Re: What services are NOT needed with EMC

[Brian Pitt <bfp-at-earthlink.net>]

I've been tinkering with a minimal EMC setup off & on for awhile
but haven't made the time to get it fully working yet

you may be surprised how small it can get

build the smallest kernel you can
Strip libraries with
# objcopy strip-debug FROM TO
and binaries with
# objcopy --strip-all FROM TO
use the smallest utilitys you can find like busybox 
http://busybox.lineo.com/
you should be able to fit the kernel and a compressed filesystem 
onto a single floppy with a second disk for programs
check
http://www.linuxdoc.org/HOWTO/Bootdisk-HOWTO/index.html
http://www.croftj.net/~fawcett/yard/
http://www.linuxdevices.com/
for more details

unfortunately you have to give up all of the nice bits from the GUI or write 
yet another new interface 
and everyone would probably have to build their own custom system

using one of the smaller X servers (smallX,tinyX or just an old version)
and a minimal window manager you could fit a system WITH the GUI onto a
32MB CF-disk without much trouble

Brian

> > X windows and the window manager would be the largest part of any
> > install. If this part could be dumped in favor of a framebuffer drive
> > and a small dedicated GUI implimented - I would think  you could sqeeze
> > it into less than 32 Mb.
>
> Right, 32Mb of rtlinux and the EMC - sans gui on a compact-flash.  And it
> would be a great black box with just a power cord, an ethernet connection,
> and with some of gecko's finest, molex connectors for each axis.
>
> Of course you could make it just a netboot and have no hard storage.  128
> Mg 100 sdram is going for < $50 now.  Compact Flash is close to $100.