Later versions of Linux absolutely do still support ISA. I rewrote the ancient Linux 1.x / 2.x INMOS Transputer interface board driver for the 3.x and 4.x kernels some 10ish years ago. That's an ISA part.

I disagree about Mint... it is one of the few systems that has stuck with a Gnome 2 derived interface and quite frankly it just works. Its my daily workstation for my professional life as well as my home system. No crap, it just does what you want a desktop/window manager to do.

Also, I haven't used a swap drive/partition/file for many, many years. It's just not needed any more.

Back when I was running Linux kernel 1.0 and 1.1 on a 386sx with 8mb ram, you absolutely needed a swap partition! These days, not so much!

Mint is my main linux distribution as well. I honestly prefer Cinnamon/Xfce to MATE but I prefer MATE to Gnome 3 and KDE.

I think 'trying to emulate Windows' is not a productive argument. The keyboard and mouse GUIs have been around for 40 years now, and kind of peaked around the Windows XP/7 era. So any desktop environment trying to emulate that experience can't really be blamed for that valid target. There is no reason to reinvent the wheel (I'm looking at you Apple, and your shitty desktop ui).

lEEt/OS + ST-DOS

"lEEt/OS is a graphical shell and partially posix-compliant multitasking operating environment that runs on top of a DOS kernel...

lEEt/OS also has its own DOS kernel, but it is still very experimental and unstable. For any real use it is recommended to use lEEt/OS on top of the FreeDOS kernel.
lEEt/OS is slowly but surely migrating from FreeDOS to ST-DOS, its own DOS kernel.

lEEt/OS is licensed with GPLv3 license."

System requirements for version 2:
* Intel 8088 or compatible processor
* 256 kB of RAM
* CGA or better graphics adapter
* 300 kB of floppy or hard disk space
* IBM PC-compatible BIOS

analog_programmer wrote on 2024-02-29, 13:00:

lEEt/OS + ST-DOS […]
Show full quote

lEEt/OS + ST-DOS

"lEEt/OS is a graphical shell and partially posix-compliant multitasking operating environment that runs on top of a DOS kernel...

lEEt/OS also has its own DOS kernel, but it is still very experimental and unstable. For any real use it is recommended to use lEEt/OS on top of the FreeDOS kernel.
lEEt/OS is slowly but surely migrating from FreeDOS to ST-DOS, its own DOS kernel.

lEEt/OS is licensed with GPLv3 license."

System requirements for version 2:
* Intel 8088 or compatible processor
* 256 kB of RAM
* CGA or better graphics adapter
* 300 kB of floppy or hard disk space
* IBM PC-compatible BIOS

Impressive!

analog_programmer wrote on 2024-02-29, 13:00:

lEEt/OS + ST-DOS […]
Show full quote

lEEt/OS + ST-DOS

"lEEt/OS is a graphical shell and partially posix-compliant multitasking operating environment that runs on top of a DOS kernel...

lEEt/OS also has its own DOS kernel, but it is still very experimental and unstable. For any real use it is recommended to use lEEt/OS on top of the FreeDOS kernel.
lEEt/OS is slowly but surely migrating from FreeDOS to ST-DOS, its own DOS kernel.

lEEt/OS is licensed with GPLv3 license."

System requirements for version 2:
* Intel 8088 or compatible processor
* 256 kB of RAM
* CGA or better graphics adapter
* 300 kB of floppy or hard disk space
* IBM PC-compatible BIOS

Very promising!

Fluxuan/Devuan, Slitaz, Ghost BSD, Void Linux, Lubuntu/any variant of ubuntu w/MATE.

The last three on my list I haven't any attachment to particularly but I'd willingly give them another go.

Has anyone tried AOSC/Retro before? It should run on a 486 is basic specs, but I am really really not a Linux guy and the instructions to install it seem to expect at least some amount of low level Linux experience.

https://wiki.aosc.io/aosc-os/installation/retro-i486/

LieboOSBA wrote on 2024-08-05, 15:29:

Has anyone tried AOSC/Retro before? It should run on a 486 is basic specs, but I am really really not a Linux guy and the instructions to install it seem to expect at least some amount of low level Linux experience.

https://wiki.aosc.io/aosc-os/installation/retro-i486/

Thanks for sharing this info! I wasn't aware of this distro.
I doubt it will be useful on a 486 but maybe for later computers it can be interesting. If you're not familiar with GNU/Linux maybe it's best to try Ubuntu on a modern (P4+) computer before.

As I could read, this one uses DPKG and APT. The same package system that Debian/Ubuntu uses. But it seems that it's not a fork, though it doesn't say it explicitly.

