iB::Topic::Running without a coprocessor

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Topic: Running without a coprocessor, Can DSL be run without a math. coproc.?

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cbagger01

Group: Members
Posts: 4264
Joined: Oct. 2003

Posted: Feb. 19 2006,20:17

DSL version 0.5.3.1 will work on a "486SX" machine.

However, you need more RAM. Like 12MB for textmode and 16MB for graphical mode.

Unless you get more RAM, your best bet is to try another small linux like and older version of Basic Linux or an old Slackware version.

skaos

Group: Members
Posts: 430
Joined: April 2004

Posted: Feb. 20 2006,11:06

You can find Basic Linux here: http://distro.ibiblio.org/pub/linux/distributions/baslinux/
It will be command line only, as X requires 8 MB.

AwPhuch

Group: Members
Posts: 1404
Joined: April 2004

Posted: Feb. 20 2006,19:23

If you could get the ram to 32Megs or larger you will be totally blown away at what that 486 would actually do!

4 Megs of RAM is waaay below anything that a graphical desktop will run on...the minimal X server on dsl runs at approx 12-14 Megs alone!

Brian
AwPhuch

--------------
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./S99LinuxRevolution start

NewDude

Group: Members
Posts: 150
Joined: Feb. 2006

Posted: Feb. 23 2006,21:47

I have to say something about everyone in this forum, especially this topic. You guys are my type of people. I get laughed at by coworkers because I still have a P166mhz machine that I am running. I thought I was the only one in the world that still uses so called "Old hardware"(PII and below).

I find out about DSL and I find a whole lot of people just like me that still run older type hardware and are getting use out of it. You have people on here running 486's. That is just simply awesome. I get amazed everytime I log into this forum and start reading posts by people. Simply awesome...

I have a question though. Some years ago I had an old Dell 386 with a math coprocesser in it(I thought). Did some 386's have math coprocessors? If they did, DSL probably could have run on that old 386.

I think it was a Dell 386, 33mhz, with 20mb ram and a 350hd.

I know that 486 SX chips didn't have the coprocessors. But I could have sworn that this 386 had one, in fact I swear I saw it on top of the CPU (Mounted on top of it) just a small chip.