Puppy 4.3.1 -- bug reports and suggestions

Please post any bugs you have found
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otropogo
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#121 Post by otropogo »

gposil wrote:Just hit F12 for menu and use keystokes from there...
Thanks. I'd actually just found another way, and was coming to update my post.

Another way is to enable "mouse keys" on the numeric pad by means of Shift+Numlock, and move the cursor by means of the arrow keys, with the central key "5" acting as the right click button.

My mouse loss turns out to have been due to choice of a non-existent serial port for the mouse. Puppy offers four ports, although my MB only seems to have one.

The mouse does work on the serial port, once the correct one is selected, and it is possible to change back to the other options.

But once the serial (RS232) mouse is selected, both PS/2 and usb mouse are disabled.

Whereas, when USB/PS2 is selected, both can types can be on simultaneously and used interchangeably.
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vtpup
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#122 Post by vtpup »

Yes, accidentally choosing the serial mouse can be a headache. And that problem has been around for awhile -- at least in the 4.x series. The way I solved it once upon a time when it happened to me was to start the xorgwizard and then choose test at some point -- this is the only way to get xorgwizard to show the mouse options again after the first LiveCD boot (or a pfix=ram boot). If you play those cards right you can re-select the USB mouse (or whatever mouse you choose). But clearly, choosing "Test" in xorgwizard isn't an intuitive path to the mouse choice option. Therefore, as a suggestion, there ought to be a way that is more understandable and obvious.

purplebelly
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#123 Post by purplebelly »

My apologies for not testing this observation, but the problem occurred on a relative's sytem to which I only had access for a short time and, not using Puppy myself, I don't have the time to set up a test.

On updating a frugal hard drive install from 4.1.2 to 4.3.1, most desktop icons reverted to the default image. This was fixable by setting each image manually through ROX.

Looking at the rc.update script, it appears that there may be a missing reverse-slash-escape on line 433

Code: Select all

ONERULE="`echo -n "$ONELINE" | cut -f 2 -d '"'`" #'geany
rather than

Code: Select all

  ONERULE="`echo -n "$ONELINE" | cut -f 2 -d '\"'`" #'geany
which may have resulted in the absence of rules for the desktop apps in globicons?

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otropogo
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#124 Post by otropogo »

vtpup wrote:..start the xorgwizard and then choose test at some point -- to show the mouse options ... there ought to be a way that is more understandable and obvious.
I agree. I don't use Xorgwizard that often, and had forgotten that trick.

Maybe one function key or keystroke combination (preferably user-configurable) should by default pop up a brief scrollable list of keyboard options for recovering from loss of cursor contol and other crippling desktop events.

I always configure both Windows and Puppy for legacy mouse input, assuming (so far correctly for Windows), that if USB is working properly the USB mouse will run also. And if USB fails for some reason, I have the legacy mouse to fall back on.

In Win98SE and Win2K, I run an SK6000 keyboard that includes a serial touchpad. It runs fine alongside the USB mouse I use 99 percent of the time.

In Puppy, unfortunately, that only works for PS/2 mice. When a serial mouse is enabled, the USB mouse won't work. And if the serial mouse happens not to work, the mouse configuration has to be reset to recover.
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PaulBx1
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#125 Post by PaulBx1 »

Seamonkey appears broken in one respect. I wonder if anyone else can confirm the following...

Go to mapquest and get directions from one city to another. Note that the map shows no route. Also, if you click on the slider to zoom the map, it hangs.

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otropogo
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#126 Post by otropogo »

PaulBx1 wrote:Seamonkey appears broken in one respect. I wonder if anyone else can confirm the following...

Go to mapquest and get directions from one city to another. Note that the map shows no route. Also, if you click on the slider to zoom the map, it hangs.
I get the same thing. But if you click on the directions, it does have them, and if you click on the map link beside each turn, those maps do show the route.

But when I tried the same trip with Opera, all I got was distance and time, couldn't even get a map or driving directions.

And in both, it failed to find two legitimate intersections and suggested something at the other of town (Centre Avenue, instead of Centre Street!)

I think it's Mapquest that's broken.
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Isch
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missing libs

#127 Post by Isch »

Hi,

Seamonkey 2.0 and I have the error:

error while loading shared libraries: libdbus-glib-1.so.2: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory.

and I have found everything I need, but never install puppy and I dont save after session and now I cant find missinglibs.pet.

Is there anybody who can help?

Viva los Tioz

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trapster
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#128 Post by trapster »

Go Here and unpack them in /usr/lib. You might need to symlink to the appropriate names.
ie. libdbus-glib-1.so.2.0.0 > libdbus-glib-1.so.2
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Lobster
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4.4 bug reporter

#129 Post by Lobster »

problem in 4.3.1?
use 4.4 'Woofy' official bug reporter 8)
http://code.google.com/p/puppy-development/issues/list
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otropogo
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disappearing net configuration

#130 Post by otropogo »

This has been a constant annoyance for me in Puppy, and I wonder why it should be maintained. I switch my systems on and off the router with a simple mechanical switch. This has never been a big problem in Windows. If I try to go online with the switch in the wrong position, the browser indicates a problem, and I turn the switch and try again.

With Puppy, though, if I boot without a live network connection, the existing network configuration is lost. I don't just have to turn the switch on, but reconfigure the network.

And while sometimes this is just time consuming, with some systems, such as my my laptop, which uses pcmcia ethernet cards, it can be gruelling, because periodically, Puppy ( at least in 3.01 Retro, which I use on that system) persists in selecting the wrong module, and it's a long weary battle to remove it and replace it with the right one, even when you know which one it should be.

