supple kestrel
hi, gentoo server! i have a very special project, and i'm joining the server to brainstorm with you on how to make it happen.
i've installed gentoo a couple times in the past, and i kinda know what i'm doing at this point. those were all relatively modern computers, though. this time will be... different.
you guys will probably be hearing a lot more about this machine as i ask you for advice along the way.
proud cloud
hi, gentoo server! i have a very special project, and i'm joining the server to ...
omg i'm in love
timid dune
Is that a thinkpad?
supple kestrel
IBM thinkpad 390X, pentium iii, 128MB RAM
timid dune
I've soiled my dungarees. This is going to be spectacular
supple kestrel
i plan to use a modern gaming PC to cross-compile packages for it. i've never set up binhosting or compile servers before, so just setting up the architecture for the attempt will be a learning experience for me. there's also the challenge of finding a good build environment that'll boot from the internal DVD drive on those specs, and of course the install process itself...
like i said i've used gentoo before, it's not brand new to me, but this is a whole different league for me and i will probably need all the help i can get at times
i could upgrade the RAM up to 512 megs if i really need to, but that's no fun :)
supple kestrel
first order of business tonight will probably be taking out the old hard drive - it still has an install of windows 2000 professional on it. i've already backed up the install, but i'd also like to keep the original drive with its original software.
i feel pretty confident that it's a laptop IDE drive in there, so i'll be looking into getting a CompactFlash-IDE or SDCard-IDE adapter, so i have something something solid state and more affordable/easy to replace.
supple kestrel
proof of concept: it runs tinycore with JWM desktop fine. it even has wifi drivers, which i did not expect. i'm using a coreplus DVD to test quickly for window managers that will run well and to see what hardware has drivers under linux (seemingly, everything important.)
i'm not so surprised, because thinkpad, but the fact that legacy hardware like this - especially the aftermarket PCMCIA wifi card - is still well supported under fairly modern linux is commendable.
of course, even the trackpoint works.
it can browse to a webpage about itself
not sticking with tinycore for long obviously, but it's a good way for me to confirm that this machine works (until yesterday i had never booted it)
also, waiting on a replacement drive on which to install gentoo
azure jasper
I really want the 486 version, but it cost so much
Nice find though, rust is the only issue really
supple kestrel
i've ordered a replacement drive (laptop IDE to SD card adapter) and am currently waiting on that part to arrive before i go further. there will be a lull in thinkpad content for another few days while that's on the way. in the meantime, i'll try to figure out how i'm going to compile packages for it
azure jasper
i've ordered a replacement drive (laptop IDE to SD card adapter) and am currentl...
Slowly
You do it like this btw
little horizon
any updates
supple kestrel
well, this took forever.. i had to track down two low-density 128MB PC-100 SODIMMs, because the 2x64 it came with was too little to boot. after struggling with that, buying the wrong parts once, and getting caught up in other projects for months, i'm finally booted!
i couldn't boot gentoo's minimal, nor arch32, nor antix. actually, the only things i got to boot on it before the ram upgrade were tinycore, kolibri, and netbsd
now it's go time though. i'll be working on this again since gentoo's minimal installer boots
(i also had a brief escapade into early '00s versions of red hat linux while waiting on parts.)
currently choosing a stagefile!
i'd like to have a minimal X system if i can, i was able to get X working under tinycore.
i plan to go for openrc
proud cloud
i couldn't boot gentoo's minimal, nor arch32, nor antix. actually, the only thin...
yeah most of those run in ram so it'd be hard
but you theoretically could install gentoo from tinycore afaik
supple kestrel
i've not updated this in a bit! i eventually decided to put a gentoo install on the back burner because it required too much time and infrastructure, and i wasn't confident in the laptop's health to be compiling under heavy load all the time. i got netBSD installed though, and running windowmaker first, then JWM
proud cloud
oooo nice :D
You have a modern machine lying around right?
