[Grml] removal of "buffer" command? alternatives?

[Tom {Tomcat} Oehser]

> Yes, have a look at htop instead.

atop/htop I don't care so much about, but, buffer is more of an issue.

Ouch!  Even lzop is gone!  This is 2/3 or a command I use very often! 

 buffer -i <device> -z256k -p75 -m10m | lzop | buffer | nc <hostname>

And while I can always fake buffer with 'dd' and bad performance, if
I have a backup in .lzop format, I'm just screwed now!

> > I'm unconvinced that filling 50% of iso images with unused stuff
> > (64 unused on 32, 32 unused on 64...) is an ideal trade-off.  I'm
> > just sayin...
 
> Hm? The default images are 64bit or 32bit only.

I guess I was figuring that the cute point of going from 700mb to 350mb
was to fit both images on the 96.

Frankly, I boot GRML from 4GB USB sticks, which are costing $8, I don't even
put an optical drive in machines anymore.  I do not see the point of reducing
functionality.  For what?  Bandwidth is going up, media sizes are going up,
prices are going down...  I think it is a good idea to keep the media size at
CDROM size or less, but, 350?  I do - not - see - the - point!  I mean, what
media are smaller than 700 and larger than 300?  How many people are going to
prefer the quicker download?  First ubuntu, now grml?  <rant='off'/>

When I read the description, I thought, this sounds fine, after all, I don't
need my sysadmin tool to have 50 zillion window managers... but I didn't
expect to find text-mode command-line tools I use like buffer and atop gone!
Now I'm afraid to look to see what else is missing that matters...

Now, I love smallifying more than _anyone_ - tomsrtbt was my doing, back in
the day - and I could certainly figure out how to customize and add stuff in.

But, the reality is that I switched from my own tomsrtbt to knoppix and then
to grml because they "just worked" - grml has the lvm2 and the swraid and the
command line tools I need - it had become the 'answer' to my bootable system
needs.  For me, going from 700=>350 has no "upside", with a fast connection
and a 4GB USB stick.

Glancing through the "removed" list, I don't _know_ i'll need arj or bin86 or
cpuburn or dsniff or expect or fatattr or gdb or hexedit or info or etcetera
during a recovery situation - but I know I'd rather have them than not have
them!

Is the "full" version just *gone*?  I really *liked* the mix of software there!

-ack! -Tom

-- 
"Let us do our duty in our shop or our kitchen, the market, the street, the
office, the school, the home, just as faithfully as if we stood in the front
rank of some great battle, and we knew that victory for mankind depended upon
our bravery, strength, and skill.  When we do that the humblest of us will be
serving in that great army which achieves the welfare of the world."
 --Theodore Parker
The little girl expects no declaration of tenderness from her doll.
She loves it -- and that's all.  It is thus that we should love.
 -- DeGourmont