Re: BDI candidate...

["Scott Holmes" <norgasm-at-hotmail.com>]

I know I've seen other recommendations for BDI installations, I like the
idea of a Redhat based BDI because it's where most people seem to start with
Linux, and it tends to scare fewer people off.

For more advanced users I think an alternative installation would be great.
When I can find time, I'm hoping to work on a Gentoo Linux implementation as
this can be optimized for any level of processor and is extremely
customizable (the hope would be to widen the scope of supported systems).
For those not familiar with Gentoo, it's a system that compiles everything
from source-code, but also handles all dependencies automatically (no more
hunting for all the required RPMs for a given package).  Due to the
compilation, the install can be time-consuming, but the process is automated
so the idea is that once you have the base system installed you issue a
single command (e.g.. "#emerge emc") and it would download the source-code
and install all the packages necessary for xfree86, kde, the real-time
kernel patches, and EMC itself.  This process can take anywhere from 6
hours, to days depending on the level of the target system, but the end
result is that you're not locked into going for a PIII or greater just
because that's what the distribution demands.  I believe that under this, a
2 axis system could possibly even run on a '486! (I don't have anything to
base this on of course, except gut feeling....not that I'm any kind of
expert in real-time)...

I don't think this is the answer for the bulk of EMC users who just want a
machine that works, hence the BDI, but I know that if someone were to make
up a package for Gentoo that I'd use it!  This is on my long list of things
I'd like to do myself, but haven't got around to yet.  So if someone's
interested in a slightly less than BDI, this seems like another way to go.

Scott
----- Original Message -----
From: "Dean Hedin" <dhedin-at-ieee.org>
To: "Multiple recipients of list" <emc-at-nist.gov>
Sent: Wednesday, March 26, 2003 9:43 PM
Subject: BDI candidate...


>
> Hi Paul,
>
> Regarding the next candidate distro for BDI...
>
> I was wondering if you have looked at Arch Linux. http://archlinux.org
> This is an awsome distro with great package management.
> I've been playing around with it for the past few days on my old laptop.
> It has a "simpler than Slackware" setup.   I think it's package management
> would really ease EMC installation.   I was able to create a kernel
package
> with the pre-emptive patch very easily.   I'm going to see if I can create
a
> realtime kernel package for it.
>
> The only problem is that it is an optimixed linux for Pentium II (i686) or
> better.  I'm not sure how much that would impact the installed base of EMC
> machines.
>
>