If so you could use that to compile binpkgs to use on the laptop giving the laptop significantly less work to do
supple kestrel
i have relatively modern machines but nothing that's really fast and also on all the tine
proud cloud
i have relatively modern machines but nothing that's really fast and also on all...
nothing that's really fast
100% faster than that laptop XD
supple kestrel
true!
i'm thinking i'd need to compile my own kernel on account of being limited to 256mb of ram though, which'd require some serious patience. and as far as i know, i'd then need to maintain two gentoo installs, one of which with a cross-compiling setup and binhost
proud cloud
not 100% true, I have a docker image I built for cross compiling binpkgs, for scenarios like this :D
I don't have the pc it's stored on here right now, I can have it here on Monday
but yeah the kernel could be a little difficult, but 100% doable, Tinycore did it!
supple kestrel
i do plan to circle back to gentoo at a later point when i have more time, netbsd has some issues that linux didn't (the internal PCMCIA wifi doesn't work, for one). it'll be a commitment but it's still a goal
running netbsd has already given me some experience with what window managers and applications will run well on an installed system, what supports such an old machine, etc
i did check the instruction sets while testing gentoo and it's looking pretty barren, lol...
proud cloud
i did check the instruction sets while testing gentoo and it's looking pretty ba...
extensive list!
supple kestrel
yeah, alpine linux, arch32, and void all fail to boot with "illegal instruction" and almost everything else runs out of ram, so i really am limited to gentoo and tinycore on the linux side
proud cloud
yeah a lot of distros say they're i386 when in reality it's almost always 486, or more commonly 686
Gentoo is the only distro i've found that reliably doesn't lie 😭
azure jasper
yeah a lot of distros say they're i386 when in reality it's almost always 486, o...
Debian target 486 but everyone else is Pentium4
i.e. i686+sse2
azure jasper
not 100% true, I have a docker image I built for cross compiling binpkgs, for sc...
why not just use a chroot? It's the way Gentoo tests packages so if nothing else you at least know it should work
proud cloud
Debian target 486 but everyone else is Pentium4
nope :D
My 586 box can't run debian, it says illegal instruction on like 90% of binaries
barely boots
proud cloud
why not just use a chroot? It's the way Gentoo tests packages so if nothing else...
It pulls in keywords and stuff from the host system, and some other wierdness
Docker works way better for me
azure jasper
My 586 box can't run debian, it says illegal instruction on like 90% of binaries
really?
This suspires me as I work with them now and again on this support
and steal patches
Do you know what it is SIGILLing on?
proud cloud
no clue 😔
azure jasper
It pulls in keywords and stuff from the host system, and some other wierdness
crossdev or chroot?
proud cloud
crossdev
azure jasper
use a chroot
I know what you issue is, but no one is testing crossdev and x86 so you are going to be first to find all the issues
proud cloud
I know what you issue is, but no one is testing crossdev and x86 so you are goin...
yay :D
My solution was to make a docker image with just bone-stock gentoo and then use crossdev in there, so I can still have keywords on my host system, and cross-compile packages
but yeah I guess a chroot could also work
azure jasper
the unwritten rule to learn here is, if everyone that gets paid to do the task uses something different to you then you are likely using the wrong system
Ignoring random people on reddit is fine though 🙂
or to put it another way? why didn't you just use a 32bit docker instead of adding another layer
proud cloud
or to put it another way? why didn't you just use a 32bit docker instead of addi...
uhhhhh
a skill issue on my part 😭
azure jasper
Think of it as a lesson on understanding the person that is giving you the advice before dismissing
azure jasper
weren't you the Leah on IRC that negril told to wait for me before starting?
proud cloud
oh yeah
with a chroot i thought you meant crossdev 😭
never made that connection until now 😭
azure jasper
OK so the second lesson is read the articles you get sent
proud cloud
uhhh i don't remember any articles, i might have been tired
azure jasper
There were articles 😄