Re: [Rule-list] Miniconda, slinky, and other OSes

[Gordon Buzowetsky]

> 
>       User wants to just *try* RULE, on some little space left
> 
>       User cannot/doesn't want to remove other operating system
>       because it must remain there for any reason, from need of
>       software originally developed only for Win, or anything like
>       that.
> 
> The second category includes potentially all users going to RULE not
> because they can't afford new HW, but because they feel right to cut
> as much bells and whistles as possible, and must still share that only
> PC with kids/wife/anybody using Win*.
> 
> Ideas? Suggestions for test cases? 
> 
>       Ciao,
>               Marco Fioretti
>               RULE project leader


Hi...

Good point Marco...

I would hope there would be some benign way of installing RULE...instead
of the normal overwriting of the mbr; which many distros love to do, and I
mean MANY!!  We gotta make this one just one cut above the rest!!!

For the last year or so I have been using a 'lilo floppy'...not installing
the kernel on it but just the pointer to /boot.  I don't know of a better
way to explain it...but it works really well.  If you want to boot linux,
use the floppy; If you want dos or windoze just pull the floppy.  All
that's needed to make this work is; modify /etc/lilo.conf....to
boot=/dev/fd0 instead of the usual boot=/dev/hd??.  When you run 'lilo' it
then modifies the floppy and not the mbr.  I have been using this to boot
our installs...on my p166 where I do have a working lilo on another
distro; I don't install the RULE lilo.

Other than that there's always 'loadlin'....but that means booting dos and
then cd'ing into a directory and running a .bat file.  I have and still
do, use this method, for emergencies...Apparently there are problems doing
this with the 2.5 kernels tho, not sure what, haven't tried.

I would suggest the probably the easiest method for time being
anyway...would be the ability to choose the boot method...the standard
boot floppy is all right, but just terrible slow.  Slack has a little
setup utility called liloconfig...don't know if its available in RH or
not.  But will write the lilo.conf the way you want it.

Another thought...and this could be for future consideration...is
installing either to umsdos or a loop install........both are quite
efficient, and you don't have to mess with lilo at all.  For a 'test
drive' version of RULE this may be the easier method.  These use loadlin
and a bat file for booting, and the file system is nothing but one big dos
file....

Just airing out thoughts on a Monday morning...;-)

Later...G