(old)Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

Posted: **Wed 07 Nov 2007, 13:09**

Hi all,

First, thanks for all the work on this distro. It looks great. I'm going to try my hand at making my own live cd with puppy unleashed but I've got a question. Is there a list anywhere of the absolute minimum software packages that need to go into the livecd to make it boot into a gui with wired network connectivity? I'm try to make a template from which I can build later on and it would be a pain to go through almost 600 packages by trial and error to see what is necessary,

Thanks in advance for any help you can give me.

Posted: **Wed 07 Nov 2007, 14:30**

There's only one person who would have such a list, however he's off on another one of his tangents. And besides, documentation isn't a forte of his.

Consider starting with either BarelyPup-2.13 or FatFreePup-2.17 -- and methodically remove things until doesn't do what you want. Version 3.xx is too immature right now for serious consideration as a base, though if you're Hell-bent on au courant there's FatFreePup-3.00 with all of v3's warts and adolescent pimples.

Posted: **Wed 07 Nov 2007, 14:47**

I've very new to the Linux world, but am interested in this as well. I'd like to start with just the basics and then add my own list of apps. I'm thinking of things like:
Pmount
Pfind
Rox
OpenOffice full suite
Firefox
Wireless adapter support (Connection wizard)
And every game I can get my paws on!

I'm hoping to build up a nice Dell D600 or C400 laptop for computing in front of the TV. I don't need much more than what's above.

What would be the major diff's between 2.17 and 3.00 Retro for a starting point?

Thanks!

-PHIL

Posted: **Wed 07 Nov 2007, 14:55**

If I get the last Puppy, install Pup-be-gone to remove every aplication I don't want and then remaster an iso, the programs I "erase" will, in fact, be gone or just put under the carpet?

Posted: **Wed 07 Nov 2007, 15:07**

Vettephil wrote:And every game I can get my paws on!

And you want Linux for this?

What would be the major diff's between 2.17 and 3.00 Retro for a starting point?

Note and pay heed to the numerals to the right of the decimal points - they will not deceive you.

Posted: **Wed 07 Nov 2007, 15:12**

alienjeff wrote: Note and pay heed to the numerals to the right of the decimal points - they will not deceive you.

Not very helpful. As I said, I'm new to Linux and would like to know the operational differences between 2.17 and 3.00? A link to docs would be fine, or a high level overview about what I should expect.

Posted: **Wed 07 Nov 2007, 15:23**

Read all previous posts in this thread.

2.17 was the last of the Puppy v2 series, and therefore benefits from a relatively long developmental cycle. Puppy v3 is still wearing soiled diapers and will be for a while.

As for documentation, check Barry's Puppy site, the community site or the wiki - there's sufficient linkage on all three to keep your browser's bookmark file well-fed, CPU taxed and network congested.

http://puppylinux.com/

http://puppylinux.org/user/viewpage.php?page_id=1

http://puppylinux.org/wikka/PuppyLinuxMainPage

Posted: **Wed 07 Nov 2007, 15:34**

Very good - thanks!

Posted: **Thu 08 Nov 2007, 04:16**

Thanks for the replies everyone. It seems a few people are interested in my idea, so why don't we work on this together. I downloaded puppy-unleashed-3.01 and there is a file called packages.txt which has descriptions for all the packages in the pet_packages-3 directory. Today or tomorrow I will go through that list and post the names of the files that I am *sure* can be omitted, along with another list of things that can *possibly* be omitted. Can some of you, if you are so inclined, check over the list for me? I'm in Korea so there's going to be a delay of 12 or so hours between posts. Expect my list sometime on Saturday.

Posted: **Thu 08 Nov 2007, 04:20**

Gotta love these wheel re-invention projects ...

Posted: **Thu 08 Nov 2007, 04:33**

I'm still amazed at how I saw a show, by a science presenter Professor Julius Sumner Miller, where he showed how a platform resting on two axles, and with four square wheels, could glide smoothly!

http://www.abc.net.au/science/features/whyisitso/

Posted: **Thu 08 Nov 2007, 04:49**

alienjeff wrote:Gotta love these wheel re-invention projects ...

I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel. I'm suggesting we take the wheel down to the components that are absolutely necessary for "wheelness" so that others can use that template to make the wheels that suit them best.

If you look at FatFreePup-3.00's list of removed packages, available here you'll see that while Big Bass has stripped puppy down a lot, there are still some packages remaining in the pet_packages-3 directory that are "on" according to the/puppy-unleashed/packages.txt file that are not absolutely necessary, for example:

Code: Select all

cdp
cdparanoia
cgtkcalc
cups

just in the "C"s. It suits my purposes to strip my build of puppy down to it's socks and build it up the way I want it. If people are willing to help, that's great. If you think it's a waste of time, if you think your wheels are fine for your purposes, that's fine, too. However, try to keep the snarky comments to yourself, or people will start to think puppy is some offshoot of Debian.

Code: Select all

Posted: **Thu 08 Nov 2007, 08:27**

Count me in, Mad... I'll do what I can to help out. I like your approach.

