Lighthouse Pup 4.4.2 Final SMP 194M

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techtype
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Firefox

#21 Post by techtype »

This is a very nice release, as with your previous work. The only thing that I have noticed is that Firefox is not stable. There is a quick check that can be performed for Firefox stability on any pup or other Linux release: go to the my.yahoo.com page (assuming you have it set up to include lots of news headlines), then run the cursor up and down over the news stories for several seconds, pausing sometimes to trigger the javascript that displays more of the story. If Firefox is unstable, the browser will disappear without a trace. If Firefox is stable, you can do this all day without a problem. Mark's Muppy releases are stable and so is the "Unnamed Pup" and releases built from it. Many releases that include Firefox 2 are stable, but most that include Firefox 3 are not.

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Barburo
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Boot woes

#22 Post by Barburo »

Hi TazOC,
I need some advice on booting 4.1.2 on my laptop (see signature block for specs).
All attempts to boot 4.X versions of puppy with the 2.6.25.16 kernel hang after these prompts:
Unzlmaing Linux ... done
Booting the kernel.
... and no key combination seemed to get past the hang point.
I used debug (loglevel=7) and found that the boot process hung on this message:
ACPI: EC: non-query interrupt received, switching to interrupt mode
I searched the forum and found this entry with a similar problem of hanging at the same place:
Brian Old Newbie wrote:Acer Aspire 5520-5908 live cd boot hangs at one of these two places:
Loglevel=7 Hang points:
ACPI: EC: Non Query Interupt Received Switching to Interupt Mode
ACPI: Bus Type PNP Registered
if I tap the power key - it keeps going & boots ok
... and yes I find that I can get 4.1.2 to boot if I tap my power key after it hangs.
I looked in /tmp/bootkernel.log after I had succesfully booted this way and found these relevant entries:
ACPI: EC: Look up EC in DSDT
ACPI: BIOS _OSI(Linux) query ignored via DMI
ACPI: Interpreter enabled
ACPI: (supports S0 S3 S5)
ACPI: Using IOAPIC for interrupt routing
ACPI: EC: non-query interrupt received, switching to interrupt mode
I don't know what the EC part of ACPI is but it seems to cause a non-query interrupt that makes the boot process hang. I found in other places on the forum that some people had had success with using various "ACPI=" and "PCI=" boot parameters, so I tried every combination of the following boot parameters to try to get it to boot without hanging and all have failed.
acpi=off acpi=strict acpi=noirq pci=biosirq pci=nosort irqpoll routeirq
Any use of "ACPI=" either messes up the sound or prevents proper shut down.
I have also tried Wow's LXDE unnamed pup that uses the 2.6.27.5 kernel and it boots with no problems.
I'm thinking that it must be something in the 2.6.25.16 kernel as I can boot "retro" versions of 4.x. no problems.
I'd really like not to have to tap the power button every time as I really like the look, speed and features of your new LHPup.
Any suggestions or information? Kernel patches or ??
B.
(P.S. This Lighthouse pup runs great on the old 500Mhz box my wife uses and the .sfs files for Mariner, Open Office, Picasa etc. all load and integrate just fine - it's these new-fangled sophisticated laptops that cause trouble!).
[i]Laptop[/i]: Acer Aspire 5810TZ

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tazoc
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#23 Post by tazoc »

@Barburo,
Sorry to hear about the boot issue on your laptop. It does sound like a kernel bug, but I don't have any expertise with kernels. Just a long shot, but if you have grub installed, try adding ' nosmp' to the end of your kernel line. If Puppy 4.1.2 Retro works, maybe I could build a LHP4 Retro, hmm... I wonder how much time that would take... have to think about that. I'll post here if that is workable.

@techtype,
[Edit 3 Mar 09:] Narrowed it down to Javascript. Disabled javascript in preferences and only then my.yahoo.com works fine. (Not a good solution of course. ) Seamonkey and Opera work fine, though. Firefox is flaky for me too, I imagine it has to do with Flash, hopefully that will be addressed. For me it's just an annoyance because after restarting FF, I choose reopen previous session and then I'm able to continue with the same tabs open.

@CP, that great! Wish I could take credit, but I don't know if it's anything I did.

@All,
Thank you, great feedback, will keep in mind for next version. I've already updated Audacious to 1.5.1, more info soon.
-TazOC
Last edited by tazoc on Thu 05 Mar 2009, 21:04, edited 1 time in total.
[url=http://www.lhpup.org/][b][size=100]lhpup.org[/size][/b] [img]http://www.lhpup.org/gallery/images/favicon.png[/img][/url] [url=http://www.lhpup.org/release-lhp.htm#602]Lighthouse 64 6.02[/url]

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Colonel Panic
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#24 Post by Colonel Panic »

Tazoc; I'm not sure either tbh, but I don't know who or what else to give the credit to so you may as well have it. :)

In recognition of the troubles you and I suspect many others are having with Firefox, I've installed Icecat-3.0g1 which is working OK at the moment.

