[brlug-general] new Distro

[Alvaro Zuniga]

One thing that I have always wondered about distributions for older
systems is why are the packages based on debian or any other
distribution which was intended for a modern system.

If I would ever want to work on a project like this, the first thing
that would come to mind would be gentoo. Of course, I would probably not
use the portage system. Instead, package repository customized for the 
distribution itself and a customized version of portange to do nothing 
more than binary installation management; anything else would do as well. 
The purpose of gentoo would simply be to build the distribution.

For instance a package like samba has the following options that can 
be deactivated using portage: "cups pam python readline acl async 
automount caps doc examples fam kerberos ldap oav quotas selinux 
swat syslog winbind" So the question is which are trully needed 
for a light distro? I suppose depending what light means or what 
functionality is desired but I hope you get the idea.  

In addition, each package can be optimized for the instructions set 
of the best processor that the distribution is intended to run. 

Just wondering?

Alvaro Zuniga
Win98SE Certified Professional

Patrick P wrote:
> 
>  I am working on a project to create a lightweight Linux workstation distro for older hardware, mainly PII and PIII machines. The goal is a functional desktop with easy installation and configuration. This is not a LiveCD like damn small linux but a complete installation distro which uses IceWM for the window manager. All of the applications from Debian stable are available post install for those who need additional software. We could use a little help with testing and a few details if anyone has time or wants to.
>  Deb-Ice is a customized Debian distribution uses apt for package management and the 2.6 kernel. Deb-Ice simplifys the process of installing Debian on an older machine. Currently we just have an installer which uses the Debian repositories. Once we get to version 1.0 we will release an iso for offline installation. The IceWM window manager is installed along with a selection of applications for everyday use, most of which are selected for low memory usage, although familar applications such as a Mozilla browser suite are also included for those who would rather use them. We are working on getting together the needed graphical configuration utilities as well. It is a desktop workstation distribution to simple functionality and performance on older hardware.
>  Basically everything is together but we need to make sure nothing important is missing or see if anyone can think of some other applications that need to be added. Things we need help with include:
> * testing sound, printing
> * Getting together some information (documentation and HowTos) about getting these things working for the distribution. 
> * There are a few broken pieces of software lying around that we would like to get included if anyone that can program in C++ or C would like to work on. These are basically just configuration utilities which are missing. debian packaging expertise would also be helpful here.
> * We could use some prople who are good with graphics to create icons for the menu items, which are not completed yet.
>  
>  Website is still under construction but can be found at http://icelinux.net If you would like to help out Just send me an email if you want to help out and then download the iso
> https://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=203391
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