Vector Linux is great!

[BarryK]

First impression... fantastic!

I downloaded Vector Linux 5.0STD beta2.

I've done a test install onto a 4G partition, and there was a moment of consternation when it gave an error message "Cannot mount /dev/hda3 ..."
The install-to-hard drive script offered a choice of reiserfs, ext3 or ext2, but it turns out that ext3 is not supported ...it is a module, but not available during installation. A hiccup there.
So I chose ext2, which worked, but I think reiserfs is built-in to the kernel, so will choose that next time.

VL has so much great stuff, and so fast!
I'm running VL right now, Firefox 1.0.2.

Window manager is IceWM.

Okay, I'm going to throw out Mandrake 10.2, install VL into the vacated 30G partition, then see about downloading packages for development.
Very interesting package manage tools, haven't looked closely at them yet.

[EarlSmith]

So Barry is this official, vector 5.0 STD is the new development standard enviroment or are you still evaluating?

[Flash]

What the...? The smileys are moving! Anyway, congratulations Barry on ditching Mandrake. Does this mean I didn

[Alienx]

First impression... fantastic!

Window manager is IceWM.

please, don' t forget it...

[JohnMurga]

Hey

So Barry is this official, vector 5.0 STD is the new development standard enviroment or are you still evaluating?

I am hoping it'll still be possible to use other distros, just maybe not quite as easy as the "officially supported" one ?

Although I guess I'd try VL5 if I had to
(I may have been a bit too forceful about my opinions about VL 4.3 vs Debian - Sorry GuestToo).

Cheers
JohnM

[danleff]

Barry, I got to tell ya, I used Vector Linux in my old laptops with limited memory (older versions) with 32 mb memory or less. It ran very well with XFCE. Looks like this will be very good consideration for Puppy. I will be interesetd in seeing the progress.

[GuestToo]

the main point i was making about Ubantu, is that it is Debian-based, but somewhat modified, so there can be problems installing standard debs in Ubantu ... this is a problem that any distro has that is based on Debian but isn't exactly pure Debian ... i had the gaim problem with Libranet, which at one time was the only distro that was an easy way to install a Debian based system ... there seemed to be no way to install a newer version of gaim using apt-get, that didn't download hundreds of megs of system files that would break Libranet

i don't really like Gnome, or XFCE, or Ubantu ... just my personal preferences ... i know lots of people do like them

VL is based on Slack, but lighter, leaner, faster, and easier-to-install ... it was originally intended to be used on older hardware ... it does have some peculiarities, but i find it does most things i want it to do quickly and easily and efficiently ... which is why i like it, i guess

i'm not sure that it would be ideal to base Puppy on VL ... it does have it's limitations ... it doesn't have much of a package system (neither does Slack)

[JohnMurga]

Hey

the main point i was making about Ubantu, is that it is Debian-based, but somewhat modified, so there can be problems installing standard debs in Ubantu

Granted, case in point ... Installing the Freeciv 2 ".debs" in Ubuntu seems like a problem (as it complains about the GTK version), but then again all you have to do is pass "--force-ignore-depends" to dpgk and it'll install and work (because dependency information was for the GTK version it was compiled with as opposed to the minimun required).

The problem then is that Debian/Ubuntu knows you did this and may try to "fix" it unless you "lock" the package ... Trust me, this is poetry in motion when you know how it works and how to control it, but can be disaster if you don't (which I guess is not that good after all ... erm ).

Synaptic also allows you do these things, but I don't always trust GUIs ...

Anyway, whatever Barry comes up I'll try to port to Debian, unless he makes it hard for me

Cheers
JohnM

[BarryK]

Well, it is still evaluation stage.

GuestToo, perhaps you can answer this: I dragged all of the Unleashed Rox-Filer package over to Vector, and it starts up fine from a terminal -- type "rox" and there is is. But, from Rox I dragged the rox executable onto the desktop, and there was a shortcut -- hey, that surprised me -- anyway, the shortcut just executes /usr/local/bin/rox, so seems simple enough, except that Rox doesn't work properly -- there's an error message that it can't read /root/Choices properly -- but, it is there.
So, do you have any idea what is going on here?

[EarlSmith]

Have you ever considered using Debian. The latest version named Sarge will be released May 30, 2005. Other small versions of linux like DSL are based on Debian. With a new stable realease it may be worth considering.
It would also fit in with my earlier comment about having a stable release and a bleeding edge version of Puppy.
I know nothing about the needs of developers, but it is a large stable distribution. It might save you guys the time of developing everything yourselves.

[GuestToo]

I dragged all of the Unleashed Rox-Filer package over to Vector, and it starts up fine from a terminal -- type "rox" and there is is. But, from Rox I dragged the rox executable onto the desktop, and there was a shortcut -- hey, that surprised me -- anyway, the shortcut just executes /usr/local/bin/rox, so seems simple enough, except that Rox doesn't work properly -- there's an error message that it can't read /root/Choices properly -- but, it is there.
So, do you have any idea what is going on here?

yes, i know what's going on

rox-filer is in an application dir ... all the files are in the dir, and the dir has it's own icon, and if you click the icon it will run AppRun in the dir ... and you can drag the appdir icon to the desktop and can click it to run it

VL has a newer version of Rox-filer ... it has some nice features that the older one doesn't have, but the feature i really miss that Puppy's rox doesn't have is that the newest files are highlighted in a rox window so you can find them easily

the reason for the error messages, is the newer version of rox uses different config files in Choices and they are incompatible with the older config files
i tried running VLs rox-filer in Puppy, (i backed up Choices first) and it ran pretty well (for a short time ... it doesn't work right because it has no mime configs) ... it converted all the Puppy config files to the newer version ... trouble is, the newer rox requires a support library for the file mime settings, or the newer version would work ok in Puppy

if you want to run the older version of rox, you will have to use the older Choice files too ... they are mutually incompatible

i don't think there's an option to use a different dir for the config files, but as a workaround, maybe you could use su to run rox as a different user, which would use Choices in that home dir ... maybe something like:

#!/bin/sh
#script to run older rox
su spot -c /home/spot/bin/rox "$@"

[Lobster]

The consideration for developers - or the underdeveloped in my case - is a little different to just what is a good or a fun distro.

