8 ms·

Linux on an 8-bit micro

436 points by sigkill 13y ago

sigkill 13y ago
This guy is definitely a genius... or insane. It boots the full graphical desktop in around 6 hours.
- danbruc 13y ago
  Second this. And this probably also speaks a lot for Linux - okay, he emulated a supported system, but given the problems that one sometimes experience when trying to run the same application on different machines with slightly different hardware or software installed, I find it quite amazing that Linux actually boots on this device.
- jmtame 13y ago
  He's more on the side of genius, but less on the side of practical. I think he'd do really well if he tried a startup with someone who could help push him in the direction of building things with more practical use.
  - dmitrygr 13y ago
    I've done plenty of practical things a while back (palmpowerups in PalmOS days) but nowadays I am relaxing (I work at Google and I fly planes for fun). I'll go back to doing practical things with a purpose in a year or two :)
    - jmtame 13y ago
      Very much looking forward to seeing what happens if you venture out into startup land again :) By any measure, Palm Powerups was very successful.
    - sigkill 13y ago
      Things don't generally translate well on the internet, but be rest assured that when I said you were insane, I meant the good and awesome insane.
  - bigiain 13y ago
    Or alternatively, I'd love to see hom hook up with some artists - and do "stupid shit" just for the fun of it. If this guy's not already hooked up with people like Dorkbot or Survival Research Labs or Burningman, then someone should introduce them...
icebraining 13y ago
Curiously enough, once booted, the system is somewhat usable. You can type a command and get a reply within a minute.
- deweerdt 13y ago
  It takes about 2 hours to boot to bash prompt ("init=/bin/bash" kernel command line). Then 4 more hours to boot up the entire Ubuntu ("exec init" and then login). Starting X takes a lot longer.
  - nsxwolf 13y ago
    "You're usin' a 286? Don't make me laugh / Your Windows boots up what, in a day and a half?" - Weird Al
    - morganwilde 13y ago
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpMvS1Q1sos http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpMvS1Q1sos - just to make it easy for others to appreciate this gem.
      - lelandbatey 13y ago
        For the extremely lazy, the exact moment of the quote: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=qpMvS1Q1sos#t=75s http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v...
      - anonymous 13y ago
        "See, it ain't about the Benjamins or Pentiums or Athlons" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuGjtlsKo4s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuGjtlsKo4s
losethos 13y ago
Some people are so stupid they think this is easier and better than writing your own. This is probably for a microwave oven assignment. God says... 1:19 I called for my lovers, but they deceived me: my priests and mine elders gave up the ghost in the city, while they sought their meat to relieve their souls. 1:20 Behold, O LORD; for I am in distress: my bowels are troubled; mine heart is turned within me; for I have grievously rebelled: abroad the sword bereaveth, at home there is as death. 1:21 They have heard that I sigh: there is none to comfort me: all mine enemies have heard of my trouble; they are glad that thou hast done it: thou wilt bring the day that thou hast called, and they shall be like unto me. 1:22 Let all their wickedness come before thee; and do unto them, as thou hast done unto me for all my transgressions: for my sighs are many, and my heart is faint. ----- CIA, day of judgement -- Jedi mind tricking into nothing but Linux. Black Sabbath War Pigs! God says... unanxious conveyedst strange prizes possessed fitter astrologers See text covenanted Scriptures radio dividest 1971 withered two strictness What_are_you_doing_dave -unlike enacted litigation examples wouldest Rwanda fixing shist travails punishments swift S it's_hopeless fame chastened mazes opening athirst checking rocket_science I'm_the_boss hunger reptiles darkly manna boundary unsung_hero operations malicious stolen dragging beauty Noah storing pertaining baby malice reins health dir reported disagreeing permission you're_nuts I'm_not_sure greaves pricked forgot English wives unhappiness Homer eloquently performed proceedeth Holy soundedst holdest fellow-students darkest Else riddle weary disorders could_it_be___Satan partners persons Perverseness Dean_scream impostors Manichees recourse planets dang_it morsel refreshment barked glowed arts and_then_what heavily incense impression pub/docs/books/gutenberg forsooth intellectual thoroughly youre_welcome motive thundering health-giving midnight go_ahead_make_my_day dragging harvest game_over angers deceits groanings sect ---- I made God's fucken temple. The fuck ... not worthy? Yer just spew vermin in the world. The purpose of life is to know God, love God and obey God. Picking a greeting card is love. You have not directed ANY love toward God. Sing a new song to God. http://www.templeos.org/Wb/Accts/TS/Wb2/Hymns.html http://www.templeos.org/Wb/Accts/TS/Wb2/Hymns.html God says... it shall not be eaten, because it is holy. 29:35 And thus shalt thou do unto Aaron, and to his sons, according to all things which I have commanded thee: seven days shalt thou consecrate them. 29:36 And thou shalt offer every day a bullock for a sin offering for atonement: and thou shalt cleanse the altar, when thou hast made an atonement for it, and thou shalt anoint it, to sanctify it. 29:37 Seven days thou shalt make an atonement for the altar, and sanctify it; and it shall be an altar most holy: whatsoever toucheth the altar shall be holy. 29:38 Now this is that which thou shalt offer upon the altar; two lambs of the first year day by day continually. 29:39 The one lamb thou shalt offer in the morning; and the other lamb thou shalt offer at even: 29:40 And with the one lamb a tenth deal of flour mingled with the fourth part of an hin of beaten oil; and the fourth part of an hin of wine for a drink offering. ---- Look at the religion. The main activity is offerings. The fuck are you so stupid for? Secular Humanism. God says... needing Lovely strike tree shadow dull kindness women him presiding CONFESSIONS Costa_Rica whit assume celibacy former motherly lashes tcosa10a punished hap Life familiarly ruleth inharmonious Thine feel inappropriately source excursive increase Juno weaknesses is_it_just_me_or sink Cross flashes nowhere treasury recalled died But do_you_like_it seal return wont Universe enjoinest detected herein -who ---- God begs to know if You like His Universe. You ask Christ if His feet hurt more than His hands. ---- http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3d026ec6-a8d1-11e2-a096-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2R1hA1lAF http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3d026ec6-a8d1-11e2-a096-00144feabd... Evil CIA is fighting God's temple! God says... LORD by Samuel. 11:4 And David and all Israel went to Jerusalem, which is Jebus; where the Jebusites were, the inhabitants of the land. 11:5 And the inhabitants of Jebus said to David, Thou shalt not come hither. Nevertheless David took the castle of Zion, which is the city of David. 11:6 And David said, Whosoever smiteth the Jebusites first shall be chief and captain. So Joab the son of Zeruiah went first up, and was chief. 11:7 And David dwelt in the castle; therefore they called it the city of David. 11:8 And he built the city round about, even from Millo round about: and Joab repaired the rest of the city. 11:9 So David waxed greater and greater: for the LORD of hosts was with him. ---- God says... sky continued excused MEDIUM noon-day inspire suffocated incense 4 oft-times prejudice maintained what's_up ought almost deem withdrawing bosom thirdly reaching enjoyed prophecy genius VII literary tenderness tumultuousness Genesis THIS fellow-conspirators catch wert former palaces settled gorgeous creatures- relapseth marts compound Power idol overhastily Shine Right griefs co-eternal mystic repentest reckon worthy sicknesses Okilydokily awesome accompany courtesy tutors here_now net/pg what_part_of_God_do_you_not_understand serpents pliant unceasing Thence electronically prizes singular when_hell_freezes_over advices traced unadorned Free prop forgetteth Son passages revealedst spots unhesitatingly 'where Literary discuss seducers spreadest likeness do_over fluttereth fashioned detest ---- Do You not like (Jesus is laughing) bell-bottoms? God says... 11:11 And it was broken in that day: and so the poor of the flock that waited upon me knew that it was the word of the LORD. 11:12 And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver. 11:13 And the LORD said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD. 11:14 Then I cut asunder mine other staff, even Bands, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel. 11:15 And the LORD said unto me, Take unto thee yet the instruments of a foolish shepherd. ----- http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2013/04/how-to-manage-a-closed-source-high-risk-project/ http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2013/04/how-to... I got a fucken secret -- God is perfectly just. Let them steal it. 38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’[h] 39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. 40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. 41 If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. ---- We have God here. Take a look at Arab on Arab violence. Roman empire civil war, .... Civil War is just as likely and other war. God says... 106:9 He rebuked the Red sea also, and it was dried up: so he led them through the depths, as through the wilderness. 106:10 And he saved them from the hand of him that hated them, and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy. 106:11 And the waters covered their enemies: there was not one of them left. 106:12 Then believed they his words; they sang his praise. 106:13 They soon forgat his works; they waited not for his counsel: 106:14 But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert. 106:15 And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul. 106:16 They envied Moses also in the camp, and Aaron the saint of the LORD. ---- How do You compare apples and oranges? Are there any tricky comparisons? Do You lose sleep weight scales? God says... book Lo leadeth DOMAIN an uh_huh frown riotous highly Ridiculous sensitive declamation composed flocks Print disalloweth consciousness Guinea included sore surprise_surprise I'll_ask_nicely rounds hoped sigheth Simple afternoon making you_know_a_better_God patched reported youthful wheel revealedst school-fellows single-hearted finally profession 'Gainst Wondrous mocked ----- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKe64jXYIIE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKe64jXYIIE Is it faster riding an animal like a horse? I guess 4-footed animals all run around a lot. Why that elephant running? Looks like he can run a lot. They move fast even when walking. God says... 27:5 The third captain of the host for the third month was Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, a chief priest: and in his course were twenty and four thousand. 