Hey Nancy!

 NB> the largest "drive" is under 520M, about 490M to be a little
 NB> more precise... that's the one designated c:\

Is the size due to DOS limitations or is that the actual size of the disk?  In
the case of booting linux (slackware back then) the bios was limited but once
the kernel got hold of the system then the full real size of the disk was
available for whatever purpose was needed at the time.  Usually I have seperate
 partitions for the root system, /home, archives/backups/source, and a spare
partition for pure play usually next generation type activities.  The one I am
currently writing this reply on has 7 partitions and cannot boot the old
fashioned i386 method via the mbr so a boot partition is required as well as
swap space which I normally don't have a need for.

 NB> you're speaking Wizard here

I thought it was voodoo?  Anyhow my mojo was working and it did work on it (ye
olde 486 with the static bios).  Only Linux though.  :-)

 NB> I'd guess that my requirements for a computer are a lot simpler
 NB> than yours are.... 

From this angle it looks to be exactly the same.  We just have different
approaches to the task at hand, as well as I tend to make simpler things appear
 more complicated then they need to be, such as taking a raspberrypi and
creating a pure 64 bit system for it to do fidonet messaging, this reply being
a prime example.

Speaking of which, this is the first message/reply ever from the new pure 64
bit boot I like to call aarch64-raspi3b+-linux-gnu.

-={ '<Esc>:read !/lib/libc.so.6' starts }=-
GNU C Library (GNU libc) stable release version 2.29.
Copyright (C) 2019 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
This is free software; see the source for copying conditions.
There is NO warranty; not even for MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A
PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
Compiled by GNU CC version 9.1.0.
libc ABIs: UNIQUE ABSOLUTE
For bug reporting instructions, please see:
<http://www.gnu.org/software/libc/bugs.html>...
-={ '<Esc>:read !/lib/libc.so.6' ends }=-

Most definetly voodoo.

Life is good,
Maurice

... Cybertoasts of note:
    2020-01-01 is  231 days from now and falls on a Wednesday.
    2024-11-05 is 2001 days from now and falls on a Tuesday.
--- GNU bash, version 5.0.7(1)-release (aarch64-raspi3b+-linux-gnu)
 * Origin: Little Mikey's CanadARM - Ladysmith BC, Canada (1:153/7001.2989)