Run virtual linux for USB or Dropbox with no install on OS X, PCs or Linux

[MikeLevin]

Hello everyone. I have had an on and off pet project over the years, connecting a few dots that I haven't seen anyone connect yet—like Tiny Core Linux does in other ways. Anyway, the result is a file you can download, unzip and double-click to get a persistent Micro Core Linux from the desktop on a Mac, Windows or other Linux machine. No intall nor admin privileges are necessary on the host machine. It works well from USB.

Levinux also works particularly well with Dropbox, so even if you have a PC at work, a Mac or Linux machine at home, just fire-up your VM from out of your Dropbox, and there's the exact environment you left. I'm planning on making this a general Linux server learning platform for n00bs, walking them through SSH'ing in for the first time, creating a file, and reaching it from localhost:8080 on the host computer's browser, and so on.

Anyway, if this piques anyone's interest, you can download it from http://mikelev.in/levinux/

[sebus]

Nice one, thanks, might be really handy...

[gerald_clark]

Where is the source?

[MikeLevin]

I'm documenting where the binaries came from. They are the most common of all QEMU binaries. The Mac one is the Q project, latest stable (ancient). The PC one is from that Japanese site qemu.org links to (I'll update the README.txt) and the Linux one is from an Ubuntu apt-get command. I didn't compile my own binaries, because after many, many, many attempts I couldn't get something as stable, small, few dependencies as these very popular binary distributions. The source isn't included with Levinux because I'm trying to keep it to around 15MB, and I just haven't gone collecting it up for all these older version QEMU binaries. On my roadmap is either updating the binaries, or more fully documenting the ones I'm using and why.

[tinypoodle]

http://tinycorelinux.net/faq.html#license

[MikeLevin]

http://tinycorelinux.net/faq.html#license

Yeah, it's a beta. Don't get bent. The source code is available from each respective project, and I will make sure their licenses remain intact and are prominently displayed along with the location of original source. Look at the manifest in the readme. I didn't modify any source code. It's just put together as a robust multi-platform bootable system with non-compiled scripts (so "modified" source is included by definition with human-readable scripts). Are the GPL2 license obligations what you're talking about or something else?

[gerald_clark]

Tinycore respins must offer their own copies of the sources.  Pointing to tinycore is not sufficient.

[sebus]

Not really a respin, just bootable media, without code change
Anybody can manipulate the files in Levinux.zip\Levinux\Levinux on Mac.app\Contents\MacOS

[MikeLevin]

Thanks @sebus for taking a moment to look at it before giving a knee jerk GPL2-cop response.

It sounds to me like what you're advocating @gerald_clark is that every Linux distro has to include the Linux kernel and commands source code even if it modifies no source code and keeps all the licenses and copyright notices intact.

Is that correct? Is that what you're saying?

Could you please give me number and section of GPL2 where it states that, or other sections you think I am violating, so I can address?

Thanks.

[tinypoodle]

http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/gpl-2.0-faq.html#UnchangedJustBinary

[MikeLevin]

Yeah, so all I have to do is find the original source to the binaries I'm using—should be avail—and stick it on Dropbox and refer back to it in my distro, so my download can stay 15MB. That sounds reasonable.

I would also like to point out that they say this is the "general rule" so that original source doesn't stop getting distributed from original source. A general rule is not a hard-and-fast rule for every instance, and the terse dismissive response I got here really made me feel unwelcome in this community.

Thanks to those who actually posted something useful. I will better adhere to the suggested spirit of GPL2 for code preservation purposes—which actually required information off the FAQ to clarify—and not the license itself, which does not explicitly state this.

[curaga]

and not the license itself, which does not explicitly state this.

It's sections 3a and 3b in the license:

http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html

3b would be hard for you to do if you didn't have a copy of the sources in the first place.

[MikeLevin]

Just take out the vmlinuz & microcore.gz out & link to instructions for users to put them in to have the whole package

Easier & less trouble, sadly it does make one feel unwelcome

sebus

I think you're wrong. All I have to is distribute the code side by side with the download link of the binary. You're just making incorrect blanket statements about GPL2 and making me feel unwelcome. Good thing I can see through such nonsense. The term "accompanying it with" in sections 3 means a download link with the original binary is sufficient. Otherwise, every FOSS project that offers a binary-only download (and many do) would be in violation. Are you suggesting Live-CDs of Knoppix be distributed without the Linux boot kernel and that all embedded Linux products that use Busybox have BB source in the embedded device? Ridiculous. Methinks I detect pedantic troublemaking for its own sake.

[gerald_clark]

It is not a matter of making you feel welcome or not.
You must follow the forum and project rules.
Before posting here you are to read and follow http://forum.tinycorelinux.net/index.php/topic,5543.0.html

[MikeLevin]

I did not post in this section. I posted in Micro Core and it was moved here.

And it absolutely is about feeling welcome... it is a forum based on community and helping each other. People who say forums are not about making people feel welcome—even if they have the intention to comply with all the rules—just drive potential influx of new lifeblood for the forum away.

And I am not necessarily not in compliance with GPL2, and if I'm not, I really appreciate the constructive help of those who are not reactionist high horse police, and actually try to provide something useful in the refining of a Beta version specifically to address issues like this.

If the game here is dogpile on the rabbit, then it explains why TCL hasn't gained more popularity. Are you (gerald_clark) really the best the TCL community has to offer?