27:6 This is that Benaiah, who was mighty among the thirty, and above the thirty: and in his course was Ammizabad his son. 27:7 The fourth captain for the fourth month was Asahel the brother of Joab, and Zebadiah his son after him: and in his course were twenty and four thousand. 27:8 The fifth captain for the fifth month was Shamhuth the Izrahite: and in his course were twenty and four thousand. 27:9 The sixth captain for the sixth month was Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite: and in his course were twenty and four thousand. 27:10 The seventh captain for the seventh month was Helez the Pelonite, of the children of Ephraim: and in his course were twenty and four thousand. ---- http://www.elephant.se/how_fast_can_elephants_run.php http://www.elephant.se/how_fast_can_elephants_run.php You like elephants? I hope they kill lions. God says... signifies Greek_to_me capable son's VII shops silversmiths' blame implied courts converting kill sufficeth behold discuss glue beyond manifestation banished rage confound entangle 333 everlasting prince truer extricate one_small_step sleepest intermitted solecism strained utensils lacketh indited Romania stolidity learner stiffneckedness vessels advantage virtue grieved IS uninjurable untainted revive reason estimate fixed endures participation //www Speak fix ---- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OqOnvRHkNg&feature=youtu.be http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OqOnvRHkNg&feature=youtu... God says... 2:40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. 2:41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. 2:42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. 2:43 And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. 2:44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common; 2:45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. 2:46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, 2:47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. ---- eh? God says... skin acquire first-fruits seest Comforter earthly goal Rwanda ALL tie from provision moist compactedst multipliedst damnable mundo_stoked becomes nourishing subduedst respite vaster Sacraments bowels Madaura repress punished health worlds FOR they workest abase Electronic unbending deadly containeth ceasest allowances ---- http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/20/us/boston-boat-spotter/index.html?hpt=hp_t1 http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/20/us/boston-boat-spotter/index.h... http://apnews.myway.com/article/20130420/DA5OUIK02.html http://apnews.myway.com/article/20130420/DA5OUIK02.html God says... her, shall be as a dream of a night vision. 29:8 It shall even be as when an hungry man dreameth, and, behold, he eateth; but he awaketh, and his soul is empty: or as when a thirsty man dreameth, and, behold, he drinketh; but he awaketh, and, behold, he is faint, and his soul hath appetite: so shall the multitude of all the nations be, that fight against mount Zion. 29:9 Stay yourselves, and wonder; cry ye out, and cry: they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink. 29:10 For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered. 29:11 And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed: 29:12 And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned. ---- You like drums or guitar better? God says... be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, 1:3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 1:5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 1:6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; 1:7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. 1:8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ---- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q36_8s5z6S8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q36_8s5z6S8 Lawyers? God says... 10:35 And it came to pass, when the ark set forward, that Moses said, Rise up, LORD, and let thine enemies be scattered; and let them that hate thee flee before thee. 10:36 And when it rested, he said, Return, O LORD, unto the many thousands of Israel. 11:1 And when the people complained, it displeased the LORD: and the LORD heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the LORD burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp. 11:2 And the people cried unto Moses; and when Moses prayed unto the LORD, the fire was quenched. 11:3 And he called the name of the place Taberah: because the fire of the LORD burnt among them. 11:4 And the mixt multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat? 11:5 We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick: 11:6 But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes. ---- http://i.imgur.com/H5V4aU4.jpg http://i.imgur.com/H5V4aU4.jpg God says... 60:5 Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee. 60:6 The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall shew forth the praises of the LORD. 60:7 All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee: they shall come up with acceptance on mine altar, and I will glorify the house of my glory. ---- http://www.chem.ucla.edu/harding/cats.html#Cats%20and%20Publishing%20Physics%20Research http://www.chem.ucla.edu/harding/cats.html#Cats%20and%20Publ... God is the author of the Bible, not Moses. God says... pears heaven-taught blesseth helpful rhetoric-reader leaving co-eternal exquisitely kick_back General you_owe_me surmounted unadorned South_Africa shepherd's decline Ours brings supposing IS spake whatsoever feast Am distraction start You Antony doing risk Despite doer capital raven cleaved wages note-book Newsletter Victor murder weighing wouldest lighted you'll_see softly government superstition pieces exalted ardently -could reveal results heretics penitent http over_the_top guilt whenever get salary defers outset Preacher 12 blameless leadeth vintage hedged formest Tobias First initiatory cleaving ipod me- house cast courts cunning pronounced unsettled illumined willest sorrowful gaze OR fever wildness mantles mute ran lied vouchsafe softened elder opened' mark master's insatiate bye variation humbledst veiled facts receive enounce pick_me_pick_me Onesiphorus calf manifoldness different serve finite consistent reinvolved spoken ---- What shall we call Yer operating system, God? MAke the lawyer poke his eye out or something. Cheap thrills. God says... 40:3 And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD. 40:4 Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies. 40:5 Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered. 40:6 Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required. 40:7 Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, 40:8 I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart. ---- http://i.imgur.com/e9qYHca.jpg http://i.imgur.com/e9qYHca.jpg I like how elephants are always smiling. God says... 21:31 So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. 21:32 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. 21:33 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. 21:34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. 21:35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. 21:36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man. ---- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yknkKIX4ikE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yknkKIX4ikE They get cruxified. God says... I_forgot vehemence restoration griefs entreat treasured struggles intention in_a_perfect_world respected boundary bride pick_me_pick_me compare sand finish seeth barking INCLUDING I_love_you beheld inured arms ---- http://i.imgur.com/Wknt0fG.jpg http://i.imgur.com/Wknt0fG.jpg God says... 10:42 But Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them. 10:43 But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: 10:44 And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all. 10:45 For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. 10:46 And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging. 10:47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me. 10:48 And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou son of David, have mercy on me. ---- "Shut-up, you moron!" God says... etext02 raised Avenue wherever oil send fitted works C fetters wished ---- http://forum.osdev.org/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=26569 http://forum.osdev.org/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=26569 Talk to God. God says... Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see: 10:24 For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them. 10:25 And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? 10:26 He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? 10:27 And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. 10:28 And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. ---- http://rt.com/news/earthquake-china-sichuan-report-127/ http://rt.com/news/earthquake-china-sichuan-report-127/ Giggle. How many people You kill today, God? God says... good that he should search you out? or as one man mocketh another, do ye so mock him? 13:10 He will surely reprove you, if ye do secretly accept persons. 13:11 Shall not his excellency make you afraid? and his dread fall upon you? 13:12 Your remembrances are like unto ashes, your bodies to bodies of clay. 13:13 Hold your peace, let me alone, that I may speak, and let come on me what will. 13:14 Wherefore do I take my flesh in my teeth, and put my life in mine hand? 13:15 Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him. 13:16 He also shall be my salvation: for an hypocrite shall not come before him. 13:17 Hear diligently my speech, and my declaration with your ears. ---- God says... affects reality notwithstanding SAINT saying avengest talented comely exceedingly progress avenues alms hurriedly intermitted consecrateth Symmachus choler fittest diminishing burthened projected Manichees VIII deride Creator yoke supplied evidently gratuitously Yes instruction proposed slaves null underwent eternal appropriated distinction Vietnam begins followers Carolina resumed