Posted: **Thu 08 Nov 2007, 08:38**

I tell you what I think would be really slick (and probably a programming nightmare!) is to have an online wizard that spits out an iso file:
STEP 1: Choose your file manager
o Rox
o Endeavor
etc...

STEP 2: Choose your window manager
o JWM
o IceWM
o XFCE
etc...

STEP 3: Choose your browser
o Firefox
o Seamonkey
o Opera
etc...

STEP 4: Choose your media player
o VLC
o Gxine
etc...

STEP 5: Choose your office apps
o Full OOO
o OOWriter Only
o OOCalc Only
etc...

ETC...

STEP 6: Please wait while we assemble your packages for download...

STEP 7: Please click here to download your ISO file which can be burned to a cd for Live-CD use and permanent installation.

I'd willingly contribute some $$ to a project like that.

-PHIL

Posted: **Thu 08 Nov 2007, 09:52**

Vettephil wrote:I tell you what I think would be really slick (and probably a programming nightmare!) is to have an online wizard that spits out an iso file:

This has been suggested before as well, so on the surface it seems like a good idea. I seem to remember there was a distro that tried this.

It generates a massive load on the server trying to build the iso. Try creating a puppy iso yourself and you will see what I mean. The operations to generate the squash files and then the iso take several minutes on a reasonably powered desktop.

A process than ran on your local machine that asked the same questions and downloaded the necessary components and did the build locally would make more sense.

I've never used unleashed myself so I don't know how it works or how easy it is.

In many ways giving newbies a choice is just confusing and trying to change control and trouble shoot when there are lots of options for a basic iso would be much harder.

Posted: **Thu 08 Nov 2007, 13:03**

I could live with a local wizard and local build. Thanks for the feedback.

Posted: **Fri 09 Nov 2007, 05:11**

T_Hobbit wrote:If I get the last Puppy, install Pup-be-gone to remove every aplication I don't want and then remaster an iso, the programs I "erase" will, in fact, be gone or just put under the carpet?

Yes, they'll be gone in the remaster. Before the remaster, they're just hiding, but since Puppy can't see them, he doesn't include them in the remaster.

Posted: **Sun 11 Nov 2007, 09:55**

HairyWill wrote:
Vettephil wrote:I tell you what I think would be really slick (and probably a programming nightmare!) is to have an online wizard that spits out an iso file:
This has been suggested before as well, so on the surface it seems like a good idea. I seem to remember there was a distro that tried this.

It generates a massive load on the server trying to build the iso. Try creating a puppy iso yourself and you will see what I mean. The operations to generate the squash files and then the iso take several minutes on a reasonably powered desktop.

http://custom.nimblex.net is doing it! I just created an ISO file with options I selected from a step-by-step wizard. I will report back on how well it worked and runs. Cheers!

Posted: **Sun 11 Nov 2007, 10:43**

A more rewarding project might be to beef-up something like Menuet/Kolibri (there's another, almost currant{well, spare me that one - Christmas is coming!} thread running). For those conversant with the art, a careful study of how W98 was transformed into 98nano has to provide inspiration.
It is also instructive to work through Barry's developer's blog to review discussion of small apps., their suitability and efficacy.
Why aren't folks pointing tink to the wonderful MUT - streets ahead of Pthingy.

Incidentally, AJ, where did diaper (US) come from? Nappy (UK) is a clear contraction of napkin - a generic device for catching all sorts of human detritus! Diaper is onomatopoaeically too close to caliper - a device performing rather a different function.

HW - re. spitting out a remastered iso, Nimblex Custom IS back in business.
PS The Nimblex website was just hacked a few minutes ago by one of the mindless morons out there.

Posted: **Mon 12 Nov 2007, 06:59**

Sage wrote:Incidentally, AJ, where did diaper (US) come from? Nappy (UK) is a clear contraction of napkin - a generic device for catching all sorts of human detritus! Diaper is onomatopoaeically too close to caliper - a device performing rather a different function.

Your fellow countryman, Slick Willy Shakespeare, is responsible for the first known reference to the diaper, and perhaps also for a mistitle (The Taming of the Poo). From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diaper:

"Etymology

The word diaper originally referred to the type of cloth rather than its use; "diaper" was the term for a pattern of small repeated geometric shapes, and later came to describe a white cotton or linen fabric with this pattern. The first known reference is in Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew: "Another bear the ewer, the third a diaper". The first cloth nappies consisted of a special type of soft tissue sheet, cut into geometric shapes. This is how the term "diaper" acquired a new meaning and it is still used today for modern disposable diapers. This usage stuck in the United States and Canada, but in Britain the word "nappy" took its place. Most sources believe nappy is a diminutive form of the word napkin, but others trace it to Nap, a kind of short fiber which creates a hair-like surface on cloth and is sometimes used to make diapers with."

(old)Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

List of apps for a bare minimum puppy unleashed?

List of apps for a bare minimum puppy unleashed?