From: simon@us-es.sel.de (Simon Toomer Fa. SSW)
Subject: Re: Unix/X on a laptop
Organization: SEL-Alcatel Line Transmission Systems Dept. US/ES
Date: Thu, 28 Jan 93 18:03:38 GMT


Hi Brent and all others interested

Can I recommend a posix compliant unix clone ( PD i.e free ) called Linux
I run it on my 486DX33 with 16M ram and a 200 Meg disk note book, with a 
docking station ET4000 SVGA card and a 17inch Nytech monitor, and can get
the X windows to work in mono 640x400 notebook screen no problem.

The absolute minumum is a 386SX with 4MB ram 64MB disk to get the full
Soft Landing Distribution (SLS) currently Linux .99pl2 with Xfree386.

One should say that 4M is min required with X windows (2M other wise), 
a swap file or partition can be used to bump performance up,
it runs on a generic mono VGA 640x400 ie LCD
or ET4000, genoa, paradise, ATI, and I believe the diamond S3 for colour X windows
  
the SLS distribution is avail ftp in US from

	tsx-11.mit.edu (18.172.1.2):
		directory /pub/linux
                SLS /pub/linux/packages/SLS

	sunsite.unc.edu (152.2.22.81):
		directory /pub/Linux

or SLS is available from the address: 

        Softlanding Software               
        910 Lodge Ave. 
        Victoria, B.C., Canada             
        V8X-3A8            
        (604) 360-0188



where
        a1-aN: The minimal base system
        b1-bN: Base system extras, like man pages, emacs etc.
        c1-cN: The compiler(s), gcc/g++/p2c/f2c
        x1-xN: The X-windows distribution
        i1-iN: Interviews (doc and idraw)
        t1-tN: TeX (document processing)


Tiny base system:        9 Meg  (Series 'a')
Main base system:       25 Meg  (Series 'a', 'b' and 'c')
Main base system + X11: 45 Meg  (Series 'a', 'b', 'c' and 'x')




What you get...................................................................... 

Kernel has SCSII support, sockets, TCP/IP, NFS etc  
complete kernel source

orignal Kernal work was done by Linus Torvaldis in finland who should be mentioned
for a a great job done (he has a liking for virtual beer) and hence deservers the
credits.

All the standard admin stuff is there

Free Software Foundation gnu bin utils, g++2.3.3 yep thats C++ 

Xfree386 binary distrubution ie games + idraw, doc ( WYSIWIG doc processor ), and
your standard X clients.

BETA cd-rom drivers, sound card drivers, QIC tape streamer drivers, and a line printer
subsystem 
....................................................................................



I run open-look virtual window manager + Xviews lib because I haven't got the gwm
generic window manager with motif emulation to compile yet problems with flex and
lex incompatiblity ( some hacking beeing done there )

Sofar I have had no problems either installing/running and can only say I am well
pleased with it i.e. if I had not bought (yugh I did I konw a Borland 3.1 C++ compiler
I would have deleted my DOS partition just for disk space ). 

There is an avid news group for it
comp.os.linux

check it out

Regards 
Simon T.

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Simon Toomer: simon@us-es.sel.de                   | #include< std_disclaimer.h>  |
Unix Systems Consultant                            | #include< std_smiley.h >     |

SEL-Alcatel Line Transmission Systems Dept. US/ES  | #includes< work >            |
Lorenz Str
7000 Stuttgart
Germany
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Newsgroups: comp.sys.laptops