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PDP11

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  1. Like
    PDP11 got a reaction from sfx2000 in Geezer goes GaGa over Terminus console font!   
    It's *amazing* what you can find reading the Armbian documentation! 
     
    I dig the shell, even old-school in a virtual terminal or minimal server type setup.  Normally that means going through some squinty-eyed hoops to get the Terminus console font installed with larger sizes in the first place on large monitors.
     
    Wait - what's this?
     
    sudo dpkg-reconfigure console-setup
     
    I did this in a virtual terminal, and allowed setup to pick the right character set for me.  Then I blasted the framebuffer with the largest Terminus font size allowed.
     
    Perfection!  Not a big deal to most, but having this be part of the standard distribution image made my day.  Soooo easy.  thanks!
     
  2. Like
    PDP11 got a reaction from lanefu in Devuan Armbian?   
    The request for a Devuan option was just to give some thought for a way out in case one is forced into a corner by any upcoming events or code-blockers.
     
    Fortunately, Devuan is not some kid's re-spin of Debian, but is a project maintained by actual Debian developers.  But yeah, like all projects, manpower is always the 600 pound gorilla.
     
    For sure, I'm not going off on a socialogical bend either.  For example, this reply comes from a Chromebook, which is using systemd to my knowledge, so it would be highly hypocritical of me to go cheerleading against it.
     
    I'm just trying to think a few years ahead into the future - just in case.   *If* there comes a time when systemd scope creep becomes intolerable (it's more than just init now), Devuan might be a reasonable option.   Will this creep extend to hardware itself?  Redhat-Inside stickers?  Are we cool with that?  Maybe so.
     
    As a geezer, I'm just trying to think about options.  If I want it bad enough, I'll just have to "shut up and hack" since we're blessed by having full source code.  (Many thanks to Keith Bostic [CSRG - BSD] for seeing that through - they could have just closed up shop and called it a day - we're pretty lucky for that.)
      
    Straying OT again - but of course thanks to RMS - even though Keith and RMS didn't see totally eye to eye, there was enough cooperation to help see that through - well before the Linus days when he was only hacking a Vic-20.
     
  3. Like
    PDP11 got a reaction from esbeeb in Devuan Armbian?   
    Devuan site-hackers caught!
     
    I had a talk with the main perpetrator of the takedown.  When he found out I had the power to send him back in time to this Pr1me computer to do his evil deeds, the site was restored immediately.
     
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJeu3LCo-6A
     
    Phht.  Kids these days.
     
     
  4. Like
    PDP11 got a reaction from Igor in Devuan Armbian?   
    Devuan site-hackers caught!
     
    I had a talk with the main perpetrator of the takedown.  When he found out I had the power to send him back in time to this Pr1me computer to do his evil deeds, the site was restored immediately.
     
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJeu3LCo-6A
     
    Phht.  Kids these days.
     
     
  5. Like
    PDP11 got a reaction from guidol in Devuan Armbian?   
    Devuan on ARM is up!
     
    Ok, so all I had was an RPI3, but yeah it's a base system.  Classic root/toor .  You do the rest.  Noted that /etc/fstab might need some Armbian love to save your sd card.  Crusty old 1.22 ver of busybox included as a catastrophe fallback.  Yeah, replace that if you like with an up to date version pronto.
     
    Beginners who cut n paste docs might get frustrated by not seeing an mmcblk0 device from some other box when dd'ing the image, and using /dev/sdx initially.
     
    So there you go.  Kernel 4.9.16, classic init style.  Whaddya know?  It works!  Rock systemd if you want, but nice to know Devuan is more about choice than the init drama itself. (other than luser fanboy stuff...).
     
    DIAGNOSTICS:
    Interestingly enough, my usb mouse kept on disconnecting and reconnecting at random intervals spewing itself on the console while doing so.  Makes me wonder if something like that could be *hidden* by systemd constantly babysitting it and only a binary log review would reveal it?  Dunno - too many variables - luser talk.  Might be interesting to bring up the same systems with different inits to see who's talking and who's not.
     
  6. Like
    PDP11 got a reaction from lanefu in Devuan Armbian?   
    Devuan on ARM is up!
     
    Ok, so all I had was an RPI3, but yeah it's a base system.  Classic root/toor .  You do the rest.  Noted that /etc/fstab might need some Armbian love to save your sd card.  Crusty old 1.22 ver of busybox included as a catastrophe fallback.  Yeah, replace that if you like with an up to date version pronto.
     
    Beginners who cut n paste docs might get frustrated by not seeing an mmcblk0 device from some other box when dd'ing the image, and using /dev/sdx initially.
     
    So there you go.  Kernel 4.9.16, classic init style.  Whaddya know?  It works!  Rock systemd if you want, but nice to know Devuan is more about choice than the init drama itself. (other than luser fanboy stuff...).
     
