm using Zenwalk, but I think even that loads a lot of
>stuff I simply don't need, and it takes over a minute from switch on to
>get to my program.

I have something similar, but no X and my units take about that time to
boot too, but I can't quite fathom out why - as the boot process seems
to read the initrd.gz file, then the kernel re-reads it from flash which
takes time.

What I did was take an existing distro I was happy with, then strip out
the bits I wanted and just put that on the target system. (and it's all
scripted, so re-building after I update the host system is trivial)

Compile the kernel for the hardware and nothing more - no modules.
Remove all unneeded init.d scripts - and in that repect, you might even
be better off dumping all of them and just having one big 'rc' script,
but it depends on the distro and what you need to do at power-down time.
My system runs from RAM so pulling the plug isn't an issue.

Gordon
From: Whiskers on 13 Nov 2008 08:11
On 2008-11-13, Gordon Henderson <gordon+usenet(a)drogon.net> wrote:
> In article <20081112222507.6bdbd025(a)folderol.ukfsn.org.ukfsn.org>,
> Folderol <folderol(a)ukfsn.org> wrote:
>>Can Anyone suggest a fairly simple fast-loading distro to be used on an
>>800MHz processor, in an embedded application.
>>
>>Essential requirements are being able to run X.
>>
>>That's about it really. The program I want to run is written in python
>>(using pygame for simplicity of screen and I/O control), so doesn't
>>need any desktop stuff - although I'd install openbox for basic
>>software updates etc.
>>
>>Currently I'm using Zenwalk, but I think even that loads a lot of
>>stuff I simply don't need, and it takes over a minute from switch on to
>>get to my program.
>
> I have something similar, but no X and my units take about that time to
> boot too, but I can't quite fathom out why - as the boot process seems
> to read the initrd.gz file, then the kernel re-reads it from flash which
> takes time.
>
> What I did was take an existing distro I was happy with, then strip out
> the bits I wanted and just put that on the target system. (and it's all
> scripted, so re-building after I update the host system is trivial)
>
> Compile the kernel for the hardware and nothing more - no modules.
> Remove all unneeded init.d scripts - and in that repect, you might even
> be better off dumping all of them and just having one big 'rc' script,
> but it depends on the distro and what you need to do at power-down time.
> My system runs from RAM so pulling the plug isn't an issue.
>
> Gordon

Arch Linux installs with a bare minimum from which you build the system
you want - manually editing the init scripts is part of the installation
routine. I'm in the process of setting up an Arch system on a Toshiba
Libretto i686 1.2GHz and from Grub to a console login prompt takes 20
seconds. Running startx takes another 20 seconds to load XFce4 and
shutdown from there takes about 15 seconds.

From the project's web site, I would expect Zenwalk 'Core Edition' or
'Server Edition' to be somewhat comparable with that.

Puppy Linux is pretty quick too - and tiny.

--
-- ^^^^^^^^^^
-- Whiskers
-- ~~~~~~~~~~
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