Not Recommended […]
Show full quote

Not Recommended

No experience with using or managing a Linux distribution.
Demand for lightweight or high customisability.
Demand for quick software updates.
Commercial or mission-critical deployments.
Cloud or Virtual Private Servers (VPS), or other environments with high storage costs.
Sensitivity for non-free software.

This means that AOSC OS/Retro will also use systemd as the default init system. Now before you start yelling, systemd runs fine on an IBM Palm Top PC110 with a 33MHz 80486SL processor, 20MiB of RAM, and a 2GiB CF card. We've tested it to be sure.

I'm skeptical about systemd on a 486.

There’s demos showing it working on low specs. I think there’s even a website that’s hosted on such a system.

https://www.reddit.com/r/linux/s/VdXug4npL4

I just don’t know enough about setting it up from a tarball file etc.

UPdated Kernel for Geoworks GEOS, New Deal Office & Breadbox Ensemble: WORKS ON XT's!!!!

Updated Recompiled GEOS.GEO For Geoworks GEOS, New Deal Office & Breadbox Ensemble.
See images (this was on a 80286, but tests to work on an 8088)
PICTURE #14 is impressive (multi-tasking & on web, confirmed on a NEC V30 XT with 640kb)

MY REDDIT POST WITH GREATER DETAILS:
https://www.reddit.com/r/vintagecomputing/com … al_office_2000/

My Archive.org reupload:
https://archive.org/details/geos_20240815

Ethernet Driver, EtherPKT.Geo:
https://archive.org/details/etherpt-2

EMU386:
https://survpc.tripod.com/emu386/download.htm

System requirements appear to remain:

• 8088 (NEC V20 or better, + FPU for best results. Tested on NEC V30HL + NEC D9008D FPU @ 16mhz )
• Less than 256 kB of RAM (more = better results, 1024kb+ would be ideal. Tested on 1024kb + PicoMem 5MB EMS card)
• Base DOS install (IBM PC-DOS 7.1 BLD134 used for testing)
• Supports VGA true/high
• Supports Ethernet (driver above)

TO INSTALL/USE:

• Install GEOS, New Deal Office, Breadbox Ensemble (I suggest New Deal Office 2000 on an XT)
• Complete setup as normal, boot into it once & reboot to DOS
• Replace your SYSTEM\GEOS.GEO with it
• Reboot as normal
• I Suggest use of EMU386 if you have the memory to spare for it. Will work on NEC V20 or better with 8086-2 instruction set

Adds:

• Still boots & works on an XT 8088/8086, NEC V20/V30 with 640kb (tested on V30)
• SSL and HTML4 in the browser
• JPEG viewing support (in browser at very least)
• PDF that supports PDF 1.0-1.3 and then some.
• See images (this was on a 80286, but tests to work on an 8088)

Notably: READ THIS 1ST ONE, ABSORB, SERIOUSLY!

"So, I re-compiled latest FreeGEOS kernel with 32-bit support off and dropped it into NewDeal Office 2000 install. It boots and it works, there is SSL and HTML4 in the browser, and there's PDF that supports PDF 1.0-1.3 and then some. It works with acceptable speed, in fact."

&

"Nice bonus: even if MediaViewer doesn't seem to support JPEG files, they can be opened in browser. It is a very big deal for a 286 machine"

Found at:
https://tech.lgbt/@nina_kali_nina/111653827347219206

///

EtherPKT.GEO Note:

EtherPKT.Geo, GeoWorks GEOS, New Deal Office & Breadbox Ensemble ethernet driver.

NC_Quite.zip is This is a custom-compiled version of mTCP's Netcat utility mentioned.

Two Ether packet drivers. The driver in the ETHER_1 folder seems to be a bit older and a bit smaller. The driver in the ETHER_2 folder is the one from Thomas' download link. Which of the two works better is unclear.

I've been successfully using ETHERPKT.GEO with a NewDeal Office 3.2a setup for the past day-or-so, per an adaptation of this configuration.

Here is a generalized procedure:

1. Place ETHERPKT.GEO in the \SYSTEM\SOCKET subdirectory of your NDO installation.​

2. Load the packet driver for your particular NIC.​

3. Configure and run "DHCP" from Mike Brutman's mTCP package, taking note of the returned IP information.​

4. Edit your GEOS.INI file to reflect the following for the [tcpip], [accpnt], and [accessPoint0001] sections. Populate the relevant IP fields with the information returned by the DHCP utility.​

Code:
[tcpip]
driver = TCP/IP Driver
driverType = 0
link = Packet Ethernet Driver
linkDomain = Packet Ethernet
port = 2

[accpnt]
prevID = 4
contents = {
00010001
}

[accessPoint0001]
name = LAN
netType = 1
default = 1
ipaddr = x.x.x.x
ipgate = x.x.x.x
ipmask = x.x.x.x
dns1 = x.x.x.x

5. Fire-up NDO, and go to town.​

There has been mention of the "ipaddr" field of the GEOS.INI file being dynamic if set to "0.0.0.0," but this failed to work for me. Also, it's worth noting that, in the absence of DHCP persistence in your environment, the expiration of an IP lease may require regular updating of the static IP address in that field.