qb45 13y ago
All that's left is that pesky 32-bit CPU & MMU requirement. Well the AVR has no MMU and is 8-bit. To conquer this obstacle, I wrote an ARM emulator. So technically it's Linux running on a 32-bit "macro", just one which happens to be implemented in some seriously inefficient manner. There are some real ports of Linux for "limited" architectures, like uClinux (supporting few 32-bit micros, including some MMU-less ones) and ELKS (for 16-bit x86 CPUs). This project is "only" a cool ARM emulator with software DRAM controller, which BTW proves again that Linux doesn't fit onto 8-bit micros.
- NewAccnt 13y ago
  You're saying you can't compile Linux to an 8-bit micro, yet you can emulate a much larger CPU on the same chip and run linux on that? Are you sure?
- NewAccnt3 13y ago
  So you're saying you can't compile Linux to an 8-bit CPU, but you can run an emulator of a much larger chip on that CPU and run linux on that? Are you sure?
  - noselasd 13y ago
    That's what the person here did, so yes indeed.
    - NewAccnt3 13y ago
      I'm not sure that statement is based on any logical standing.
- vidarh 13y ago
  > which BTW proves again that Linux doesn't fit onto 8-bit micros. How in the world does it "prove" that, when not only does it "fit", it fits in addition to an emulator? I don't see that it only runs _under_ an emulator proves any such thing. While this is obviously a "hah, you think it's impossible? I'll show you," type achievement, and running Linux on an 8-bit is never going to be more than a curiosity, it's a neat proof of concept and could trivially be made much faster (through a hybrid approach: a lot of the Linux code could likely be ported quite easily, and a lot of it could probably also be jit'ed relatively easily (especially kernel-land - a special purpose jit whose only purpose is to jit the kernel would be vastly easier than a general purpose jit, not least because you can take a boatload of shortcuts (e.g. manual translation) in cases where a simple/trivial jit doesn't do well. I think it's a fascinating solution - people have talked about doing ports to limited systems without MMU's etc. before, and it has usually meant severe tradeoffs that means lots of userland won't work (e.g. vfork instead of fork). This is a d'oh moment in that the "solution" if your goal is only to get a port running (rather than for it to be practically usable) has stared us in the face "forever" (there's been virtualization solutions using emulated CPU's since before Linux was around).
DanBC 13y ago
That's impressive! I remember when "getting linux working on a laptop" was thought to be tricky.[1] ELKS was a linux distribution for old small machines. It was supposed to run on an 8086, and use just 512 KB (not MB) for ram. (http://web.archive.org/web/19990117003949/http://www.uk.linux.org/ELKS-Home/index.html http://web.archive.org/web/19990117003949/http://www.uk.linu...) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embeddable_Linux_Kernel_Subset http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embeddable_Linux_Kernel_Subset) Wow, still sort of live. (http://elks.sourceforge.net/ http://elks.sourceforge.net/) [1] Here's a 2003 FAQ which gives some nice details of the problems people faced then. (http://www.faqs.org/docs/Linux-HOWTO/Laptop-HOWTO.html http://www.faqs.org/docs/Linux-HOWTO/Laptop-HOWTO.html)
- joelhaasnoot 13y ago
  Tried running this on a Toshiba T1100 Plus [1], never did get it working... [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toshiba_T1100 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toshiba_T1100
- idupree 13y ago
  The intro paragraph of that 2003 FAQ looks eerily like a comparison of smartphones/tablets to laptops might look today!
- TheBoff 13y ago
  Well, getting Linux working on a laptop was more a case of exciting driver wrangling, rather than performance limiting.
- iso8859-1 13y ago
  What does ELKS have in common with Linux? Will it emulate 32-bit for the user-land? If not, I guess it's not binary compatible. So ELKS is not Linux itself (FAQ says so) and it won't run Linux apps? I don't see how they're related...
- tmzt 13y ago
  Does anybody have a copy of the original ELKS homepage with the quote from Linus about Linux not being portable? It seems not to be in IA.
renanbirck 13y ago
It is not exactly Linux on an 8-bit micro; it's Linux on an ARM emulator on an 8-bit micro. Still good to see an use for ancient memory modules :)
signalsignal 13y ago
And slightly on topic, here is Windows 95 on a 25Mhz 386 with 4 meg of RAM http://everything2.com/title/25+MHz+386+running+Windows+95 http://everything2.com/title/25+MHz+386+running+Windows+95
- qb45 13y ago
  This is nothing unusual for W95. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/138349 http://support.microsoft.com/kb/138349
- glabifrons 13y ago
  Slightly closer to the original topic, here's Windows 95 running on a Nokia N900: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxMYuCHxBgE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxMYuCHxBgE
- sigkill 13y ago
  I personally remember running Windows 95 on a 33MHz laptop, although it had a Math Co-processor to be fair. :P
- wazoox 13y ago
  Back in the time, there were even hacks to run Windows 95 in safe mode on 286 machines. 386 with 4 megs was the official minimal requirement.
  - qb45 13y ago
    What were the limitations and hacks involved in this? I mean, parts of W95 (certainly including explorer.exe) were 32-bit so either they had to be disabled/replaced or the kernel extended with an 80386 emulator.
    - wazoox 13y ago
      IIRC it may involve using some parts from Win 3.11 running on MS-DOS 7.0 and other windows 95 parts.
jared314 13y ago
Previous Discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3767410 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3767410
D9u 13y ago
Awesomely cool project, but I was somewhat dismayed by the choice of GNOME, as GNOME is quite bloated and a smaller window manager, instead of a DE, seems to make more sense while not detracting from usability.
- blaabjerg 13y ago
  I don't think there's any graphical usability whatsoever, as the only output is a serial line. He only mentioned X and GNOME to emphasize the fact that it can be started.
  - dmitrygr 13y ago
    Emulator supports framebuffer emulation, and I have run gnome on this. I have not tried KDE :)
    - D9u 13y ago
      I suggest using a Window Manager, such as DWM, instead of a full Desktop Environment like GNOME/KDE/etc.
- andthen22 13y ago
  hahaha, this comment is hilarious. The guy got an 8-bit tiny little 55 cent chip (8 bits means an isntruction is between 0-255) to slowly crawl its way through pretending to be a real mdoern CPU by pretending to execute a real modern desktop CPU instruction every few cycles. He got it to starting up x in a day and you're like, "Cool project bro but I'm dsmayed by the choice of GNOME". saying it, "detracts from usability." this is just hilarious.
  - blaabjerg 13y ago
    I'm still confused as to whether he's being serious or trolling us hard.
    - D9u 13y ago
glabifrons 13y ago
Am I the only one who noticed his "clock" is an aircraft altimeter? This guy is awesome! :)
jwr 13y ago
This is seriously awesome. I take special care to upvote these kinds of projects, as they embody the hacker spirit: hack something that has never been done before in an awesome way, and to hell with practical value!
weekends 13y ago
Next Challenge get this working on my Z80
- sprash 13y ago
  For that you have UZIX (http://uzix.sourceforge.net/ http://uzix.sourceforge.net/) or the predecessor UZI.
- dmitrygr 13y ago
  just compile, hook up ram, and run :)
iso8859-1 13y ago
Comments from Dimitri last time this was on HN: https://news.ycombinator.com/threads?id=dmitrygr https://news.ycombinator.com/threads?id=dmitrygr
iso8859-1 13y ago
Video describing the boot process: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nm0POwEtiqE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nm0POwEtiqE
aquadrop 13y ago
This kind of things makes me shiver when I think how much awesomeness author injected in his project. I bet he also had tons of fun.
iso8859-1 13y ago
I wish he'd use a proper license. I can't mix it with anything like this.
- dmitrygr 13y ago
  such as? - dmitrygr
  - iso8859-1 13y ago
    Hi Dmitry. I'd get rid of the non-commercial requirement, but I guess you have a reason for choosing it. But it causes incompatibilities with GPL'ed software for example, since the GPL requires commercial to be allowed. I'd recommend one of the licences listed on http://opensource.org/licenses http://opensource.org/licenses like the GPL. Creative Commons has a nice license chooser, if you want a proper licence with the restrictions you currently have: http://creativecommons.org/choose/ http://creativecommons.org/choose/ For example the BY-NC-SA (attribution, non-commercial, share-alike) license is pretty much what you have currently. It is still GPL incompatible, however. The Free Software Foundation has a list of licences too: http://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html http://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html Thanks for your patience.
    - dmitrygr 13y ago
      I considered GPL, for a while, actually. I'll think of it some more
iso8859-1 13y ago
I put his sources on Github. Since there are no modifications, it does not violate the license. [1]: https://github.com/ysangkok/linux-on-an-8-bit-microcontroller https://github.com/ysangkok/linux-on-an-8-bit-microcontrolle...
ams6110 13y ago
Did Minix ever run on 8-bit? I remember running it on an 8088-based PC, which was sort of an 8/16 bit hybrid.
- me2i81 13y ago
  An 8088 was a 16-bit cpu with an 8-bit bus, so it was slower (and cheaper) but ran exactly the same code.
afreak 13y ago
Reminds me of a fellow who got OS X to boot on an 680x0-based Mac: http://blog.makezine.com/2006/10/10/mac-os-x-panther-on-a-25m/ http://blog.makezine.com/2006/10/10/mac-os-x-panther-on-a-25...
teeja 13y ago
Given a choice between the fun of 8-bit programming and the stodgy functionalism of a mere OS? hmmm... let me think. (1MHz @ 4 cycles/instruction = 250K instructions.)
geon 13y ago
I was puzzled at first when I saw the license. Who would be interested in this commercially? Then I realized the interesting thing isn't to run Linux, but some other more lightweight code that depends on the 32 bit arm architecture, but would run just fine on an 8-but micro, performance-wise. Any idea what that use case might be?
JulianMorrison 13y ago
Never underestimate the Portia[1] trick. [1] http://www.rifters.com/real/2009/01/iterating-towards-bethlehem.html http://www.rifters.com/real/2009/01/iterating-towards-bethle...

