SliTaz Forum

oui

Member

Registered: 2012-09-05

Posts: 298

I will make an absolute minimal install. what is the most recent version still offering Russian dol

Hi everyone,

I am planning a return to a 100% CLI environment on SliTaz (Rolling 64-bit, but 32-bit friendly). My goal is to build a "Minimalist SeaMonkey-like suite" without any graphical server (No Xorg, No Wayland). I want to prove that we can still have a modern, visual, and logical workspace in 2026 using less than 20MB of RAM.

The Vision:

A "Smart Blackboard" environment where text, images, and logic (Prolog) are layered like Russian dolls.

The Stack (The "Suite"):

Browsing/Images: w3m-img with Framebuffer support (for inline images in TTY).

Writer/Knowledge Base: DidiWiki (as a local server) + Nano (with Hunspell for FR/EN/AR/KO).

Logic/AI: Turbo-Prolog 2.0 via DOSBox (CLI-mode). I prefer its structured IDE and extensions for beginners over standard gprolog.

Office/Reading: WordGrinder, SC-IM, fbgs (PDF via Framebuffer), and pdftotext.

Communication: Mutt (Emails with embedded images) and IRC.

Multiplexing: Screen or Tmux to manage these "layers" (TTY1 for Wiki, TTY2 for Mail, etc.).

The Technical "Bancal" (Need Help):

I'm looking for the Master Joiner (Ébéniste) who can point me to the latest working method for stacked/nested initrds (cpio layers).

In the past (SliTaz 4 era), there was a confusion between GZIP and XZ compression formats that broke the "Russian doll" boot.

Is there a current 64-bit Rolling Flavor (Core) that natively supports loading multiple initrds from the web or local storage without a "time-consuming" manual rebuild?

Why this matters:

I want to keep SliTaz accessible for people with low-resource hardware (32-bit compatibility) while utilizing 64-bit power. I want a system where the "Blackboard" (Wiki) and the "Logic" (Prolog) are part of the same minimal DNA.

I come from the TMS9900 (1987) era; I value reusability over the "Python-bloat" of modern Linux. I'm ready to help document this if we can fix the web-boot/initrd path.

Looking forward to your insights!

"Wireless Networking (The Humble Challenge):

To keep this setup truly portable and 'real-world' ready, I need the most robust, non-X method for WLAN management (WPA/WPA2/WPA3). In the past, tazhw and wpa_cli were the standards. Is there a unified CLI tool in the current Rolling (like a stable nmcli or a scripted wpa_supplicant) that handles scanning and handshake reliably without a GUI? Connectivity is the 'sine qua non' for my shared Blackboard."

"Possible Next Step: The Refracta Connection?

As a long-term goal, I am considering bridging SliTaz's unique 'Russian doll' architecture with modern libraries salvaged from Refracta (Devuan-based). This could allow us to integrate up-to-date, systemd-free libraries into a modern 32-bit/64-bit SliTaz core. This 'Franken-SliTaz' approach aims to maintain modern web/network compatibility (SSL/TLS) without sacrificing our minimalist CLI-only soul."

Arachnoborg

Member

Registered: 2026-03-21

Posts: 10

Re: I will make an absolute minimal install. what is the most recent version still offering Russian dol

Hi oui,

Nice project. Since 2020's most popular OS'es are all bloated with useless gizmos, and useful features are being taken off. I used to have realtime kernel on ubuntu studio prior to 2020, then canonical made the preemptive realtime kernel on subscribtion. Started using lightweight Arch distros and xanmod kernel for reducing in-situ lag. Aim is having minimal input-to-output lag in audio signal processing, high quality signal processing removes the need of dedicated peripherals for music mostly.

If menuetOS worked well with jacks, or some distro had C++ layer on top of ASM kernel, I'd use it.

I tested on WinXP, Win7, Win10, Artix, MX Linux.

Results were 237ms, 246ms, 333ms, 110ms, 117ms respectively, from guitar to speaker signal.

I wrote the results down, didn't make all comparison in one go, I don't have pictures stored because WinXP test was in 2013.

In my opinion, any lightweight operating system should have no working limitations, But an operating system should still be light. Some people require fast signal processing rather than 3d windows and shit.

Good luck and nazdrovya on your project!