    DIAGNOSTICS:
    Interestingly enough, my usb mouse kept on disconnecting and reconnecting at random intervals spewing itself on the console while doing so.  Makes me wonder if something like that could be *hidden* by systemd constantly babysitting it and only a binary log review would reveal it?  Dunno - too many variables - luser talk.  Might be interesting to bring up the same systems with different inits to see who's talking and who's not.
     
  7. Like
    PDP11 got a reaction from NicoD in FidoNet survival philosophy   
    Just a tip for something that has helped me from getting a heart-attack over the many years of online discourse....
     
    Back in the day (ugh-really?) there were only TWO rules for participation in the store-and-forward Fidonet system:
     
    1) Thou shalt not excessively annoy others.
    2) Thou shalt not be too easily annoyed.
     
    Breaking *either* rule, got you kicked out.   Strangely enough, rule #2 was broken more often than #1.   And it helps you grow a skin, no matter what is said.  Most importantly, it keeps you hacking, and not getting a heart-attack.
     
    For Devs, maybe the OpenBSD philosophy can cut through some of the angst:
    1) Here's what we're doing.  Hope you like it.
    2) Shut up and hack.
     
    Dunno - been through many Usenet and Fidonet flame-wars.  Not worth it.  DEC vs IBM vs Sun hardware yadda yadda.  Binary only distributions (talk about blobs!), with per-seat / per-cpu, and "bundled" apart so that you don't even get a compiler, (and your department won't pay for licensing - hence the glee over GCC) - don't want to break open the Unix-wars again...
     
    The point is, these "disposable" SBC's aren't worth getting a heart attack about.  Do what you love, but unless you are actually part of making your OWN board, don't get a heart-attack over it.  Or over clueless users like me.  Or devs that shouldn't even be reading this!
     
  8. Like
    PDP11 got a reaction from lanefu in FidoNet survival philosophy   
    Just a tip for something that has helped me from getting a heart-attack over the many years of online discourse....
     
    Back in the day (ugh-really?) there were only TWO rules for participation in the store-and-forward Fidonet system:
     
    1) Thou shalt not excessively annoy others.
    2) Thou shalt not be too easily annoyed.
     
    Breaking *either* rule, got you kicked out.   Strangely enough, rule #2 was broken more often than #1.   And it helps you grow a skin, no matter what is said.  Most importantly, it keeps you hacking, and not getting a heart-attack.
     
    For Devs, maybe the OpenBSD philosophy can cut through some of the angst:
    1) Here's what we're doing.  Hope you like it.
    2) Shut up and hack.
     
    Dunno - been through many Usenet and Fidonet flame-wars.  Not worth it.  DEC vs IBM vs Sun hardware yadda yadda.  Binary only distributions (talk about blobs!), with per-seat / per-cpu, and "bundled" apart so that you don't even get a compiler, (and your department won't pay for licensing - hence the glee over GCC) - don't want to break open the Unix-wars again...
     
    The point is, these "disposable" SBC's aren't worth getting a heart attack about.  Do what you love, but unless you are actually part of making your OWN board, don't get a heart-attack over it.  Or over clueless users like me.  Or devs that shouldn't even be reading this!
     
  9. Like
    PDP11 got a reaction from TonyMac32 in Le Potato / C2 / K2 4.19 LTS testing thread   
    One Potato, two Potato:  I picked up the smaller 1gb board as a backup to my 2gb Potato running:
     
    Linux lepotato 4.19.20-meson64 #5.75 SMP PREEMPT Fri Feb 8 10:08:40 CET 2019 aarch64 GNU/Linux
     
    So thanks for fixing that issue for the 1gb boards!  I also pulled up a browser to push it a little, and am impressed with the swap tuning/optimization even when using just the sd card.  An emmc is in my future, but for now on a casual use basis, I can't tell much of a difference in responsiveness between either the 1 or 2gb version for medium duty use.  Nice work.  It's why I like Armbian for tweaking the internals as compared to just a standard install.  I think attention to hard core swap tuning paid off so I don't have to mess with it!
     
    No problem with a wireless dongle (model EDUP-AC-1619 [Realtek RTL8811AU]), even when hotplugged.  Mind blown.  Sometimes on the 5.8g side, I'll have to connect to a "hidden" network that actually isn't hidden, and has good signal strength once connected.  Or even if the 5.8ghz signal is not detected, it *eventually* finds and connects.  Who knows if it's the network manager, driver, or whatever.  Not a showstopper, no big deal.  Small beans.
     
    Monitor:  22-inch HP22CWA.  Armbian looks great with default monitor settings.
     
    Note: I still power-off in the terminal (tricking the blob) using
    sudo shutdown -H now
    and everything shuts down nicely leaving only the red led on the Potato illuminated, and the display falls asleep.  I don't use the XFCE4 shutdown, logout, or restart functions but rely on the terminal instead.  
     
    You guys are rockin' my Potatoes!
     
     
  10. Like
    PDP11 got a reaction from chwe in when did you last donate to the armbian project ?   
    No problem - for me what I donated to was the project, the people, and not necessarily the specific ARM hardware/software support.
     