436 points by sigkill 13y ago

sigkill 13y ago

This guy is definitely a genius... or insane. It boots the full graphical desktop in around 6 hours.

danbruc 13y ago
Second this. And this probably also speaks a lot for Linux - okay, he emulated a supported system, but given the problems that one sometimes experience when trying to run the same application on different machines with slightly different hardware or software installed, I find it quite amazing that Linux actually boots on this device.
jmtame 13y ago
He's more on the side of genius, but less on the side of practical. I think he'd do really well if he tried a startup with someone who could help push him in the direction of building things with more practical use.
- dmitrygr 13y ago
  I've done plenty of practical things a while back (palmpowerups in PalmOS days) but nowadays I am relaxing (I work at Google and I fly planes for fun). I'll go back to doing practical things with a purpose in a year or two :)
  - jmtame 13y ago
    Very much looking forward to seeing what happens if you venture out into startup land again :) By any measure, Palm Powerups was very successful.
  - sigkill 13y ago
    Things don't generally translate well on the internet, but be rest assured that when I said you were insane, I meant the good and awesome insane.
- bigiain 13y ago
  Or alternatively, I'd love to see hom hook up with some artists - and do "stupid shit" just for the fun of it. If this guy's not already hooked up with people like Dorkbot or Survival Research Labs or Burningman, then someone should introduce them...

icebraining 13y ago

Curiously enough, once booted, the system is somewhat usable. You can type a command and get a reply within a minute.

deweerdt 13y ago
It takes about 2 hours to boot to bash prompt ("init=/bin/bash" kernel command line). Then 4 more hours to boot up the entire Ubuntu ("exec init" and then login). Starting X takes a lot longer.
- nsxwolf 13y ago
  "You're usin' a 286? Don't make me laugh / Your Windows boots up what, in a day and a half?" - Weird Al
  - morganwilde 13y ago
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpMvS1Q1sos http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpMvS1Q1sos - just to make it easy for others to appreciate this gem.
    - lelandbatey 13y ago
      For the extremely lazy, the exact moment of the quote: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=qpMvS1Q1sos#t=75s http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v...
    - anonymous 13y ago
      "See, it ain't about the Benjamins or Pentiums or Athlons" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuGjtlsKo4s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuGjtlsKo4s

