Command Line Linux distro?

[patches79]

I am looking for a Liinux distro that is only done through the command line much like DOS. I would like to have all the newest versions of programs such as Firefox, Open Office, etc. and be able to access them through a command line process without having to load a GUI desktop first. I have tried doing quite a few Google searches without any success.

[V.T. Eric Layton]

Not possible, Patches. Graphic application such as Open Office and Firefox require the graphical interface (X) to be running. There is no non-graphic version of Open Office apps or of Firefox, that I know of. Maybe I'm just misunderstanding what you're asking about here?By the way, WELCOME to the forums.

[securitybreach]

I am looking for a Liinux distro that is only done through the command line much like DOS. I would like to have all the newest versions of programs such as Firefox, Open Office, etc. and be able to access them through a command line process without having to load a GUI desktop first. I have tried doing quite a few Google searches without any success.

Well like Eric said: no gui applications without running a gui. Simple as that.Although, there are alternative window managers to make it less point and click like Openbox and Fluxbox. Archlinux might be what you are looking for. After the installation, you have nothing but a kernel and some utils (nothing but command-line). You then build your system by installing whatever apps you like including X, window managers, etc. Since Archlinux is a rolling distro, you will always have the newest stable package of any application. http://www.archlinux.org/ If you decide to install it, follow this to the letter: http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Beginners_GuideActually some distros have a server edition which comes command line only, so you might want to look at those too.Also, welcome to the forums.Thanks Edited September 24, 2009 by securitybreach

[Bruno]

Indeed . . .what Eric and SB said: you can not run GUI programs without runing X.There are window managers that take very little resources though like Fluxbox or even TWM so you could do a basic Slackware install and install only TWM as desktop. Bruno

[vonbiber]

I am looking for a Liinux distro that is only done through the command line much like DOS. I would like to have all the newest versions of programs such as Firefox, Open Office, etc. and be able to access them through a command line process without having to load a GUI desktop first. I have tried doing quite a few Google searches without any success.

As the other previous posts told you in order to run firefox, openOffice you'll need toopen an X-session.However for a few of these programs there are alternatives.Instead of using firefox you can use a few other browsers that work on the console:links, w3m (both can display images, forms, links recognizes a subset of javascript)There are also image viewers, music players.But you won't wind a word processor.I don't use the office-like suites (openOffice, abiword, ...). I use instead TeX, a much more powerfultypesetting system. As TeX uses ascii files you can do most of your work on the console.There are even ways to display the output on a console (in a crude way): catdvi, ...See my post on console apps for a list and descriptionsIf that's what you're looking for then any decent linux distro that allows you to init boot 3 (that is,console+multi users+network) should do.I'm a slackware user and I often work only on the console (I don't open an X-session).

[securitybreach]

As the other previous posts told you in order to run firefox, openOffice you'll need toopen an X-session.However for a few of these programs there are alternatives.Instead of using firefox you can use a few other browsers that work on the console:links, w3m (both can display images, forms, links recognizes a subset of javascript)

I was wondering something that will probably help patches79 and myself.Just curious, how do you get links to display images in framebuffer? I try

links -g

and I get

Could not initialize any graphics driver. Tried the following drivers: x: Can't open display "(null)" directfb: Initialization error! fb: Could not get VT mode.

It works fine if I run it in a console while X is running. I tried before but now I have that machine running headless anyway.Thanks

Edited September 24, 2009 by securitybreach

[vonbiber]

Just curious, how do you get links to display images in framebuffer? I try

links -g

and I get

Could not initialize any graphics driver. Tried the following drivers: x: Can't open display "(null)" directfb: Initialization error! fb: Could not get VT mode.

It works fine if I run it in a console while X is running. I tried before but now I have that machine running headless anyway.

1. make sure that you built your kernel with the framebuffer console enabled:#~ zcat /proc/config.gz | grep -i framebuffershould return something like this:CONFIG_FRAMEBUFFER_CONSOLE=y# CONFIG_FRAMEBUFFER_CONSOLE_DETECT_PRIMARY is not set# CONFIG_FRAMEBUFFER_CONSOLE_ROTATION is not set2. in your boot options you should set 'vga=' to a value other than normal(in my grub menu.lst I have this:kernel ... vga=791which is for 1024x728 16-bit screenHere's a chart for possible values VGA Resolution Codes for GRUB & Lilo--- Depth --Colors bits 640x480 800×600 1024×768 1152×864 1280×1024 1600×1200 256 vga=769 vga=771 vga=773 vga=353 vga=775 vga=796 32000 vga=784 vga=787 vga=790 vga= ? vga=793 vga= ? 65000 vga=785 vga=788 vga=791 vga=355 vga=794 vga=798 16.7M vga=786 vga=789 vga=792 vga=795 vga=799I'm assuming your links has been built with the graphic option enabled

[securitybreach]

1. make sure that you built your kernel with the framebuffer console enabled:#~ zcat /proc/config.gz | grep -i framebuffershould return something like this:CONFIG_FRAMEBUFFER_CONSOLE=y# CONFIG_FRAMEBUFFER_CONSOLE_DETECT_PRIMARY is not set# CONFIG_FRAMEBUFFER_CONSOLE_ROTATION is not set2. in your boot options you should set 'vga=' to a value other than normal(in my grub menu.lst I have this:kernel ... vga=791which is for 1024x728 16-bit screenHere's a chart for possible values VGA Resolution Codes for GRUB & Lilo--- Depth --Colors bits 640x480 800×600 1024×768 1152×864 1280×1024 1600×1200 256 vga=769 vga=771 vga=773 vga=353 vga=775 vga=796 32000 vga=784 vga=787 vga=790 vga= ? vga=793 vga= ? 65000 vga=785 vga=788 vga=791 vga=355 vga=794 vga=798 16.7M vga=786 vga=789 vga=792 vga=795 vga=799I'm assuming your links has been built with the graphic option enabled