Debian is based on Slack {perhaps not - see death threat in next post]
Slack is the oldest of the distros still going. In a sense it is the purest and maybe closest to Puppy, which is kind of a return to a "start from scratch philosophy"

I would be much happier using Vector Linux for compiling (rather than VanDriver aka Mandrake), once I get around to that, as the download for Vector 4.3 is 333meg. It is also a good idea that development stadardises on a compile environment. Another reason why Vector is good - both our Master Pups (Barry and GuestToo) like it. However John is also compiling Puppys and others may too. If anyone runs into probs they need help with, it is good to be aware of what tools are available and how to use them.

However Developers are an independent lot and trying to organise them is as someone said of organising programmers 'like herding cats'.

Puppy philosophy is simpler . . . and friskier

If it works - frisk!

[JohnMurga]

Hey

Code: Select all

Debian is based on Slack 

People have been killed for less ...

In actual fact it is Slack that copied aplt with slapt (or whatever they called it).

A little know fact is they actually started around the same time :

Debian
http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/proje ... .html#s1.1
Slackware
http://www.jeepster.org.uk/history.html

I first installed Slackware in 1995 (ish - I think), I was a Windows 95 beta tester for my company at the time and although I got it running pretty well it put me off Linux for a few years... But I did love the platypus on the cover of the CD

Cheers
JohnM

[Lobster]

Tee Hee - ignorance is the only way I learn . . .

I am gonna have another look at SLAX as a forfeit - which is a nice looking and easy slackware - just to see if I prefer it to Vector (which from what I remember I will)

Yep I had a look at the "Kill Bill" edition which I downloaded about a month ago. I think I will stick with Puppy . . .

Then I am gonna stand in the corner and mutter for a while . . .

PS. I never got a Platypus (see next post)

[JohnMurga]

Hey

PS. I never got a Platypus.

This may be the CD I had :



But they had the platypus for a while



Cheers
JohnM

[Lobster]

I installed Vector 5.0 Beta. I was not expecting much (it seems I had already installed - or attempted to install 4.3 at an earlier time and either been unsuccessful or unimpressed - seem to remember I was unable)

Anyways - 4.3 is one little Beast.

Barry said Vector Linux is fantastic. It is. Not as fast as our little dog for sure but very pleasing to use and very similar to a Puppy on Ice with a fluxxy box nearby . . .

Barry has made it the official environment for development compiling - so he is happy. GuestToo is already using Vector. I hope John Murga will be happy with it, I certainly am - just have to learn how to compile some source code now . . . in my quest and dreams to be semi-developer

Jesses is getting all excited about a potential GUI front end for tinycc - it is all go . . .

We can learn about presentation from Vector. I must say slypheed claws is a lot better looking than sylpheed - is it a lot bigger?

So pleased I decided to download and install Vector 5.0 Beta

[rarsa]

Hi,

I'm New to the forum.

I've been playing with Puppy for a little while and finally decided to start compiling the drivers and applications I'd like to use with Puppy.

( I also want to send it to my father for him to try linux and I want to be prepared in case he needs extra drivers)

I've already installed VL5.0STD. and have Mandriva LE2005.

I've been using 1.0.1, Should I start using 1.0.3 to compile in VL5.0STD. Can I compile for 1.0.1 in VL5STD while 1.0.3 is published?

On the desktop I am a Fedora Core 3 user.

It's funny that I decided to go heads down into Puppy at a crossroads.

Thanks for the advice and I hope to be around here more fequently as I really like this puppy.

[BarryK]

Well, you can compile apps in VL5 or Mandriva, but beware of slightly different library versions. GTK 2.4 and XML2 are two to watch out for.

You can't compile kernel drivers for Pup yet, as you will need to install the same kernel on VL5 as Pup 1.0.3 will be using ... which is not yet finalised.

[papaschtroumpf]

I currently don't have an environment set up for compiling for 1.0.3

would a previous version of VL (4.3 for example) be a good choice of distro to build for the 2.4 kernel in 1.0.3?

Do you know of any distros that might be using a kernel close enough to puppy 1.0.3 that I could grab a precompiled app off them?

EDIT: I just saw on the Project page that apps compiled for Mandrake 9.2 have a good chance of working for puppy, so if that's till true I think I'll start there.

EDIT AGAIN: Feather Linux runs kernel 2.4.27 too so maybe we can borrow from there too.

[Guest]

The kernel isn't a "real big" issue when compiling apps.....As long as the gcc versions are "close" and the required libraries are there there is not too much of a problem.

Tho I did have trouble compiling a 2.4.27 kernel with gcc 3.4.3......but that's not much of a concern....

If anyone wants a custom kernel or module compiled just drop me a line and we'll go from there.