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Xref: sserve comp.unix.bsd:8841 comp.os.linux:18636 Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd,comp.os.linux Path: sserve!manuel.anu.edu.au!munnari.oz.au!spool.mu.edu!tulane!wupost!csus.edu!netcom.com!adam From: adam@netcom.com (Adam J. Richter) Subject: Re: 386BSD + LINIX + GNU + X11R5 on CDROM - let us know what you want! Message-ID: <1992Dec12.055725.23540@netcom.com> Organization: Yggdrasil Computing, Incorporated References: <ByM6vo.C8C@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu> <1992Dec2.055049.24923@tfs.com> <1992Dec11.225241.1941@nb.rockwell.com> Date: Sat, 12 Dec 1992 05:57:25 GMT Lines: 50 In article <1992Dec11.225241.1941@nb.rockwell.com> wade@nb.rockwell.com (Wade Guthrie) writes: >The Linux cd-rom drivers may support [the Rockridge extensions] >already, but if you don't already >HAVE Linux up and running on your system, the point is moot. I would not >like to see the Rockridge extensions, 'cause then I wouldn't be able to >load Linux from the CD on a system that currently has only DOS. > >Wade Guthrie >wade@nb.rockwell.com My Linux/GNU/X CD is a counter-example to your claim. The CD uses the Rockridge extensions, but you can install it on a system that "has only DOS" or that has no software at all. This is because the distribution includes a boot floppy that boots linux and then mounts the CD. Even on a distribution that did not include a boot floppy, the inclusion of Rock Ridge extension information would not make it any harder to install. After all, you can still read a Rockridge disk with a system that only understands iso9660, although the filenames will appear in iso9660 level 1 (DOS style) or iso9660 level 2 (similar to VMS) formats. Do you understand that the CD that Jordan is talking about doing is a pure source code CD? An unpacked linux source tree wouldn't be that useful in installing Linux on your system. If all of the Linux binaries in the world disappeared tomorrow, I imagine that there would be a lot of work involved in rebuilding a complete working Linux system again. Installing Linux from a CD that contains only source code is essentially the same problem. I do, however, see two uses for the ability to look at a Rockridge disk with binaries, like mine, under an iso9660 reader that doesn't support the Rockridge extensions (in particular, DOS). On a subsequent version of my Linux/GNU/X CD, I'll probably include rawrite.exe so that it will be possible to recreate the boot floppy, and I'll probably also include some kind of runlinux.exe program so that it will be possible to boot directly to linux from DOS. Those are about the only real uses that I see for the underlying non-Rockridge iso9660 file system on my CD. As for Jordan's CD, I don't see any reason why he shouldn't include the Rockridge extensions, unless it breaks some buggy iso9660 CDROM reader or something. -- Adam J. Richter Yggdrasil Computing, Incorporated 409 Evelyn Avenue, Apt. 312 PO Box 8418 Albany CA 94706 Berkeley CA 94707-8418 (510) 528-3209 (510) 526-7531, fax: (510) 528-8508 adam@netcom.com yggdrasil@netcom.com Another member of the League for Programming Freedom (league@prep.ai.mit.edu).