    The devs here are certainly passionate, as well as the users, and that passion is what I donated to.  I think there is a lot of unspoken appreciation for the work under the hood, but unless one raises their voice, or contributes in some fashion, it can become easy to be discouraged and wonder what's the point?
     
    It's not about the money.  If you use Armbian, lurkers drop a little donation to keep it up and running.  It's one small way to let the devs know they aren't operating in a vacuum.
  11. Like
    PDP11 got a reaction from lanefu in What is "TinyCore" ?   
    As much as I love Armbian, I'm also interested in the Tinycore project - not as competition, but as a slightly different discipline with a different outlook.
     
    Rather than merely reproduce what can be found at the project site, I'll run over a few quick concepts.  Maybe you'll find it interesting as well.
     
    In a nutshell - what makes it tiny is that it is basically a kernel, which then relies upon Busybox for the shell/file/unix utilities, including init.   You add on as much or little as you like, although there is the total basic commandline / shell offering, or lightweight Xvesa gui desktop to get started.  If you want a full blown X11 setup, you can do that too.
     
    But it is more than that - relying on a ram-based filesystem, which can include on-demand, and changes to your userland are done with persistent storage.  That means no bit-rot.  Totally goof up your configurations?  Just don't save your changes on exit / logout.
     
    There are 3 similar versions - Tinycore 32/64 bit - custom made by devs/users, Dcore relying on Debian/Ubuntu, and Picore for RPI's.  Other limited board support is there but not super active.  But still basically kernel, busybox utils and init, and you take that as far as you want to go.
     
    http://www.tinycorelinux.net/
     
    Most quickie "install and boot" reviews online show systems that haven't actually adjusted their system or screen resolution.  Just because it's called Tinycore, doesn't mean your screen (or config.txt file or whatever) has to be microscopic.
     
    Again - it is not meant to "compete" with Armbian, but just a different way of looking at things - which is always good for inspiration on both sides.  Hint for those digging out an RPI from the closet - don't forget to resize your partition after install.
     
    Most importantly, it has the same sort of small dev vibe to it like Armbian, which is the *real* reason to run anything...
     
  12. Like
    PDP11 got a reaction from Igor in when did you last donate to the armbian project ?   
    Donated about two days ago.  The community "vibe" was part of it, and also a a somewhat restrained anti-rpi kept to a minimum, prompted me.  (I'm a big "Pi-Core" / Dcore / Tinycore fan as well.  I don't run Raspbian much as PiCore fascinates me much more instead).
     
    For me, it's just as much of a cool community helping each other out, as it is the hardware itself.  I see similarities between the vibe of Armbian, Tinycore, and even Busybox, fullfilling the small-ish group centric thing that our originators, Ken Thompson / Dennis Ritchie / Doug McIlroy / Brian Kernighan and the whole host of others who had the "drive" to do something unique and interesting and helpful for others....
     
    Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but I can feel a common thread going waaay back.
     
  13. Like
    PDP11 got a reaction from Tido in when did you last donate to the armbian project ?   
    Donated about two days ago.  The community "vibe" was part of it, and also a a somewhat restrained anti-rpi kept to a minimum, prompted me.  (I'm a big "Pi-Core" / Dcore / Tinycore fan as well.  I don't run Raspbian much as PiCore fascinates me much more instead).
     
    For me, it's just as much of a cool community helping each other out, as it is the hardware itself.  I see similarities between the vibe of Armbian, Tinycore, and even Busybox, fullfilling the small-ish group centric thing that our originators, Ken Thompson / Dennis Ritchie / Doug McIlroy / Brian Kernighan and the whole host of others who had the "drive" to do something unique and interesting and helpful for others....
     
    Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but I can feel a common thread going waaay back.
     
  14. Like
    PDP11 got a reaction from TonyMac32 in Le Potato general topics   
    My Potato is up, with the latest Armbian Stretch desktop.  Thanks to all involved - VERY nice.
     
    I don't push it very hard - just an initial install, configuration (armbian-config), update, and mostly back to just keyboard and mouse and shell.  You guys made this so easy..
     
    Some minor issues, but that's part of the fun.   I might see if I can slim the whole thing down using latest Busybox, which built perfectly first time out of the gate.  Not an expert at doing a busybox system wide replacement, so don't hold your breath.
     
    Basically just a quick hello and thanks to everyone for the project.
     
  15. Like
    PDP11 got a reaction from lanefu in Le Potato general topics   
    My Potato is up, with the latest Armbian Stretch desktop.  Thanks to all involved - VERY nice.
     
    I don't push it very hard - just an initial install, configuration (armbian-config), update, and mostly back to just keyboard and mouse and shell.  You guys made this so easy..
     
    Some minor issues, but that's part of the fun.   I might see if I can slim the whole thing down using latest Busybox, which built perfectly first time out of the gate.  Not an expert at doing a busybox system wide replacement, so don't hold your breath.
     
    Basically just a quick hello and thanks to everyone for the project.
     
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