[comhack@Venus ~]$ zcat /proc/config.gz | grep -i framebufferCONFIG_FRAMEBUFFER_CONSOLE=y# CONFIG_FRAMEBUFFER_CONSOLE_DETECT_PRIMARY is not setCONFIG_FRAMEBUFFER_CONSOLE_ROTATION=y[comhack@Venus ~]$

and I have 1680x1050 with 0x369 as framebuffer.Thanks

[vonbiber]

and I have 1680x1050 with 0x369 as framebuffer.

your hex value (0x369) would be 873 in decimalI don't see it in my chart.I take it you're using lilo as your boot loaderSearch the internet to see what are all the possible valid vga entries.Otherwise select among the ones available the one that's closest to yourscreen and resolution.links tries all the graphic devices available, usually the framebuffer.There should be present in your devices folder this device/dev/fb0(and there's a symbolic link:/dev/fb --> /dev/fb0)If it's there you could either:#~ links -driver fb <url>or#~ links -g <url>I got this from somewhere:1024x768x8 773 03051024x768x16 791 03171024x768x32 792 03181280x800x8 864 03601280x800x16 ??? ????1280x800x32 865 03611440x900x8 868 03641440x900x16 ??? ????1440x900x32 869 0365 Edited September 24, 2009 by vonbiber

[vonbiber]

securitybreach:see if you can find a value close enough from this pagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VESA_BIOS_Extensions

[patches79]

Thank you to all of those who have replied. I am trying to setup a Linux computer for a hard core DOS user. He requests that he would like to use Linux if he could find a distro that works the same way that DOS does.

[patches79]

Well like Eric said: no gui applications without running a gui. Simple as that.Although, there are alternative window managers to make it less point and click like Openbox and Fluxbox. Archlinux might be what you are looking for. After the installation, you have nothing but a kernel and some utils (nothing but command-line). You then build your system by installing whatever apps you like including X, window managers, etc. Since Archlinux is a rolling distro, you will always have the newest stable package of any application. http://www.archlinux.org/ If you decide to install it, follow this to the letter: http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Beginners_GuideActually some distros have a server edition which comes command line only, so you might want to look at those too.Also, welcome to the forums.Thanks

Thanks for the info. I will take a look at it and see what I can do for my friend.

[securitybreach]

your hex value (0x369) would be 873 in decimalI don't see it in my chart.I take it you're using lilo as your boot loaderSearch the internet to see what are all the possible valid vga entries.Otherwise select among the ones available the one that's closest to yourscreen and resolution.links tries all the graphic devices available, usually the framebuffer.There should be present in your devices folder this device/dev/fb0(and there's a symbolic link:/dev/fb --> /dev/fb0)If it's there you could either:#~ links -driver fb or#~ links -g I got this from somewhere:1024x768x8 773 03051024x768x16 791 03171024x768x32 792 03181280x800x8 864 03601280x800x16 ??? ????1280x800x32 865 03611440x900x8 868 03641440x900x16 ??? ????1440x900x32 869 0365

I use grub and that is the correct one for 1680x1050. I have been using that framebuffer on my monitor for over a year. Your link did not list 1680x1050. I could not find a chart but it is a common value for framebuffer using Grub: http://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8&...amebuffer+0x369http://www.mythicalbeast.co.uk/linux/confi...%281680X1050%29http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?pid=496832I also tried links -driver fb but got the error:

Could not initalize graphics driver fb

Sorry for hijacking the thread patches79!Made a new thread.Thanks Edited September 25, 2009 by securitybreach

[Eggdog]

Thank you to all of those who have replied. I am trying to setup a Linux computer for a hard core DOS user. He requests that he would like to use Linux if he could find a distro that works the same way that DOS does.

I use dosemu, the DOS Emulator, which is much more DOSsy than the DOSbox on Windows. I can run WordPerfect 5.1 and 6.x, and Q&A 4, in it.This link from the dosemu docs may give you & your friend some ideas about running DOS apps from the command line.There are quite a number of very capable Linux command-line interface (CLI) apps. You can even play music through sox, and imagemagick has a lot of graphics capabilities of a type I wouldn't have believed possible from a CLI application. There are commands to learn, but a DOS junkie shouldn't be gobsmacked by anything a Linux CLI app throws at you.I agree with everybody else, though, you won't get a native Linux word processor that evades the GUI. TeX, as vonbiber mentioned, is apparently extremely capable, but I have personally found the learning curve a bit intimidating and have not experienced the need to try it. It is considered almost vital by people who have to typeset mathematical equations, for instance, which I've fortunately not had to do much of. Certain text editors, such as Emacs and Vi, will give you power I never dreamed I'd ever see in a text editor, but you will not get typesetting or what we used to call "desktop publishing". Each has its own unique learning curve.Actually, in my opinion WordPerfect 6.2 for DOS has never been improved on as a word processor, with more refined control over typesetting than Winword or OpenOffice, and greater stability of format. (I think I've lost two WP documents in my life, and I've been using various versions for almost 20 years.) The only drawback is if you need to exchange multilingual documents with somebody else who doesn't have WordPerfect, since WP has no Unicode support, so if you have a pen-pal in Laos, say, you might have to go with OpenOffice.I'm not a DOS gamer (or, really, any kind of gamer save the occasional bout of online chess), so I can't speak to that. I've heard that another DOS emulator, dosbox, is more oriented toward that aspect. Again, you'd need to do your own research. I'm not 100% sure whether you can have dosemu and dosbox in the same Linux distro. I don't see why not, but they might create "virtual drives" that kick each other around, I don't know.Hope this gives you something to think about.