I've also managed to get Mariner working by loading the Mariner.sfs file on bootup as you said, so I've got KDE 3.5.10 working on my machine now. Not bad for "just" 256 MB.

I may try some other .sfs files soon if I can find the time to get them downloaded, such as the Opera, Voyager and Open Office ones. But for now it's all running well and I've got access to programs and utilities I've never had before and look forward to trying out, such as Amarok. So many thanks for all your hard work. :)

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sunburnt
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#25 Post by sunburnt »

Has anyone tried unioning more than 5 SFS files?
Memory requirements & cpu load should go up exponentially.
More that 10 SFS files should bring even a fast PC down to a crawl.
Not to mention the stability factor... Many more things to go wrong.


Ideally there would be no union, like a Full install except with SFS files.
This is the future, as the union is an unnessesary complexity fraught with problems.

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tazoc
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#26 Post by tazoc »

CP,
Thank you, I will look into IceCat, that's good to know. Can you check 'about:plugins' to see what version of Flash you have in IceCat? I'm glad your setup is working--good job!

Sunburnt,
Point taken, although I am running 9 extra SFS every day with no discernible negative effects and the software in them works for me. I'm running boot from CD/frugal on one box and grub/frugal on my main system. For frugal, I believe that using a smaller main file, with extra apps on SFS is more compatible with low-RAM machines. It is also very convenient for updating just the SFS, e.g. OpenOffice or just the main file when new versions become available.

I agree that this strategy is a compromise. For instance, I must 'visualize' the layer ordering whenever more than one SFS has the same file name and if needed, script a setup-uninstall wizard accordingly. And as Leon noted Dec 17 http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=36733 it is wise to include descriptive file names so that one can see what Puppy/LHP version a given SFS has been tested with.

As a relative newcomer to Linux I am still learning about the inner-workings of Puppy and am curious how a full install with mounted SFS would work. For me a full install of Ubuntu crawls and I only use it if it has something I can't get working in Puppy or LHP. I wonder how a Slax install handles the hundreds :o of modules available on their website?

I will post here if layering 10 or more SFS packs results in a performance hit, and encourage others to do the same. Note that LHP 4 is still Beta and we may need to decide whether allowing up to 24 SFS, or lowering to that to, say 9 or 18, is appropriate for a final release.
-TazOC
[url=http://www.lhpup.org/][b][size=100]lhpup.org[/size][/b] [img]http://www.lhpup.org/gallery/images/favicon.png[/img][/url] [url=http://www.lhpup.org/release-lhp.htm#602]Lighthouse 64 6.02[/url]

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Colonel Panic
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Icecat

#27 Post by Colonel Panic »

Hi Tazoc,

It uses the Gxine and SVG (vector graphics) plugins. I'm using the Icecat source file rather than the petfile (not that there's anything wrong with the pet, but I already had the source file on my pen drive);

icecat-3.0-g1-i386.tar.bz2

Best,

Colonel Panic.

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sunburnt
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#28 Post by sunburnt »

tazoc; A Full install of Puppy won't allow a union on /
This has been tested, however it'll probably allow a union on a sub dir. mount.

As I say... The SFS files just need to be mounted but not unioned.
Rearranging the SFS files dir. structure may be a good idea for some apps.
With this approach even a Full install will use SFS files as the method of use
would be to mount them on a sub dir. & use them much like Gobo Linux does
in keeping it's apps. in sub dirs. like WinBlows does (just a different method).

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tazoc
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Running fine in KDE with 16 SFS files

#29 Post by tazoc »

sunburnt wrote:Has anyone tried unioning more than 5 SFS files?
Memory requirements & cpu load should go up exponentially.
More that 10 SFS files should bring even a fast PC down to a crawl.
I think those fears may be unfounded. My box (single core 2.1GHz) is now running LHP 4 Voyager in KDE with 16 SFS packs in /mnt/home. Performance is not affected as far as I can see. CPU usage at idle hovers around 2-3% and RAM usage appears normal. Apps open and run quickly, even 3D screensavers and apps located in lower layers. I will continue testing and monitor performance.
Image
I haven't observed any instability but I agree that complexity and file versions by layer make this a compromise, so I will try to incorporate a non-unioned arrangement in the future.
-TazOC
[url=http://www.lhpup.org/][b][size=100]lhpup.org[/size][/b] [img]http://www.lhpup.org/gallery/images/favicon.png[/img][/url] [url=http://www.lhpup.org/release-lhp.htm#602]Lighthouse 64 6.02[/url]

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sunburnt
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#30 Post by sunburnt »

tazoc; Aufs may do a better job of layer virtualization (less memory).
As to cpu load, it would only be noticeable when there's layer access.
I seem to recall reading something like this about aufs years ago.

