Linux/m68k Red Hat 4.2 (unofficial) Base & Development RPM-packages
===================================================================

You want a small Linux/m68k installation using low memory and low disk space?
You don't want a "big" glibc2-based plug'n'play distro?
You want to run it on your old 68030-based Apple Macintosh?

If your answers are "Yes" then this is the right directory for you.
I can hear voices saying "you can't build Linux/m68k with libc5" but - hey! - I did
it and it worked! Don't talk about reliability or security because I don't wanna
hear it.

I don't want to write much. Here are just a few notes:

- libc 5.3.12, not the bigger libc 5.4.x or the even more blown-up glibc2
- binutils-2.9.1.0.4 taken from the unofficial Linux/m68k Red Hat 5.1 port
(originally for the Amiga by ???)
- gcc-2.7.2.3 (not the 2.7.2.1 of RH4.2)
- ld.so-1.8.3 dynamic loader
- no kernel included, get it by ftp, with the gcc-2.7.2.3 you can also use old Linux
kernels 2.0.x
- no booter included (i.e. Penguin for Mac)
- some things don't work right now (i.e. keyboard tables, set hwclock)
- util-linux and sh-utils are compiled *without* PAM-support, you have to recompile
the SRPMs if you want to use it
- most RPMs are build with the gcc-options "-m68030 -m68881"
- SRPMs with partial X11-usage are modified (procps)
- no X11
- no installer... if you don't know how to install it then you better don't touch
this stuff!
- some packages from RH4.2 only suitable for i386 are missing (i.e. lilo, bin86)
- mac-fdisk package included
- required hardware: 68030-Mac with FPU, at least 8MB RAM (I guess) and at least
100MB diskspace free (I guess)
- don't ever use it on a production system, commercially used system or anything
else!!!


Future plans:

- build missing Red Hat 4.2 RPM packages for Linux/m68k
- careful updating of the packages to more secure versions
- build more packages *I* need
- throw out some nasty stuff (i.e. [x]inetd) and use better software like DJB's
(Daniel Bernstein) packages or something else
- when I'm in the mood to waste some more time I will maybe make a installer or a
install CDROM
- later, much later: step up to glibc2 (currently I would prefer 2.3)
- "back port" to Linux/i386 and make a small, fast and reliable distro (I tried a
lot of distros and I'm currently using Red Hat and the german Halloween (no
longer Mandrake), but I need a system which fully satisfies *my* own needs)
- due to new Microsoft Licenses forbidding you to use "viral software" (e.g. software
under the "viral" GNU GPL) I will release all my future stuff with *my* copyright
under a special GNU-like GPL which will forbid you to use any Microsoft software on
a system with my software on it (no kidding!)

License? Er... everything not covered by a its own license or maybe copyrighted by
me is currently released under the GNU GPL.

Don't ask Red Hat for anything! These packages are all built by myself and are only
based on the Source-RPMs of Red Hat Linux/i386 4.2! Red Hat 4.2 is IMHO no longer
supported by Red Hat and you have to know what you are doing if you use it!!


Frank Meurer
Cologne/Germany
2001-10-05