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submitted 1 month ago by cm0002@lemmy.cafe to c/linux@programming.dev

Today we're installing a modern Linux... on a single 1.44mb floppy disk!

๐ŸŽ Guide: https://github.com/w84death/floppinux

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[-] FuyuhikoDate@feddit.org 36 points 1 month ago
[-] kyonshi@piefed.social 6 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

How does it actually need 20mb of RAM if the system fits into 1.44mb?

Ok, a bit of an academic question, but still

[-] impolitecarry@lemmy.wtf 18 points 1 month ago

Possibly because the version stored on disk is heavily compressed (the keyword squashfs comes to mind), and its expanded to its full form when its in memory?

[-] refalo@programming.dev 3 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

besides uncompressing itself, there will be other info that is needed at runtime that requires dynamic memory allocation beyond the size of the kernel itself, like hardware/memory maps, framebuffers, filesystem/networking stuff, caches etc.

[-] PabloSexcrowbar@piefed.social 12 points 1 month ago

It's not Linux, but there's MenuetOS, which is an OS written entirely in 64-bit assembly that can fit (barely) on a 1.44 MB floppy. https://menuetos.net/

[-] FishFace@piefed.social 11 points 1 month ago

Why is the label written upside down?

[-] neidu3@sh.itjust.works 15 points 1 month ago

It is? I always wrote labels that way, so that the sensitive part could face down in the storage box.

[-] harmbugler@piefed.social 4 points 1 month ago

Same, and made it easier to read when flipping through them.

[-] Eldritch@piefed.world 9 points 1 month ago
[-] refalo@programming.dev 5 points 1 month ago

It's not, labels were always written that way. They went into a box where the slide was facing down so the label was always visible at the top.

[-] FishFace@piefed.social 0 points 1 month ago

Not in my house...

this post was submitted on 13 Dec 2025
102 points (99.0% liked)

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