I worked on a Puppy version years ago that had no union.
The idea:
Use links in place of the main / dirs. that point to the real dirs.
This allows the /etc dir. to be accessed from a USB flash, web drive, etc.
So any PC running Puppy would then login to the users personal settings.
The same with the other main dirs., they can be sourced from anywhere.
The dirs. are catagorize into R/W & R/O, R/O would usually be an SFS file.
The R/W dirs. would be an SFS file that's small so it can be rebuilt quickly.
The R/W dirs. could also be full files (not an SFS file) (in memory or not).

Also a Full install (no SFS files) could be run in memory (with no apps.).
This setup could use apps. in SFS files (in memory or not), or web apps.
This arrangement is the most straight forward & lots of folks would like it.
But Full files can get viruses & be corrupted, SFS files aren't as easily hurt.

A totally open & configurable layout, sort of octopus like ( OctoPuppy? ).
So then Puppy could be easily modded & changed in many different ways.
This is a very radical setup & lots would need to be altered, but it's worth it.
We had it booting to where the modules loaded & then there was errors.

I'm moving into yet another house soon & I'll have my 2 Puppy PCs with
all my years of work on Puppy utilities, LanPuppy, & this experiment.

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Colonel Panic
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#31 Post by Colonel Panic »

A quick update on browsers. I've also installed ttuuxxx's Firepup in Lighthouse Puppy and it's working well, both fast and stable;

http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewto ... 74&t=34876
I've not had much luck with the Opera 10 sfs file though, which doesn't seem to work even when I've loaded the sfs on bootup. It isn't a big problem because I've also got the Opera 9.63 pet which installs and works well in Lighthouse.

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Barburo
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#32 Post by Barburo »

Hi TazOC,
Testing 4.1.2 beta on the HP tx1000 I noticed that the wallpaper selector seems a bit flaky - if you change the image it still sometimes flashes the previous one. The Cairo task bar background and Conky background get confused and show agaist the original graphic. Just a little bug. (It doesn't happen on the older PC desktop box I am also testing on).
Still no luck with wireless - boot doesn't even detect a wlan0 interface.

Things I like about the 4.1.2 beta:
1. Drive icons on the desktop that mount the drive when you click it.
2. Using multiple .SFS files for add-ons to a leaner basic puppy.
3. Faster shutdown.
4. Nice implementation of Cairo App-launcher.
5. KDE from mariner .SFS works well.
As you note this pup is still a beta. I'll monitor development as your versions progress.

Nice of you to even think about a "retro" version! As my HP tx1000 runs just great with your LH3.01g "gold" puppy, I will stay with it for now. I use KDE gold for all my day-to-day computing. I don't know how difficult it would be to add some of the features you've included in 4.1.2 beta to 3.01 gold (or would that be a step backward?)

I've Googled to see comparisons of Dual core vs. single core processors and for my chip set (AMD Turion 64) the performance boost when using SMP isn't huge. It would be nice to have if the kernel recognizes and uses dual-cores, but Puppy single CPU is pretty fast anyway. I had to do some maintenance on Vista recently (it stopped booting) and diving back into the Windows world was a bit weird. Made me appreciate Puppy all the more.
B.
[i]Laptop[/i]: Acer Aspire 5810TZ

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tazoc
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#33 Post by tazoc »

Colonel Panic,
Thanks for your input. Not sure why Opera 10 isn't working for you, I can't reproduce here. Just a thought, maybe it doesn't open if a previous version is present? Point me to the earlier dot pet you have and I'll try to iron out the conflict.

Techtype,
I looked into the Firefox instability today. The page you noted my.yahoo.com indeed crashes Firefox every time. Narrowed it down to Javascript in Firefox 3--not Flash as I had earlier thought. Disabled javascript in preferences and only then my.yahoo.com works fine. (Not a good solution of course--javascript is used so much that I wouldn't want to leave it disabled.) Seamonkey and Opera 10 work fine for me, though.

Barburo,
Thank you for the detailed feedback and support. The wallpaper changer probably doesn't write to the root window. Conky also displays incorrect background for me sometimes. Closing and reopening by it clicking the icon twice should help. [Edit: that doesn't help but this does: on QuickLaunch Menu, click 'Show-Hide Icons' once and then again.]

Right-clicking on Wbar should refresh its background. I think you were referring to that instead of Cairo launcher. Note: I haven't been able to get Cairo bar working in Lighthouse. Maybe it needs lxpanel?