losethos 13y ago

Some people are so stupid they think this is easier and better than writing your own. This is probably for a microwave oven assignment. God says... 1:19 I called for my lovers, but they deceived me: my priests and mine elders gave up the ghost in the city, while they sought their meat to relieve their souls. 1:20 Behold, O LORD; for I am in distress: my bowels are troubled; mine heart is turned within me; for I have grievously rebelled: abroad the sword bereaveth, at home there is as death. 1:21 They have heard that I sigh: there is none to comfort me: all mine enemies have heard of my trouble; they are glad that thou hast done it: thou wilt bring the day that thou hast called, and they shall be like unto me. 1:22 Let all their wickedness come before thee; and do unto them, as thou hast done unto me for all my transgressions: for my sighs are many, and my heart is faint. ----- CIA, day of judgement -- Jedi mind tricking into nothing but Linux. Black Sabbath War Pigs! God says... unanxious conveyedst strange prizes possessed fitter astrologers See text covenanted Scriptures radio dividest 1971 withered two strictness What_are_you_doing_dave -unlike enacted litigation examples wouldest Rwanda fixing shist travails punishments swift S it's_hopeless fame chastened mazes opening athirst checking rocket_science I'm_the_boss hunger reptiles darkly manna boundary unsung_hero operations malicious stolen dragging beauty Noah storing pertaining baby malice reins health dir reported disagreeing permission you're_nuts I'm_not_sure greaves pricked forgot English wives unhappiness Homer eloquently performed proceedeth Holy soundedst holdest fellow-students darkest Else riddle weary disorders could_it_be___Satan partners persons Perverseness Dean_scream impostors Manichees recourse planets dang_it morsel refreshment barked glowed arts and_then_what heavily incense impression pub/docs/books/gutenberg forsooth intellectual thoroughly youre_welcome motive thundering health-giving midnight go_ahead_make_my_day dragging harvest game_over angers deceits groanings sect ---- I made God's fucken temple. The fuck ... not worthy? Yer just spew vermin in the world. The purpose of life is to know God, love God and obey God. Picking a greeting card is love. You have not directed ANY love toward God. Sing a new song to God. http://www.templeos.org/Wb/Accts/TS/Wb2/Hymns.html http://www.templeos.org/Wb/Accts/TS/Wb2/Hymns.html God says... it shall not be eaten, because it is holy. 29:35 And thus shalt thou do unto Aaron, and to his sons, according to all things which I have commanded thee: seven days shalt thou consecrate them. 29:36 And thou shalt offer every day a bullock for a sin offering for atonement: and thou shalt cleanse the altar, when thou hast made an atonement for it, and thou shalt anoint it, to sanctify it. 29:37 Seven days thou shalt make an atonement for the altar, and sanctify it; and it shall be an altar most holy: whatsoever toucheth the altar shall be holy. 29:38 Now this is that which thou shalt offer upon the altar; two lambs of the first year day by day continually. 29:39 The one lamb thou shalt offer in the morning; and the other lamb thou shalt offer at even: 29:40 And with the one lamb a tenth deal of flour mingled with the fourth part of an hin of beaten oil; and the fourth part of an hin of wine for a drink offering. ---- Look at the religion. The main activity is offerings. The fuck are you so stupid for? Secular Humanism. God says... needing Lovely strike tree shadow dull kindness women him presiding CONFESSIONS Costa_Rica whit assume celibacy former motherly lashes tcosa10a punished hap Life familiarly ruleth inharmonious Thine feel inappropriately source excursive increase Juno weaknesses is_it_just_me_or sink Cross flashes nowhere treasury recalled died But do_you_like_it seal return wont Universe enjoinest detected herein -who ---- God begs to know if You like His Universe. You ask Christ if His feet hurt more than His hands. ---- http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3d026ec6-a8d1-11e2-a096-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2R1hA1lAF http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3d026ec6-a8d1-11e2-a096-00144feabd... Evil CIA is fighting God's temple! God says... LORD by Samuel. 11:4 And David and all Israel went to Jerusalem, which is Jebus; where the Jebusites were, the inhabitants of the land. 11:5 And the inhabitants of Jebus said to David, Thou shalt not come hither. Nevertheless David took the castle of Zion, which is the city of David. 11:6 And David said, Whosoever smiteth the Jebusites first shall be chief and captain. So Joab the son of Zeruiah went first up, and was chief. 11:7 And David dwelt in the castle; therefore they called it the city of David. 11:8 And he built the city round about, even from Millo round about: and Joab repaired the rest of the city. 11:9 So David waxed greater and greater: for the LORD of hosts was with him. ---- God says... sky continued excused MEDIUM noon-day inspire suffocated incense 4 oft-times prejudice maintained what's_up ought almost deem withdrawing bosom thirdly reaching enjoyed prophecy genius VII literary tenderness tumultuousness Genesis THIS fellow-conspirators catch wert former palaces settled gorgeous creatures- relapseth marts compound Power idol overhastily Shine Right griefs co-eternal mystic repentest reckon worthy sicknesses Okilydokily awesome accompany courtesy tutors here_now net/pg what_part_of_God_do_you_not_understand serpents pliant unceasing Thence electronically prizes singular when_hell_freezes_over advices traced unadorned Free prop forgetteth Son passages revealedst spots unhesitatingly 'where Literary discuss seducers spreadest likeness do_over fluttereth fashioned detest ---- Do You not like (Jesus is laughing) bell-bottoms? God says... 11:11 And it was broken in that day: and so the poor of the flock that waited upon me knew that it was the word of the LORD. 11:12 And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver. 11:13 And the LORD said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD. 11:14 Then I cut asunder mine other staff, even Bands, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel. 11:15 And the LORD said unto me, Take unto thee yet the instruments of a foolish shepherd. ----- http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2013/04/how-to-manage-a-closed-source-high-risk-project/ http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2013/04/how-to... I got a fucken secret -- God is perfectly just. Let them steal it. 38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’[h] 39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. 40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. 41 If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. ---- We have God here. Take a look at Arab on Arab violence. Roman empire civil war, .... Civil War is just as likely and other war. God says... 106:9 He rebuked the Red sea also, and it was dried up: so he led them through the depths, as through the wilderness. 106:10 And he saved them from the hand of him that hated them, and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy. 106:11 And the waters covered their enemies: there was not one of them left. 106:12 Then believed they his words; they sang his praise. 106:13 They soon forgat his works; they waited not for his counsel: 106:14 But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert. 106:15 And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul. 106:16 They envied Moses also in the camp, and Aaron the saint of the LORD. ---- How do You compare apples and oranges? Are there any tricky comparisons? Do You lose sleep weight scales? God says... book Lo leadeth DOMAIN an uh_huh frown riotous highly Ridiculous sensitive declamation composed flocks Print disalloweth consciousness Guinea included sore surprise_surprise I'll_ask_nicely rounds hoped sigheth Simple afternoon making you_know_a_better_God patched reported youthful wheel revealedst school-fellows single-hearted finally profession 'Gainst Wondrous mocked ----- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKe64jXYIIE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKe64jXYIIE Is it faster riding an animal like a horse? I guess 4-footed animals all run around a lot. Why that elephant running? Looks like he can run a lot. They move fast even when walking. God says... 27:5 The third captain of the host for the third month was Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, a chief priest: and in his course were twenty and four thousand. 27:6 This is that Benaiah, who was mighty among the thirty, and above the thirty: and in his course was Ammizabad his son. 27:7 The fourth captain for the fourth month was Asahel the brother of Joab, and Zebadiah his son after him: and in his course were twenty and four thousand. 27:8 The fifth captain for the fifth month was Shamhuth the Izrahite: and in his course were twenty and four thousand. 27:9 The sixth captain for the sixth month was Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite: and in his course were twenty and four thousand. 