Linux on a 286

[redhatmonkey]

Help me. I am so tired of DOS. Is there any way i can get Linux RedHat on my IBM 286 Intel, with 2MB RAM and 75Mb hard drive. All i have is a 5 inch floppy drive so i would have to download it with my external 800baud modem. What about other versions of Linux. I would like to be able to surf the internet and do some word processing. Any help would be wonderful.

[slacker_x]

I have never heard of anyone putting linux on anything less that a 386. Even if it could run on the 386, the RAM would be a severe limitation

[TacKat]

I don't think Linux will run on a 286 since it used protected mode which is only available on 386+ processors.

Edit: Let me get my processors straight first ;)

[ 19 September 2001: Message edited by: TacKat ]

[bdg1983]

You should be able to order the latest Redhat 7.1 on 5 1/4 floppies by emailing them at sales_for_525@redhat.com though you will have to supply a credit card number in for Redhat to process your order and ship it out to you.

The shipping charges actually cost more than the distro. 2,600 floppies

Now that's just for the standard 1 cd set. If you want the deluxe 6 cd pack.

One thing to remember is the floppies are not labeled, so whatever you do, don't drop the box.

Stay with dos.

[ 18 September 2001: Message edited by: mdwatts the 3rd ]

[tansy]

lol

[Strike]

No, Linux will not run on anything less than a 386, like TacKat said.

[sans-hubris]

I know you said you don't like DOS, but you might want to try FreeDOS (http://www.freedos.org[/url) since that's probably your best bet for getting a free OS on a 286. FreeDOS is actually probably better than DOS since there are somethings that resemble UNIX stuff. I have used FreeDOS a little bit and I do like what I've used quite a bit better than MSDOS.

[bugfix]

Me thinks you are indeed a funny man. I really hope you guys think this is a joke and wern't reponding seriously.

[error27]

There is actually a sort of version of linux for 286 and even as far back as 8088.

There is no protected mode for that so it's not like a real linux ( http://linuxtoday.com/stories/296.html ).

I haven't tried it myself as my 8088 is back with my parents in Africa stored in a box. Also I don't think the newest versions of X will run on it so when you try play games like quake 3 the refresh rates are really low. Something like 1 frame every minute or so.

Download that and you should be able to use it as a word processor with something like (star|open)office or some other word processor. You will probably have to cross compile openoffice but that should be simple.

Good luck...

[epseps]

Let me get this straight...you came to this site using DOS on a 286 and 800baud modem?

If you can do that, you don't need Linux. Anyone who would suddenly get sick of DOS NOW would just buy a new computer. Keep DOS, keep your 800 baud modem. If that is what you are using now, it is pretty cool that an oddity like you exists now.

I heard about a project to port linux to a 286 but no one cares about it anymore, because someone must have told them that Minix will work on a 286.

[Malakin]

so when you try play games like quake 3 the refresh rates are really low. Something like 1 frame every minute or so.Disregarding other technical reasons for it not working of which there are many :) even if it could run quake 3 it still couldn't pump out one frame a minute, floating point math emulution and software opengl wouldn't run so well on an 286 :-)

Hell I remember trying to render mandlebrot sets on my 386-25 that took all night (10hours) at 320x200, these days it would be more like mandlebrots per second on my current system, roughly a 500,000X speedup.

[Whipping Boy]

You want Minix.

[chikn]

Web Surf.....Linux........286.......?? :eek:

[error27]

Originally posted by Malakin:
<STRONG>
Hell I remember trying to render mandlebrot sets on my 386-25 that took all night (10hours) at 320x200, these days it would be more like mandlebrots per second on my current system, roughly a 500,000X speedup.</STRONG>


Perhaps your algorythms weren't very effecient. Sure, you won't be able to play quake if you compile it on the 286 itself but that's why I said that he should cross compile it on another computer. That way some of the advanced speed is applied to the resulting binary. I haven't tried it myself but the theory is sound.

[Malakin]

Perhaps your algorythms weren't very effecient. Sure, you won't be able to play quake if you compile it on the 286 itself but that's why I said that he should cross compile it on another computer. That way some of the advanced speed is applied to the resulting binary. I haven't tried it myself but the theory is sound.
The computer you compile it on makes no difference. Only the computer you run it on and the compiler options.

You are missing the point here, even on a 1Ghz machine if it's doing math emulation and opengl in software then it's going to be super slow. Unless you can find an isa opengl card :) and a math coprocessor for the 286 :)

Of course like I said before there's obviously other technical reasons why a 286 will never run quake 3.. this was only meant as a joke.

[TacKat]

All the code optimization in the world won't put a FPU on a board that doesn't have one.

[error27]

You guys are not taking this seriously enough.

I'm trying to help Redhatman install Linux on a 286 and you keep bringing up nonsense about FPU? What do Florida Public Utilities have to do with the topic at hand?

[Whipping Boy]

FPU==floating point unit

And Linux will not run on a 286, period. No matter what you do, it will NOT RUN. If you want a free UNIX for a 286, you want Minix.

[Craig McPherson]

It is ABSOLUTELY possible to run Linux on a 286!

Yes, it's true that Linux can only run on a 32-bit CPU, and a 286 is not a 32-bit CPU. But there's no reason that the CPU has to be a physical CPU.

The answer:

Install Windows 3.1 on the system. Run VMWARE on Windows 3.1 -- VMWARE for Win3.1 is rather hard to find, but you can find it at all the most 1337 war3z sites. VMWARE emulates a 32-bit CPU. Install Linux on the VMWARE machine.

Problem solved!

I've tried this several times in life, so I can offer a few other suggestions and requirements.

1. For adequate performance, you'll need to have overclocked your CPU to at least 1GHz. This requires some serious cooling, but visit the various overclocker sites and you'll get a good idea of how to accomplish this.

2. You'll need 2GB of RAM for best performance. Your 286 motherboard probably can't take 2GB of RAM, so you'll have to work around that. This is left as an exercise to the reader.

[Whipping Boy]

Damn you, Craig!

[Niminator]

I believe that this thread is asexually reproduced. Admit it, you are all Craig! In fact, I think there are only two users on this board; Me and Craig.

*Checks to make sure he's not Craig*