I have an old laptop which I bought with a dual boot setup managed by LILO.
The laptop has a Pentium MMX 266 MHz CPU and 192 MGb of RAM and a 6 gigabyte HD with half allocated to an obsolete linux distro (Caldera).
I am interested in "practicing" with a hard drive install by either deleting the existing Linux partitions and respecifying them in a way suitable for using Puppy (I am thinking of a 2.5 gig for the linux install partition and a 0.5 gig swap partition).
I have seen a frugal install recommended as the "best" install (perhaps for newbies) and I am willing to do that, but since I have the ability to use this space on my hard drive, I wonder whether I would learn more from a conventional install.
I want to use this machine to learn about/play with linux and puppy and browse the web while listening to internet radio. I want to try different installing different software packages as part of this.
I would appreciate thoughts on this, since I am unclear of the best way to proceed, even after reading, lurking and playing with a number of different live CDs distros.
Thanks in advance.
Steve
I want to replace obsolete Linux hd install with Puppy
The prevailing reasoning in support of the frugal install is the ease in upgrading to a new version if/when such time comes. Personally, I'd rather not entrust my personal settings and tailoring to be routinely compressed in an sfs ... though this is probably due to me being hopelessly paranoid that just as my sfs is being saved, a leaky electrolytic capacitor in the PSU is going to b0rk the works. heh.
You have enough room on that HD to have a full install on hda1, a frugal on hda2, and your swap on hda3. Talk about a convenient A/B comparison platform! You could try both and after a fashion, decide on one, remove the other and resize the partition. Yeehaw!
I've got v2.11 on both my desktop and lappy (not unlike yours: 233MHz P-II, 288mb RAM). The desktop is a full install which I also compile with, and the lappy is a frugal install.
-aj
You have enough room on that HD to have a full install on hda1, a frugal on hda2, and your swap on hda3. Talk about a convenient A/B comparison platform! You could try both and after a fashion, decide on one, remove the other and resize the partition. Yeehaw!
I've got v2.11 on both my desktop and lappy (not unlike yours: 233MHz P-II, 288mb RAM). The desktop is a full install which I also compile with, and the lappy is a frugal install.
-aj
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the pup_save file is not compressed ... it is not an sfs file ... it is not a squashfs file system ... a squashfs file system is read-only, which is why Puppy needs unionfs or aufs to overlay the read-only file system with a file system that is rwPersonally, I'd rather not entrust my personal settings and tailoring to be routinely compressed in an sfs
i think Barry was experimenting with a compressed pup_save file, but i think he decided, like lzma, that it was too slow for older machines ... i'm not really sure
the pup_save file is an ordinary ext2 or ext3 file system ... exactly and identically the same as if it were on a partition, except it is in an ordinary file on a partition
like any ordinary file, i can put it where i like, copy it, back it up, restore it ... my pup_save file is on my hda1 partition, which is the fastest part of my drive
my pup_save file is ext3, upgraded from Puppy 214 and 213 and 212 and probably earlier versions of Puppy
i have crashed my Puppy system many many many times ... sometimes my own fault, sometimes because the video drivers for the 2.6 kernel do not work properly with my video card, and if i click the wrong movie using the xv driver, my system completely locks up ... so far, i have not had any problems, the pup_save file keeps on ticking
Thanks for the clarification, GuestToo. I've got to revisit this now...
-aj
-aj
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My guess is that AJ's prejudice is born of Superstor, Doublespace and the suchlike from the days when a second mortgage was required to purchase a new HD. HD s were still driven with stepper motors requiring annual (real) low level reformatting, and heads were more prone to hit the flightdeck. At that time, it was invariably the small starting partition holding the key to unlocking the CVF that failed/corrupted, rendering all data inaccessible.
I sympathise. I have been there, too.
However, things have changed (although Barry appears also to mistrust compressed data to some extent, vide supra).
Notwithstanding, as was pointed out to me at that time, all data, as well as apps and the OS, is compressed, all the time. Even the guys who revel in inscribing some biblical message on the head of a pin would be hard pressed to place uncompressed data on an HD platter were it not so!
I sympathise. I have been there, too.
However, things have changed (although Barry appears also to mistrust compressed data to some extent, vide supra).
Notwithstanding, as was pointed out to me at that time, all data, as well as apps and the OS, is compressed, all the time. Even the guys who revel in inscribing some biblical message on the head of a pin would be hard pressed to place uncompressed data on an HD platter were it not so!
Sage:
Oh-RLL-y?
I believe you've correctly idenfied the source of my MF(M)-ing compression phobic ways. Coincidentally, there's an old Mitsubishi MR535-U00 (all 42MB and 5-lbs. of it) in one of my file cabinets ... one of those silly things will most probably never be used but paralyses me as I'm about to dispatch such things to the refuse hopper.
However, it would make a dandy, albeit large, paperweight.
Si Hoc Legere Scis Nimium Eruditionis Habes.
-aj
Oh-RLL-y?
I believe you've correctly idenfied the source of my MF(M)-ing compression phobic ways. Coincidentally, there's an old Mitsubishi MR535-U00 (all 42MB and 5-lbs. of it) in one of my file cabinets ... one of those silly things will most probably never be used but paralyses me as I'm about to dispatch such things to the refuse hopper.
However, it would make a dandy, albeit large, paperweight.
Si Hoc Legere Scis Nimium Eruditionis Habes.
-aj
Last edited by alienjeff on Sat 07 Jul 2007, 05:48, edited 1 time in total.
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[i]quote:[/i] "The foundation of authority is based upon the consent of the people." - Thomas Hooker[/size]
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Oh, tres drole, AJ! Really Liked the Laugh, but Mind the F****** Motors.
Got several of those old bricks dotted around chez-moi. Apparently the stepper motors are quite valuable. If you're preserving a specimen for your museum, be sure to keep an old 286 (8088?!) or ISA controller card to run the beast.
Beware of using them as doorstops - can seriously stub your toe!
Got several of those old bricks dotted around chez-moi. Apparently the stepper motors are quite valuable. If you're preserving a specimen for your museum, be sure to keep an old 286 (8088?!) or ISA controller card to run the beast.
Beware of using them as doorstops - can seriously stub your toe!