Differences between version 6 and revision by previous author of ByzantineOS.
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| Newer page: | version 6 | Last edited on Thursday, September 23, 2004 4:56:20 pm | by AristotlePagaltzis | Revert |
| Older page: | version 4 | Last edited on Monday, February 17, 2003 10:36:07 am | by JaredWigmore | Revert |
@@ -1,55 +1,28 @@
-http://byzgl.sourceforge.net/
+!! Intro
-ByzantineOS is a small linux-based distro
focussing at
Internet Appliances.
-Its still very much
alpha software
, however its
clean and
fast, and fits on a
-iso. It manages this
by making use
of cut-down tools
like busybox,
-X
in a framebuffer
+[
ByzantineOS | http://byzgl.sourceforge.net/]
is a small LinuxDistribution
focussing on
Internet Appliances. While in
alpha stage
, it is
clean,
fast, and fits on a 28MB [ISO]
by virtue
of choices
like using BusyBox
and running [X11]
in a FrameBuffer. It concentrates on the web software selection an Internet Appliance typically offers, ie a WebBrowser.
-Its focussed towards running the web software that a Internet Appliance uses.
-That means, it runs a web browser. Boot it on small machine with a nice display,
-and I could see this being a nifty web browser OS, suited for Kiosks and the
-like. I dont really see it being usable on a TV, but thats because TVs are
-so arse for this sort of thing. ''(At least until [HDTV]... --JaredWigmore)''
+!! Booting
-Booting: pop
the CD in, reboot, make sure you are booting off the cdrom
drive, and sit back.
+Pop
the [
CD]
in, reboot, make sure you are booting off the [CDROM]
drive, and sit back. A BootLoader screen (probably [GRUB]) asks for a choice of normal or hi-res (1024x768, although it doesn't say that there) FrameBuffer~s. Booting shows the usual sorts of output, although the noisy [Kernel] messages are hidden behind messages like ''configuring network card'' and the like. Unfortunately it fails to properly configure the interface and instead assigns a completely bogus [IP] address for some reason
.
-A bootloader screen (looked like a GRUB screen) asks for a choice of normal
-or hi-res (1024x768, although it doesn't say that there) framebuffers.
+!! Logging in
-As it boots
, it goes through the usual sorts of output, although the noisy
-kernel output is hidden and
this shows things like
'configuring network card
'
-the like
. Note
that it doesn't really configure your network card - it
-grabs a REALLY bogus IP address for some reason, so
you have
to run dhcpd
-later on
+After booting
, it leaves a prompt saying ''press enter to enable
this console
''. Switching VTs shows this on at least a few other consoles. Once you log in you are presented with a shell...
and no indication of what to do
. [RTFM] reveals
that you need
to run startx(1). You should
run dhcpd(8) first though, so you have a [DHCP]-assigned [IP] address, or at least
manually set it via ifconfig(8).
-Logging in: It leaves a prompt saying "press enter to enable this console"
-after its finished booting. Switching VTs shows this on at least a few other
-consoles. Once you log in you are presented with a shell... and no indication
-of what to do. RTFM' however, provides the useful hint to run 'startx'.
+!! Using it
-Or
, run dhcpd first, so you have
a dhcp-assigned IP address
... or else
-manually set it via ifconfig
.
+You'll find the usual window decorations (such as title bars and close buttons) are absent
, even though there is is
a <tt>
.sawfish</tt> menu in your home directory
. It looks like no WindowManager is run, which makes sense for an OS targetted towards Internet Appliances
.
-Window Manager: there
is a .sawfish menu in your home directory, however
-I'm pretty sure that mozilla
is being run as my window manager. Certainly none
-the usual decorations are there (such as title bars and close buttons
).
-This makes sense for an OS targetted towards Internet Appliances
.
+The system
is equipped with an older [Mozilla] WebBrowser (whose age
is of little true concern here
). The browser is fairly customized in terms of menubar placement and available options
.
-Its also an older version of mozilla, but thats of little concern
really.
+So what to do now? Browse the web! That's about all you can do
really. The system is run from a <tt>cramfs</tt> image (compressed [RAM] FileSystem), and any changes (like installed plugins and settings changes) are lost on reboot
.
-Its fairly customized too, in terms of menubar placement, and what options you
-have available to you.
+!! Conclusion
-What now?:
-Browse the web! Thats about all you can do really.. the system is run from a
-compressed ramfs (cramfs) so you can install plugins and change settings I
-think, but they are of course lost on reboot.
-
-
-Its
a cool idea though, and probably
a good first start for web kiosk type
-. Saving
options to disk or network storage would be really useful,
-and you'd want to modify
the default options quite a lot I imagine
.
+It's
a cool idea. On a small machine with a nice display it could be a nifty WebBrowser OS. It seems like
a good first start for web kiosk type software, though you'll probably want to change many of the default
options, and saving changes
to disk or network storage would be really useful. All that limits its usefulness for
the living room is the awful display quality of TVs
. ''(At least until [HDTV]... --JaredWigmore)''
--DanielLawson
-----
+CategoryReview
