Ubuntu Live CD

I've tried to install Ubuntu on an old Windows PC of mine, but it doesn't quite work. Now I must note that I only need Linux to test out the Linux builds of my BlitzMax applications. And I expect not to use it for anything else (I'm quite happy with my Mac here).

Now I found this on the Ubuntu site:


Now let me see if I get this straight....
This installs Linux as a side system that does not alter my harddrive formatting at all. And does this mean I can use my already running system (MacOS X or Windows, depend on the machine I'm going to install it) like nothing happened? And most of all, is BlitzMax compatible with this solution?

nope... it does not install Linux at all.. It runs from the CD...
Although I'm fairly sure you can do an install to HD from the live CD.. it will however, affect your HD formatting..

Oh, I see...
Hmmm.... Thanks for the info...
What I need to know...
If running Linux from the CD this way, does it still read the drives already present in the computer? (even though they may not be Linux formatted)
I

Of course it does, you just may need to configure it but IIRC Ubuntu does this for you? Anyways it's posible to do it manually if not auto; don't worry about the filesystem.
I must say I had some *graphics* trouble with Ubuntu's livecd and haven't used it too much (couldn't test bmax either), but it's nice that they give it away and send it to you for free :)

I'm currently downloading the LiveCD, so I guess I'll soon see for myself wether or not I could get BMax running. Since it's only my objective to get Linux builds, it could help me a lot if it all works this way ;)

We'll soon see ;)

I suspect that you won't be able to get BlitzMax working with the LiveCD version of Ubuntu because you won't have the libs required for BlitzMax to be able to compile. Chances are you won't get your graphics card 3D acceleration working either. I don't think you can install these libs/drivers with the Live version, and even if you could, you'd have to do this every time you wanted to compile something for Linux - a major pain in the bum.

So, I'd recommend the installable version, but only give up a small portion of your HD space to Linux - if all you want to do is use it for BlitzMax. Make sure you back everything up first, otherwise there could be tears if you accidentally format your entire drive, or something!

No idea if this is possible, but it seems like it should be: You might be able to take a "LiveCD" version and install it onto a (large=512MB?) USB memory stick thingy and boot from there. You could presumably then install those extras that you need to get 'max running, although it'll probably be a tight squeeze!

I belive someone (Flamey?) had a version of PuppyLinux or DamnSmallLinux working off USB, although that may well have been built from scratch.

Well, in the first test, BMax didn't run at all. Apparantly MaxIDE was not recognized by Ubuntu as an executable. Is that because it's the "Live" version, or is it, because of the fact that the "executable" flag could not be given since I only had Windows formatted disks on the system where I tried it on (I tried it on my old Winodws computer). That's why I've tried the MacLive version, since Mac uses, like Linux, a UNIX based file system. Too bad my CD-Burn software has trouble reading the .iso file.

If you are using the Live CD and you downloaded the Linux version of MaxIDE into a folder somewhere in the Linux filesystem (eg. your home folder), then that file simply exists in RAM. Live CDs don't write anything to your hard drive (s).

To mark a file as executable, you just right-click on the file, select "Properties" and on the "Permissions" tab, tick the top box in the "Exec" column.

Well... It did install it on my portable harddisk. But that thing is formatted in FAT32. Maybe there lies a reason. I must note that the MAC brands any file on it without extention on as a "UNIX Exectable", at least when its on that portable thing. Not on the Mac Harddrive itsef. I was hoping Linux would do the same thing. Apparantly not.

Perhaps the Live is not the best choice, but I tried the normal version on an old PC of mine. It wouldn't install. The setup util doesn't even start up. :(

even on the install-version of ubuntu the IDE doesn't start until you install some extra libs.
there is a specialized knoppix version for games. game-knoppix or something. comes with 3d acceleration. i tried it with some of the early versions of blitzmax and it used to work. maybe you try it yourself?

ghislain

Well you're half right. PuppyLinux is somewhat bothersome to get working well, but DSL installs fine on a USB drive, doesn't muck about with drive images, and best of all installs as regular Debian/Knoppix. Currently tho' I'm missing ndiswrapper to get my wifi card working (no native Linux drivers) so I haven't been able to actually get BlitzMAX onto it or the needed extras to get it working, but I'm confident it will, once I get some spare time.

When I do, I'll be sure to write up a rather long-winded howto, unless someone else beats me to it.