This behavior strikes me as a bug that should be removed...
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setting the save file to use at startup

#131 Post by otropogo »

Having Puppy search all of the system's partitions for compatible files to load seems a waste of time if you know exactly which file(s) you want to load when booting.

Why not allow the user to select the path of the 2fs and sfs files from the boot command line?

It would make a faster boot and save one having to stand by for the save file menu during the process.
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ICPUG
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#132 Post by ICPUG »

otropogo

I take it you are aware of the use of PMEDIA, PDEV1, PSUBDIR to cut search times a bit and the use of PSUBDIR will certainly cut out the pupsave menu if you store different puppies in different directories (and only have 1 pupsave per version).

I think Technosaurus is working on cutting the search down in 4.4.

Puppy 4.2.1 had extra boot parameters to 4.3.1 to allow for more flexibility of where files were kept and a faster load up time. Howewever it still needed extra sfs files to be in the home folder.

The Japanese Puppy has made the mods to allow the extra sfs to be in the same folder as Puppy's sfs files. Technosaurus is aware of this as well.

I'm looking forward to 4.4!

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otropogo
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#133 Post by otropogo »

[
quote="ICPUG"]otropogo

I take it you are aware of the use of PMEDIA, PDEV1, PSUBDIR to cut search times a bit and the use of PSUBDIR will certainly cut out the pupsave menu if you store different puppies in different directories (and only have 1 pupsave per version).
NO to all of the above. Moreover, I'm against the idea of having only one pupsave per version for two reasons:

1. I like to have a more of less current backup 2fs file easily accessible, and

2. if there's only one 2fs file, Puppy doesn't offer the option of booting without any.(the rationale for which eludes me).

It seems to me that the approach I outlined above, especially if the path could be automated with a script, would be the simplest, and fastest solution...
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otropogo
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Portable password manager for next Puppy

#134 Post by otropogo »

Puppy comes with two browsers installed, and many users add a further one or two. A lot of users also run a browser in Windows for important tasks where Puppy's browsers may not do - such as online banking.

Trying to sync passwords between Seamonkey's Password Manager and those of other browsers or a standalone password manager is tedious, and time consuming.

Why not release the next Puppy version with a high-security portable password manager, such as KeePassX? This will allow Puppy users to use the same security file not only with all of their Puppy browsers, but also with their Windows browsers.

KeePass has an excellent reputation, so far as I've been able to deterimine. It's been voted "pricelessware" by members of the alt.comp.freeware usenet group several years in a row, including 2008, and has been nominated again for 2009.

http://www.pricelesswarehome.org/new200 ... tegory.php

And it has been available with the KeePassX Linux gui for some years now.

According to the specifications it provides more than adequate encryption, has an automatic password generating option, and allows the master key file to be encrypted either with an external medium file , such as a floppy, usb thumb drive, or flash card, or with a master password, or with both.

http://www.keepassx.org/
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Pizzasgood
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#135 Post by Pizzasgood »

purplebelly wrote:My apologies for not testing this observation, but the problem occurred on a relative's sytem to which I only had access for a short time and, not using Puppy myself, I don't have the time to set up a test.

On updating a frugal hard drive install from 4.1.2 to 4.3.1, most desktop icons reverted to the default image. This was fixable by setting each image manually through ROX.

Looking at the rc.update script, it appears that there may be a missing reverse-slash-escape on line 433

Code: Select all

ONERULE="`echo -n "$ONELINE" | cut -f 2 -d '"'`" #'geany
rather than

Code: Select all

  ONERULE="`echo -n "$ONELINE" | cut -f 2 -d '"'`" #'geany
which may have resulted in the absence of rules for the desktop apps in globicons?
No, I think it's fine. The double quotes on the outside won't be bothered by any doublequotes that are inside backticks. Bash is smart enough to sort that out on its own.
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purplebelly
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#136 Post by purplebelly »

Pizzasgood wrote: No, I think it's fine. The double quotes on the outside won't be bothered by any doublequotes that are inside backticks. Bash is smart enough to sort that out on its own.
Thanks for that Pizzasgood. I've now dug out an old machine to run a 4.12 to 4.31 update again and it appears that the /usr/local/lib/X11/pixmaps directory does not get fully populated, perhaps because the desktop icon theme is not set to one of those available in 4.31? If so, this is a one-time-only problem, which can be fixed by copying globicons and running icon switcher, and rc.update should work fine in future. I can go back to convincing my sister that you don't need to be a software engineer to use Puppy.

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#137 Post by charlie6 »

Hi,
on 4.3.1 small frugal
on 144MB MF-2HD floppies

Using menu/system/format floppy disk results systematically in a pink box telling:

Code: Select all

ERROR creating msdos/vfat filesystem on the floppy bla bli bla...
trying Lo-level format gives the same result.

I tried this on several floppies (not yet used or fresh from carton box); some of them containing well readable datas on puppy.

cheers, charlie

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8-bit
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#138 Post by 8-bit »

On formatting those floppies.
Just two questions.
(1) Is the floppy write protected?
(2) Is the floppy mounted?

I have a box of floppies myself that I consider junk.
They are new, but even give errors trying to format them in Windows.

asatbluesboy
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#139 Post by asatbluesboy »

Talking about floppy mounts, one has magically appeared in my flash installation this morning. It would be cool if I did have a floppy drive, which is not the case. Could it be the USB speakers I installed?

bill
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#140 Post by bill »

Hi asatbluesboy,There for sure are applications that do not play well
with others.When things happen ,like has visited you,have you considered removing the suspected culprit,reboot and audit the results.
If after this,and nothing good happens,you will have an answer.It is always easy to reinstall.cheers

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