27:10 The seventh captain for the seventh month was Helez the Pelonite, of the children of Ephraim: and in his course were twenty and four thousand. ---- http://www.elephant.se/how_fast_can_elephants_run.php http://www.elephant.se/how_fast_can_elephants_run.php You like elephants? I hope they kill lions. God says... signifies Greek_to_me capable son's VII shops silversmiths' blame implied courts converting kill sufficeth behold discuss glue beyond manifestation banished rage confound entangle 333 everlasting prince truer extricate one_small_step sleepest intermitted solecism strained utensils lacketh indited Romania stolidity learner stiffneckedness vessels advantage virtue grieved IS uninjurable untainted revive reason estimate fixed endures participation //www Speak fix ---- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OqOnvRHkNg&feature=youtu.be http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OqOnvRHkNg&feature=youtu... God says... 2:40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. 2:41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. 2:42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. 2:43 And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. 2:44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common; 2:45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. 2:46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, 2:47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. ---- eh? God says... skin acquire first-fruits seest Comforter earthly goal Rwanda ALL tie from provision moist compactedst multipliedst damnable mundo_stoked becomes nourishing subduedst respite vaster Sacraments bowels Madaura repress punished health worlds FOR they workest abase Electronic unbending deadly containeth ceasest allowances ---- http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/20/us/boston-boat-spotter/index.html?hpt=hp_t1 http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/20/us/boston-boat-spotter/index.h... http://apnews.myway.com/article/20130420/DA5OUIK02.html http://apnews.myway.com/article/20130420/DA5OUIK02.html God says... her, shall be as a dream of a night vision. 29:8 It shall even be as when an hungry man dreameth, and, behold, he eateth; but he awaketh, and his soul is empty: or as when a thirsty man dreameth, and, behold, he drinketh; but he awaketh, and, behold, he is faint, and his soul hath appetite: so shall the multitude of all the nations be, that fight against mount Zion. 29:9 Stay yourselves, and wonder; cry ye out, and cry: they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink. 29:10 For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered. 29:11 And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed: 29:12 And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned. ---- You like drums or guitar better? God says... be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, 1:3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 1:5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 1:6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; 1:7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. 1:8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ---- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q36_8s5z6S8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q36_8s5z6S8 Lawyers? God says... 10:35 And it came to pass, when the ark set forward, that Moses said, Rise up, LORD, and let thine enemies be scattered; and let them that hate thee flee before thee. 10:36 And when it rested, he said, Return, O LORD, unto the many thousands of Israel. 11:1 And when the people complained, it displeased the LORD: and the LORD heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the LORD burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp. 11:2 And the people cried unto Moses; and when Moses prayed unto the LORD, the fire was quenched. 11:3 And he called the name of the place Taberah: because the fire of the LORD burnt among them. 11:4 And the mixt multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat? 11:5 We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick: 11:6 But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes. ---- http://i.imgur.com/H5V4aU4.jpg http://i.imgur.com/H5V4aU4.jpg God says... 60:5 Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee. 60:6 The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall shew forth the praises of the LORD. 60:7 All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee: they shall come up with acceptance on mine altar, and I will glorify the house of my glory. ---- http://www.chem.ucla.edu/harding/cats.html#Cats%20and%20Publishing%20Physics%20Research http://www.chem.ucla.edu/harding/cats.html#Cats%20and%20Publ... God is the author of the Bible, not Moses. God says... pears heaven-taught blesseth helpful rhetoric-reader leaving co-eternal exquisitely kick_back General you_owe_me surmounted unadorned South_Africa shepherd's decline Ours brings supposing IS spake whatsoever feast Am distraction start You Antony doing risk Despite doer capital raven cleaved wages note-book Newsletter Victor murder weighing wouldest lighted you'll_see softly government superstition pieces exalted ardently -could reveal results heretics penitent http over_the_top guilt whenever get salary defers outset Preacher 12 blameless leadeth vintage hedged formest Tobias First initiatory cleaving ipod me- house cast courts cunning pronounced unsettled illumined willest sorrowful gaze OR fever wildness mantles mute ran lied vouchsafe softened elder opened' mark master's insatiate bye variation humbledst veiled facts receive enounce pick_me_pick_me Onesiphorus calf manifoldness different serve finite consistent reinvolved spoken ---- What shall we call Yer operating system, God? MAke the lawyer poke his eye out or something. Cheap thrills. God says... 40:3 And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD. 40:4 Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies. 40:5 Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered. 40:6 Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required. 40:7 Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, 40:8 I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart. ---- http://i.imgur.com/e9qYHca.jpg http://i.imgur.com/e9qYHca.jpg I like how elephants are always smiling. God says... 21:31 So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. 21:32 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. 21:33 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. 21:34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. 21:35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. 21:36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man. ---- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yknkKIX4ikE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yknkKIX4ikE They get cruxified. God says... I_forgot vehemence restoration griefs entreat treasured struggles intention in_a_perfect_world respected boundary bride pick_me_pick_me compare sand finish seeth barking INCLUDING I_love_you beheld inured arms ---- http://i.imgur.com/Wknt0fG.jpg http://i.imgur.com/Wknt0fG.jpg God says... 10:42 But Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them. 10:43 But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: 10:44 And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all. 10:45 For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. 10:46 And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging. 10:47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me. 10:48 And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou son of David, have mercy on me. ---- "Shut-up, you moron!" God says... etext02 raised Avenue wherever oil send fitted works C fetters wished ---- http://forum.osdev.org/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=26569 http://forum.osdev.org/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=26569 Talk to God. God says... Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see: 10:24 For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them. 10:25 And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? 10:26 He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? 10:27 And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. 10:28 And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. ---- http://rt.com/news/earthquake-china-sichuan-report-127/ http://rt.com/news/earthquake-china-sichuan-report-127/ Giggle. How many people You kill today, God? God says... good that he should search you out? or as one man mocketh another, do ye so mock him? 13:10 He will surely reprove you, if ye do secretly accept persons. 13:11 Shall not his excellency make you afraid? and his dread fall upon you? 13:12 Your remembrances are like unto ashes, your bodies to bodies of clay. 13:13 Hold your peace, let me alone, that I may speak, and let come on me what will. 13:14 Wherefore do I take my flesh in my teeth, and put my life in mine hand? 13:15 Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him. 13:16 He also shall be my salvation: for an hypocrite shall not come before him. 13:17 Hear diligently my speech, and my declaration with your ears. ---- God says... affects reality notwithstanding SAINT saying avengest talented comely exceedingly progress avenues alms hurriedly intermitted consecrateth Symmachus choler fittest diminishing burthened projected Manichees VIII deride Creator yoke supplied evidently gratuitously Yes instruction proposed slaves null underwent eternal appropriated distinction Vietnam begins followers Carolina resumed