The only anomalous behavior worth mentioning in all of this is that, with my particular system, some quirk of the ETHERPKT.GEO driver causes the keyboard to become unresponsive when exiting back to DOS from NDO. As a workaround, I'm just initiating "Exit > Reboot the Computer" instead.

EDIT: liiks like OG poster (Cloudschatze) of info is here, here is the link:
https://forum.vcfed.org/index.php?threads/loo … 959/post-929465

Remarkable!

I'd love to see a video of it in action.

tauro wrote on 2024-08-15, 20:44:

Remarkable!

I'd love to see a video of it in action.

got an XT/AT? Give it a try

aazard wrote on 2024-08-15, 22:07:

tauro wrote on 2024-08-15, 20:44:

Remarkable!

I'd love to see a video of it in action.

got an XT/AT? Give it a try

Sure! Some day I will, but currently I can't, so watching a demo would be nice.

aazard wrote on 2024-08-15, 18:31:

I've been successfully using ETHERPKT.GEO with a NewDeal Office 3.2a setup for the past day-or-so, per an adaptation of this con […]
Show full quote

I've been successfully using ETHERPKT.GEO with a NewDeal Office 3.2a setup for the past day-or-so, per an adaptation of this configuration.

Here is a generalized procedure:

1. Place ETHERPKT.GEO in the \SYSTEM\SOCKET subdirectory of your NDO installation.​

2. Load the packet driver for your particular NIC.​

3. Configure and run "DHCP" from Mike Brutman's mTCP package, taking note of the returned IP information.​

4. Edit your GEOS.INI file to reflect the following for the [tcpip], [accpnt], and [accessPoint0001] sections. Populate the relevant IP fields with the information returned by the DHCP utility.​

Code:
[tcpip]
driver = TCP/IP Driver
driverType = 0
link = Packet Ethernet Driver
linkDomain = Packet Ethernet
port = 2

[accpnt]
prevID = 4
contents = {
00010001
}

[accessPoint0001]
name = LAN
netType = 1
default = 1
ipaddr = x.x.x.x
ipgate = x.x.x.x
ipmask = x.x.x.x
dns1 = x.x.x.x

5. Fire-up NDO, and go to town.​

There has been mention of the "ipaddr" field of the GEOS.INI file being dynamic if set to "0.0.0.0," but this failed to work for me. Also, it's worth noting that, in the absence of DHCP persistence in your environment, the expiration of an IP lease may require regular updating of the static IP address in that field.

The only anomalous behavior worth mentioning in all of this is that, with my particular system, some quirk of the ETHERPKT.GEO driver causes the keyboard to become unresponsive when exiting back to DOS from NDO. As a workaround, I'm just initiating "Exit > Reboot the Computer" instead.

Huh. Seems familiar...

Wow - you two have the exact same writing style!

mbbrutman wrote on 2024-08-16, 02:24:

Wow - you two have the exact same writing style!

Good searching! thats the exact source of the info I got (doing alot of AT&T 6300 & New Deal Office 2000 research, maxing out)

mbbrutman wrote on 2024-08-16, 02:24:

Wow - you two have the exact same writing style!

OH WOW, its OG POSTER, well, you! let me credit you as source
great info, please see the other info I stitched together maxing out NDO.

Feel free to teach me any retroblackmagic on these topics (& assist me in archiving all the relevant info/data)

HOLD ON ARNT YOU "mbbrutman" THE ONE THAT CUSTOMIZED mTCP's Netcat utility mentioned?!?

where did a wander into... the hall of ascended masters?

I think the important thing right now before we go further is to directly acknowledge that Cloudschatze did a lot of that original work. And usually when we quote somebody verbatim, we give them the credit for the quote too. Which is what he was pointing out.

Moving on ...

Try my build of MS-DOS 7.1.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVq98g2A01w

mbbrutman wrote on 2024-08-16, 16:21:

I think the important thing right now before we go further is to directly acknowledge that Cloudschatze did a lot of that original work. And usually when we quote somebody verbatim, we give them the credit for the quote too. Which is what he was pointing out.

Moving on ...

Did they also recompiled that GEOS.GEO?
As in same maker, different site profiles?
/
Is any of this "current" geos information listed in a wiki/etc?