Replacing Bash and Less

entropy_poster · 2015-09-24 00:28:52

Hello!

I want to install a very small and customized system. Therefore I don't want to install unnecessary packages like some packages in the base meta package. So my two questions are:

Is it possible to replace BASH with ZSH?
Is it possible to replace LESS and MORE with MOST?

I would prefere a clean solution without tricking pacman, but I dont see how to get the dependencies fixed.

I hope someone has had the same idea and likes to share some thoughts about this.

Trilby · 2015-09-24 00:37:35

Even "tricking" pacman wouldn't do you any good. Less you could probably do with out, but many utilities require bash. It is easy to use zsh as a default shell, but not remove bash entirely without a lot of work.

By the time you do half of the required work you wouldn't really be using archlinux. This leads to my main question: why do you think archlinux is a good system on which to do this? (not to mention what makes you think zsh is *small*)

Look at busybox-based small distros like DSL, puppy, or slitaz.

byte · 2015-09-24 00:39:20

Installing zsh and most? No problem.
Replacing bash on the other hand, nope.
You can always try removing unnecessary packages afterwards, but bash or util-linux are certainly going to stay.

entropy_poster · 2015-09-24 01:11:53

Thank you for your reply!

I was just curious how to achive this.

@Trilby:
In the past I always used a minimal installation of Ubuntu Linux (~400 MB) and added most of the software from GIT repositories. Ubuntu is nice in many ways but some packages are quiet outdated and even more packages don't even exist. To avoid this I moved to Arch Linux.
Thank you for your suggestions but looking at them makes me think I might have to go down the manual GIT way again.
Furthermore I know ZSH isn't small at all but it is my favorite and hey I like to live healthy but not without nutella

Alad · 2015-09-24 01:28:18

entropy_poster wrote:

Thank you for your suggestions but looking at them makes me think I might have to go down the manual GIT way again.

These "ways" are completely unsupported, and after things break you get to keep both pieces.

P.S. Many arch utilties rely on Bash, and Zsh can't fully emulate it. Just one example. But hey, 5 MB saved, right.

Last edited by Alad (2015-09-24 01:31:39)

Trilby · 2015-09-24 01:34:17

entropy_poster wrote:

In the past I always used a minimal installation of Ubuntu Linux (~400 MB)

Have you installed arch yet? A default base install is smaller than that.

I just added up installed size of all my base group packages to get 265MiB, some more would be generated after installation, but not much - also I have a few base packages that I've removed like fs utilities for filesystems I don't use, one could probably trim even more than I have if small size was the goal. Archlinux is not designed to be small in the way slitaz, DSL, and some others are - but 400MB is plenty - one doesn't need to be small to fit in that.

Allan · 2015-09-24 01:36:26

Pacman needs bash for its install scriptlets.

Knute · 2015-09-24 01:45:07

Alad wrote:

These "ways" are completely unsupported, and after things break you get to keep both pieces.

"both pieces"?!?

What makes you think that there will only be two? Or is it that you can only find 2?

olive · 2015-09-24 08:26:03

Could we know why you want to do this? If you want to make a very small embedded system; you won't succeed this way. Archlinux depends on the whole base group. While you can probably miss a few of the base packages, you won't succeed to have such a minimal system by just removing packages. Probably, you should build the system yourself using busybox. It shouldn't be that hard. Actually, a kernel and busybox already gives you a functional minimal system. Just compile the extra tools you want.

Last edited by olive (2015-09-24 08:28:03)

brebs · 2015-09-24 08:29:19

entropy_poster wrote:

Is it possible to replace LESS and MORE with MOST?

Why?

"less" is actively developed.

exidux · 2015-09-25 12:42:08

If for some reason you cant do what you want using Arch, then take a look at Tiny Core.
In 80mb it packs a very functional graphical system, and in roughly 30mb it packs its base system.
It needs some getting used to and reading about how it works, but its nice.

severach · 2015-09-28 01:10:03

Alpine Linux is another choice for small installs.

Arch Linux

#1 2015-09-24 00:28:52

Replacing Bash and Less

#2 2015-09-24 00:37:35

Re: Replacing Bash and Less

#3 2015-09-24 00:39:20

Re: Replacing Bash and Less

#4 2015-09-24 01:11:53

Re: Replacing Bash and Less

#5 2015-09-24 01:28:18

Re: Replacing Bash and Less

#6 2015-09-24 01:34:17

Re: Replacing Bash and Less

#7 2015-09-24 01:36:26

Re: Replacing Bash and Less

#8 2015-09-24 01:45:07

Re: Replacing Bash and Less

#9 2015-09-24 08:26:03

Re: Replacing Bash and Less

#10 2015-09-24 08:29:19

Re: Replacing Bash and Less

#11 2015-09-25 12:42:08

Re: Replacing Bash and Less

#12 2015-09-28 01:10:03

Re: Replacing Bash and Less

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