From: garrett@garnet.berkeley.edu (Garrett D'Amore) Subject: Re: Unix CAN be used on a minimal system! (Re: Unix OS for 286) Date: 21 Apr 1993 18:33:12 GMT
In article <1r34mlINNbv6@uwm.edu> Rick Miller - Linux Device Registrar <rick@ee.uwm.edu> writes:
>sjsobol@tiny.com (Steven J Sobol) writes:
>>
>>I use Coherent 4.0, the 32-bit 386-specific version, on a 16-mhz 386-SX.
>>It has 2 MB of RAM, and the 45 MB hard drive is divided evenly down the middle.
>>22.5 MB for DOS/Windows3.1 (which I can run just fine, thank you), and 22.5
>>for Coherent. Obviously, I'm not running gcc or X11R5 on my computer, but
>>I can use Coherent very well...
>
>It wasn't obvious to ME that you couldn't be running gcc. How can you say
>"very well" if you can't run gcc?!? It worked fine under Linux on an even
>*smaller* machine.
Coherent comes with its own cc and as. You don't "need" gcc to run stuff at
all. I found that as far as cc's go, it wasn't half bad (compared to say
Sun's dog...)
>I had Linux on my 386SX/16 w/ 2MB RAM on a mere 20MB partition for a while
>(until I scrapped MS-DOS!), and it could re-compile its own kernel while I
>ran kermit (a big memory-hog, as far as comm-programs go) to post articles
>to comp.os.linux!
>
>...and you don't fool me! You can *NOT* run DOS/Windows3.1 "just fine" on
>a 16 MHz processor with only 2MB of RAM, unless you're not DOING anything.
Not true. As long as you are willing to run only one task at a time, and
you limit yourself to simple word processing and spreadsheeting, it does
just fine. (This is what most people use Windows for.)
I operate a lab with about 25 486-33s, 20 386sx-20s, a couple of 486DX2-66s,
and a bunch of Macs. I've found that the 386sx's are quite sufficient for
Windows. Of course, we have 4 Mb on these machines, but I also am usually
running several WinQVT (Telnet clone) sessions as well as a Word 2.0 session.
I have two machines on my desk -- a 386sx-20 and a 486dx-33. I run DOS/Win
on the sx, and Linux on the 486. Both work well. :)
====================================================================
Garrett D'Amore | garrett@haas.berkeley.edu
Software Co-Ordinator | 68 Barrows Hall, UC Berkeley
Haas Computing Services | Ph: 510-643-5923 Fax: 642-4769
====================================================================