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[linrad] Linrad focus: extreme performance (cheap) // Re: [linrad] Re: Leifs Debian install problems, another guess..





Debian is perhaps the only distro that can be used in old computers now. Other distros claim much more big memory sizes. I give you some solutions if you want to try in the future.

Yes. I use RedHat6.1 which runs fine on the old machine. Woody is perhaps
a little more difficult to install for a newcomer but also RedHat 6.1 requires some Linux knowledge.

Yes, that were glorious Linux days.... :-)



-Put some more memory just to install. Then remove it for normal use.
or
-Install Debian 3.r4. Install only the base system. Then, update the /etc/apt/sources.list file to point the sarge files on debian servers and do "apt-get update;apt-get dist-upgrade", cross your fingers and wait. Then change to new kernel....etc (this is not complicated, but sure you will have to tweak some things to make modules work. I recomend the first solution.

I do not need to replace RedHat on the old computer, I am just using it
now and then to verify that Linrad runs properly on it. As it turns out,
the multithreaded version needs to use swap space so I can not use mlockall
to get info whether some of the important work space gets swapped so at
the moment I have no way to tell the user what the problem is if he
selects too demanding parameters.

I understand..


That all sounds good, but I gave up with LINRAD because to many components have to play together. If LINRAD would come up in ONE package that everyone could install, who is not someone with squared eyes, I would try it againe. Don`t take it personaly. I'v seen LINRAD in Prague and it looks fine. But for people who use theyr computer like my granny her TV-set...

That is his problem, not our problem. People is too lazy. People wants everything ready to fly.

Hmmm, I see this as a very important problem.
:-)

Yesterday I was around 5 hours studying your problem!

Thanks. The answer was very simple and maybe it would be a good
idea to tell debian.or about it. The information that 24 megabytes is
enough is false!!

OK, I am going to investigate it and fill a bug report if I nobody has done it before.


It makes me think I have already uploaded too much information
in a way that is confusing to the newcomer.

Probably the newcomer will not use such old computer, and it would be easier. You are working with hardware that even does not boot from CDROM. People will frighten even with the instruction set that you explained to boot from the SmartBootManager floppy.

It seems that you and me are the only madmen who use old computers ;-)

Typically the experimenter I want to reach has a reasonably modern computer
which he uses for MS Windows, E-mail, family photo album etc. This computer
is also used by family members and he is unwilling to install Linux on it.
This guy has the time needed and a radio that would surely benefit from
Linrad in CW mode and he also has an old scrap computer - but that one is typically a 486 today - even here in Sweden. My suggestion "use your scrap computer and put Linrad on it" does not work yet, but I think the oldest Pentium computers will soon become the "typical old computer" and
such hardware is fully adequate and I think it would open the eyes on
many people if it were easy to install Linrad on them.

I want to make Linrad available to hams who can spend very little
money on their hobby, but who have the time to do some experimenting.
(I do remember how my own route into the hobby went....)

This is the scenario: A scrap computer is the target for a Linrad install.
The family computer which has an Ethernet connection is used to make a CD and possibly a boot floppy. The Internet connection is borrowed from the
family computer to allow the scrap computer to install everything it needs
over the Internet. As long as Linrad is the only program that will be run
on the computer, the latest Linrad version would be the only thing needed
from the Internet, but making it possible to fetch anything that would fit into the computer could promote Linux interest in general.

My own route is to make Linrad multi-threaded and better structured
so it will be possible to make a multi-platform package from it. I am
sure Linrad would be extremely useful on HF bands to fight man made
noise with wideband hardware. Until now I do not think anyone has tried
it and the threshold to Linux seems to be the main obstacle.....


Ok Leif, I understand you now.

Here is near imposible to find a 486 working anywhere. People get new computers and throw old ones to the bin. Even the pentiums around 200 MHz are also difficult to find. But they are very good machines for linrad. I recently got a 400 MHz AMD with 64 MB for free from a school that replaced all computers . :-) I installed sarge there and works fine for reading email, surfing the net, and so on. What people throw away as unuseful machines is good for the Linrad experimenter!

Ok, I will tell you if I find any news.

Ramiro, EA1ABZ.






73

Leif / SM5BSZ


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