[mkroot] To the people who keeping pinging me off list...

[David Seikel]

On Tue, 13 Mar 2018 15:41:17 -0500 Rob Landley <rob at landley.net> wrote:

> On 03/13/2018 03:22 PM, David Seikel wrote:
> >> Linux From Scratch is where I got the idea from. I just ratcheted
> >> it up a bit. :)
> > 
> > Maybe a second airlock step might do the job.  Build Aboriginal
> > Linux first, boot it up in qemu, use that to build the LFS airlock
> > step, including the newer toolchain.
> 
> I was considering that, but architecture support (armv8) and the
> ability to run current kernels kinda threw a wrench in that.

Current kernels is where I want to go, and the client is considering
switching from the 486 to some ARM based Olimex board for the new
project, but keeping the 486 for the old one.  The new project is
basically an enhanced version of the old one, but for a different
regulatory jurisdiction.  Luckily both jurisdictions share most of
their relevant laws, and I had those laws in mind while designing the
old one.

> I'm still thinking something like an extended xv6 might be a
> reasonable approach. People keep telling me to look at netbsd but I
> think I'm biologically incapable of caring about them after
> https://lwn.net/Articles/197748/ given that _microsoft_ was the
> company that stepped up to bail them out.
> 
> Besides, netbsd isn't an improvement on
> http://landley.net/notes-2014.html#11-09-2014
> http://landley.net/notes-2014.html#18-06-2014
> http://landley.net/notes-2014.html#01-04-2014
> http://landley.net/notes-2013.html#15-09-2013
> http://landley.net/notes-2012.html#20-12-2012
> 
> And there are a bunch of alternatives probably farther along than xv6,
> http://landley.net/notes-2017.html#22-02-2017
> 
> But for the moment: Linux.

I have tried getting some version of BSD onto my Magic Pixie Dust, but
none of them seem to like living on a GPT partitioned micro SD card,
sharing partitions with a variety of Linux OSes, a FAT partition for
sharing data, and whatever UEFI magic partition I'll have to add to get
the thing to boot on Macs.  Looks like I haven't looked at as many BSD
variants as you have.  I've currently put Magic Pixie Dust's BSD on
hold.  From your notes above, 50 GB?  Wont work under a VM?  Must use
ZFS?  BSD might just end up in the too hard basket for both of us.

Until just now I had not heard of xv6, it looks to mostly be an
educational tool, so might be suitable for adding to my Magic Pixie
Dust.  If it's more cooperative than the BSDs I have tried so far.

-- 
A big old stinking pile of genius that no one wants
coz there are too many silver coated monkeys in the world.
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