Tiny Core Linux

General TC => General TC Talk => Topic started by: Possum on October 20, 2014, 10:05:43 PM

Title: What Language and Compiler Does Tiny Core Use
Post by: Possum on October 20, 2014, 10:05:43 PM

Hi
This is my first post here, please be forgiving as I am new to under the hood linux.

I want to read and understand the code that makes Tiny Core works. Then write a compiler for it ( or read and understand open source compiler code)

Then write an IDE... ( or read and understand open source IDE code)

This is a hobby I just want to see how far I can go and learn..

I presume I can download the Tiny Core code. But where are the manuals that explain what the code means. Heck I don't even know what language Tiny Core is written in.

All and every bit of advice on my fun project appreciated.

Title: Re: What Language and Compiler Does Tiny Core Use
Post by: Rich on October 20, 2014, 11:27:43 PM

Hi Possum
The Linux kernel is written in C. There's a C compiler available, just install compiletc.tcz.
A lot of what makes Tinycore what it is is done through scripts written in Ash. That is interpreted, not compiled.
There are no manuals documenting code. You have to be able to read and understand the code, and if you are lucky, there will be
the occasional comment mixed in with the code.
If you are interested in learning more about how Tinycore works, there is a very good book available for download:
http://tinycorelinux.net/book.html

Title: Re: What Language and Compiler Does Tiny Core Use
Post by: Possum on October 21, 2014, 12:32:53 AM

thx 

Book looks fantastic

Title: Re: What Language and Compiler Does Tiny Core Use
Post by: Lee on October 21, 2014, 01:09:44 AM

Quote

A lot of what makes Tinycore what it is is done through scripts written in Ash. That is interpreted, not compiled.
There are no manuals documenting code. You have to be able to read and understand the code, and if you are lucky, there will be the occasional comment mixed in with the code.

The meat of the boot process of Tinycore seems to be in /etc/init.d/tc-config which, in addition to getting the system up and running, is a treasure trove of interesting scripting techniques - I've borrowed the command line parsing bit for other projects several times over the years - though I'm -still- a little hazy about some of the finer points of the syntax in that section.

However, even though I have a certain comfort level with -what- the script does, I've found that the details of -how- are sometimes obscure and I've often thought it would be really nice to have a thoroughly annotated (commented) copy of it for reference - not necessarily in the initrd, but perhaps in the wiki.