Linux for carpc with specific features?

**Dizzle** · 11-21-2005, 02:15 PM

Hey, long time reader, first time poster. I was wondering if there's a linux distro that:

Boots instantaneously (or closely enough to not be really noticable)
Allows wireless syncing when I pull into my driveway then shutting down
Is very lightweight (sort of goes hand in hand with instantaneous booting)
is controllable with <10 buttons
Allows playlist management
(optional) cd burning and ripping support

Now I'm sure I'm getting into a fairly technical region here, but let me explain what I'm aiming to do with my carpc.

I'm planning on first and foremost, having it sync with my desktop computer automatically, matching my file structure exactly. I don't have a lot of money, so I'm thinking of going with a 20x2 or 20x4 LCD screen (the credit card machine type) and a USB numeric keyboard with about 12 buttons or so. I'm also hoping to simply place an old desktop computer with modest specs in the car with hopefully an Opus PS (or a cheaper solution if there is one, I'm not averse to hitting a power switch when i get in the car).

If there's any help anyone could provide, I'd be very grateful. If there's any suggestions anyone has, I'd grateful as well. There's a wealth of information here and I'm just hoping to benefit from some of it. Thanks in advance.

**eugenen** · 11-21-2005, 05:31 PM

You could do all that with just about any distro.
I have slackware booting in just a few seconds with a minimal install on a cf card. You could get faster if you resume from suspend or play with something like linbios.
Wireless synching you can just scan for your AP in a background process and then have a simple script or use something like rsync
etc, etc

**JC-S60** · 11-21-2005, 05:45 PM

Very much possibilities, but I know of no ready-made distro with this functionality/caracteristics.

But any linux-guru can put something like that together.

**Dizzle** · 11-21-2005, 05:54 PM

So I should start researching linux then? I've wanted to dip my toe in the Linux waters for a while as I hear they're nice and warm, but I've been too chicken to do it on my main box. But now that I know I can tailor it for my exact needs, I'm more tempted to try it. If could get an old computer to try it on, I'd be even more on my way to getting it. I think there's a computer a friend will sell me, but I'm not sure.

**lerandell** · 11-22-2005, 09:04 PM

You need to visit the Linux section

**Dizzle** · 11-22-2005, 09:27 PM

Yes, after looking for a while longer I realized the linux section. Sorry for posting in the wrong section, I'll try to look harder next time. I just saw the software and jumped right into it without looking at the others.