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Not even close. 8MB of RAM with a 32bit processor will run Linux perfecly well on minimal builds.

A 230MHZ 32bit CPU it's far more powerful than a 8bit processor emulating a 32bit one.

You could use cli apps and even X perfecly well with 16MB and 80MHZ in 1996.

EDIT: Ok, this is emulating too. Sorry, then.

Linux doesn’t target the xtensa nor does it have a proper mmu so this is emulating a risc-v. It is still very much in the novelty “hack” realm.

There does seem to be a Xtensa Linux port, but you need a Xtensa chip that has some more features than the ESP32 does. http://wiki.linux-xtensa.org/index.php/Supported_Processors

Ah, then that's different, because I've run Linux under an Armv5 device with 32+16mb of RAM with zram just fine.

Similar in the sense that both approaches essentially run Linux in a VM, virtualizing the typical hardware required such as the MMU. In essence, it's the esp32 version isn't much different, just faster as the core is faster.

Would be cool to get no-MMU Linux running on it. I've seen that run on STM32F7's natively..

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