qb45 13y ago

All that's left is that pesky 32-bit CPU & MMU requirement. Well the AVR has no MMU and is 8-bit. To conquer this obstacle, I wrote an ARM emulator. So technically it's Linux running on a 32-bit "macro", just one which happens to be implemented in some seriously inefficient manner. There are some real ports of Linux for "limited" architectures, like uClinux (supporting few 32-bit micros, including some MMU-less ones) and ELKS (for 16-bit x86 CPUs). This project is "only" a cool ARM emulator with software DRAM controller, which BTW proves again that Linux doesn't fit onto 8-bit micros.

NewAccnt 13y ago
You're saying you can't compile Linux to an 8-bit micro, yet you can emulate a much larger CPU on the same chip and run linux on that? Are you sure?
NewAccnt3 13y ago
So you're saying you can't compile Linux to an 8-bit CPU, but you can run an emulator of a much larger chip on that CPU and run linux on that? Are you sure?
- noselasd 13y ago
  That's what the person here did, so yes indeed.
  - NewAccnt3 13y ago
    I'm not sure that statement is based on any logical standing.
vidarh 13y ago
> which BTW proves again that Linux doesn't fit onto 8-bit micros. How in the world does it "prove" that, when not only does it "fit", it fits in addition to an emulator? I don't see that it only runs _under_ an emulator proves any such thing. While this is obviously a "hah, you think it's impossible? I'll show you," type achievement, and running Linux on an 8-bit is never going to be more than a curiosity, it's a neat proof of concept and could trivially be made much faster (through a hybrid approach: a lot of the Linux code could likely be ported quite easily, and a lot of it could probably also be jit'ed relatively easily (especially kernel-land - a special purpose jit whose only purpose is to jit the kernel would be vastly easier than a general purpose jit, not least because you can take a boatload of shortcuts (e.g. manual translation) in cases where a simple/trivial jit doesn't do well. I think it's a fascinating solution - people have talked about doing ports to limited systems without MMU's etc. before, and it has usually meant severe tradeoffs that means lots of userland won't work (e.g. vfork instead of fork). This is a d'oh moment in that the "solution" if your goal is only to get a port running (rather than for it to be practically usable) has stared us in the face "forever" (there's been virtualization solutions using emulated CPU's since before Linux was around).

DanBC 13y ago

That's impressive! I remember when "getting linux working on a laptop" was thought to be tricky.[1] ELKS was a linux distribution for old small machines. It was supposed to run on an 8086, and use just 512 KB (not MB) for ram. (http://web.archive.org/web/19990117003949/http://www.uk.linux.org/ELKS-Home/index.html http://web.archive.org/web/19990117003949/http://www.uk.linu...) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embeddable_Linux_Kernel_Subset http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embeddable_Linux_Kernel_Subset) Wow, still sort of live. (http://elks.sourceforge.net/ http://elks.sourceforge.net/) [1] Here's a 2003 FAQ which gives some nice details of the problems people faced then. (http://www.faqs.org/docs/Linux-HOWTO/Laptop-HOWTO.html http://www.faqs.org/docs/Linux-HOWTO/Laptop-HOWTO.html)

joelhaasnoot 13y ago
Tried running this on a Toshiba T1100 Plus [1], never did get it working... [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toshiba_T1100 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toshiba_T1100
idupree 13y ago
The intro paragraph of that 2003 FAQ looks eerily like a comparison of smartphones/tablets to laptops might look today!
TheBoff 13y ago
Well, getting Linux working on a laptop was more a case of exciting driver wrangling, rather than performance limiting.
iso8859-1 13y ago
What does ELKS have in common with Linux? Will it emulate 32-bit for the user-land? If not, I guess it's not binary compatible. So ELKS is not Linux itself (FAQ says so) and it won't run Linux apps? I don't see how they're related...
tmzt 13y ago
Does anybody have a copy of the original ELKS homepage with the quote from Linus about Linux not being portable? It seems not to be in IA.