I would check with forum member tempestuous about support for your wlan card in Puppy 4.1.2. If he can help you, then maybe the same fix would work in LHP 4.1.2. If the retro kernel is the only way, I'll try to make that available in the near future.

I concur regarding Windows! Puppy boots so much faster and has so many features I always miss on the occasions I'm confined to another OS.
Take care,
TazOC
Last edited by tazoc on Fri 06 Mar 2009, 04:53, edited 3 times in total.
[url=http://www.lhpup.org/][b][size=100]lhpup.org[/size][/b] [img]http://www.lhpup.org/gallery/images/favicon.png[/img][/url] [url=http://www.lhpup.org/release-lhp.htm#602]Lighthouse 64 6.02[/url]

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tazoc
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Re: Boot hanging on Lighthouse

#34 Post by tazoc »

numnuts wrote:Hi, I've downlooaded the full fat version of Lighthouse. Tried it on my desktop AMD 64 5600+ & 2gb RAM and love it. Congratulations it is ace.

I've now loaded it onto my laptop, P3 700Mhz and 256mb of ram and it hangs at:

Starting X, specs in /etc/X11/xorg.conf, startup apps /root/ .xinitrc...

its totally unresponsive to any input.

If I reboot it will tell me that the last boot failed and would I like to carry on as normal and will boot fine from there.

Anybody know what's happening and what the solution is. Is the poor wee laptop being overwhelmed by all those .SFS's?.
Welcome and thank you for trying LighthousePup! I don't think the SFS files are to blame if it works OK on reboot. I suspect it is something to do with Xorg configuration, display or input drivers. Does choosing Xvesa in Xorgwizard help? Do you have the same bug with Puppy 4.1.2? Might be tough to narrow down if we can't access the logs prior to rebooting but zip up and post your /tmp/xerrs.log and /var/log/X.org.0.log if you'd like us to try.
-TazOC
[url=http://www.lhpup.org/][b][size=100]lhpup.org[/size][/b] [img]http://www.lhpup.org/gallery/images/favicon.png[/img][/url] [url=http://www.lhpup.org/release-lhp.htm#602]Lighthouse 64 6.02[/url]

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Colonel Panic
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#35 Post by Colonel Panic »

You're right, it was the old Opera getting in the way. I've done a clean install of everything and the Opera 10 sfs loaded just fine; I'm posting from it now. Sorry for the false alarm.

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tazoc
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#36 Post by tazoc »

Colonel Panic,
No problem, I'm glad Opera is working now.
-TazOC
[url=http://www.lhpup.org/][b][size=100]lhpup.org[/size][/b] [img]http://www.lhpup.org/gallery/images/favicon.png[/img][/url] [url=http://www.lhpup.org/release-lhp.htm#602]Lighthouse 64 6.02[/url]

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tazoc
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#37 Post by tazoc »

Barburo,
Edited my earlier message: After changing wallpaper in IceWM, Conky also displays incorrect background for me. Closing and reopening by it clicking the icon twice should help. [Edit: that doesn't help but this does: on QuickLaunch Menu, click 'Show-Hide Icons' once and then again.]

I also misspelled the forum member whom (I think) might be of assistance with wlan drivers. That would be tempestuous. Now I can't remember if that was your wlan card or someone else's? Hmm, maybe I should get some sleep...
-TazOC
[url=http://www.lhpup.org/][b][size=100]lhpup.org[/size][/b] [img]http://www.lhpup.org/gallery/images/favicon.png[/img][/url] [url=http://www.lhpup.org/release-lhp.htm#602]Lighthouse 64 6.02[/url]

jevmaks
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Battery monitor

#38 Post by jevmaks »

Hi Tazoc!

Thanks a lot for your good job with LighthousePup 4..1.2.
But I have one question. How can I get battery monitor in tray? I understand there is application for it in Puppy 4.1.2 and I have just to edit some configuration file. Which one and how?

Jev

jevmaks
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Battery monitor

#39 Post by jevmaks »

Update.
File /root/.icewm/preferences line

TaskBarShowAPMStatus=1 # 0/1

I change value 0 to 1 and now I have in tray percents of battery charge in plane text. But as I understand it is not the best solution.

So now I want app asapm to run in tray. I suppose there is some editing of /root/.jwmrc-tray .
Can you advice me on that matter?
Thanks

Jev

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Ray MK
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#40 Post by Ray MK »

Hi

Using console (rxvt) (terminal)
the command "asapm -withdrawn" will put the display you want up on the
desktop, and you can position it by dragging, but I don't know how to
put this same display into Icewm tray.

If I re-call it is already in the jwm tray by default.

Conky will also display battery status.

Hope that helps

best regards - Ray

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