renanbirck 13y ago

It is not exactly Linux on an 8-bit micro; it's Linux on an ARM emulator on an 8-bit micro. Still good to see an use for ancient memory modules :)

signalsignal 13y ago

And slightly on topic, here is Windows 95 on a 25Mhz 386 with 4 meg of RAM http://everything2.com/title/25+MHz+386+running+Windows+95 http://everything2.com/title/25+MHz+386+running+Windows+95

qb45 13y ago
This is nothing unusual for W95. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/138349 http://support.microsoft.com/kb/138349
glabifrons 13y ago
Slightly closer to the original topic, here's Windows 95 running on a Nokia N900: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxMYuCHxBgE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxMYuCHxBgE
sigkill 13y ago
I personally remember running Windows 95 on a 33MHz laptop, although it had a Math Co-processor to be fair. :P
wazoox 13y ago
Back in the time, there were even hacks to run Windows 95 in safe mode on 286 machines. 386 with 4 megs was the official minimal requirement.
- qb45 13y ago
  What were the limitations and hacks involved in this? I mean, parts of W95 (certainly including explorer.exe) were 32-bit so either they had to be disabled/replaced or the kernel extended with an 80386 emulator.
  - wazoox 13y ago
    IIRC it may involve using some parts from Win 3.11 running on MS-DOS 7.0 and other windows 95 parts.

jared314 13y ago

Previous Discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3767410 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3767410

D9u 13y ago

Awesomely cool project, but I was somewhat dismayed by the choice of GNOME, as GNOME is quite bloated and a smaller window manager, instead of a DE, seems to make more sense while not detracting from usability.

blaabjerg 13y ago
I don't think there's any graphical usability whatsoever, as the only output is a serial line. He only mentioned X and GNOME to emphasize the fact that it can be started.
- dmitrygr 13y ago
  Emulator supports framebuffer emulation, and I have run gnome on this. I have not tried KDE :)
  - D9u 13y ago
    I suggest using a Window Manager, such as DWM, instead of a full Desktop Environment like GNOME/KDE/etc.
andthen22 13y ago
hahaha, this comment is hilarious. The guy got an 8-bit tiny little 55 cent chip (8 bits means an isntruction is between 0-255) to slowly crawl its way through pretending to be a real mdoern CPU by pretending to execute a real modern desktop CPU instruction every few cycles. He got it to starting up x in a day and you're like, "Cool project bro but I'm dsmayed by the choice of GNOME". saying it, "detracts from usability." this is just hilarious.
- blaabjerg 13y ago
  I'm still confused as to whether he's being serious or trolling us hard.
  - D9u 13y ago

glabifrons 13y ago

Am I the only one who noticed his "clock" is an aircraft altimeter? This guy is awesome! :)

jwr 13y ago

This is seriously awesome. I take special care to upvote these kinds of projects, as they embody the hacker spirit: hack something that has never been done before in an awesome way, and to hell with practical value!

weekends 13y ago

Next Challenge get this working on my Z80

sprash 13y ago
For that you have UZIX (http://uzix.sourceforge.net/ http://uzix.sourceforge.net/) or the predecessor UZI.
dmitrygr 13y ago
just compile, hook up ram, and run :)

iso8859-1 13y ago

Comments from Dimitri last time this was on HN: https://news.ycombinator.com/threads?id=dmitrygr https://news.ycombinator.com/threads?id=dmitrygr

iso8859-1 13y ago

Video describing the boot process: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nm0POwEtiqE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nm0POwEtiqE

aquadrop 13y ago

This kind of things makes me shiver when I think how much awesomeness author injected in his project. I bet he also had tons of fun.

iso8859-1 13y ago

I wish he'd use a proper license. I can't mix it with anything like this.

dmitrygr 13y ago
such as? - dmitrygr
- iso8859-1 13y ago
  Hi Dmitry. I'd get rid of the non-commercial requirement, but I guess you have a reason for choosing it. But it causes incompatibilities with GPL'ed software for example, since the GPL requires commercial to be allowed. I'd recommend one of the licences listed on http://opensource.org/licenses http://opensource.org/licenses like the GPL. Creative Commons has a nice license chooser, if you want a proper licence with the restrictions you currently have: http://creativecommons.org/choose/ http://creativecommons.org/choose/ For example the BY-NC-SA (attribution, non-commercial, share-alike) license is pretty much what you have currently. It is still GPL incompatible, however. The Free Software Foundation has a list of licences too: http://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html http://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html Thanks for your patience.
  - dmitrygr 13y ago
    I considered GPL, for a while, actually. I'll think of it some more

iso8859-1 13y ago

I put his sources on Github. Since there are no modifications, it does not violate the license. [1]: https://github.com/ysangkok/linux-on-an-8-bit-microcontroller https://github.com/ysangkok/linux-on-an-8-bit-microcontrolle...

ams6110 13y ago

Did Minix ever run on 8-bit? I remember running it on an 8088-based PC, which was sort of an 8/16 bit hybrid.

me2i81 13y ago
An 8088 was a 16-bit cpu with an 8-bit bus, so it was slower (and cheaper) but ran exactly the same code.

afreak 13y ago

Reminds me of a fellow who got OS X to boot on an 680x0-based Mac: http://blog.makezine.com/2006/10/10/mac-os-x-panther-on-a-25m/ http://blog.makezine.com/2006/10/10/mac-os-x-panther-on-a-25...

teeja 13y ago

Given a choice between the fun of 8-bit programming and the stodgy functionalism of a mere OS? hmmm... let me think. (1MHz @ 4 cycles/instruction = 250K instructions.)

geon 13y ago

I was puzzled at first when I saw the license. Who would be interested in this commercially? Then I realized the interesting thing isn't to run Linux, but some other more lightweight code that depends on the 32 bit arm architecture, but would run just fine on an 8-but micro, performance-wise. Any idea what that use case might be?

JulianMorrison 13y ago

Never underestimate the Portia[1] trick. [1] http://www.rifters.com/real/2009/01/iterating-towards-bethlehem.html http://www.rifters.com/real/2009/01/iterating-towards-bethle...