'lina-lite - version 005

For talk and support relating specifically to Puppy derivatives
Post Reply
Message
Author
elroy

#101 Post by elroy »

mavrothal wrote:lina-lite-003 has xfce4 settings (xfconf and xfwm4) in /root/.config in the base sfs and /root/.config/xfce4 in adrv.
Is there a reason for this?
The base sfs will fail to get to the desktop without the adrive in this setting.
Yes, human error. I'll fix that in the next release. It is also the case with Carolina, too.

Peterm321
Posts: 411
Joined: Thu 29 Jan 2009, 14:09
Location: UK

#102 Post by Peterm321 »

Experience of LINA_LITE_003 on a "Cedar Trail" Netbook

(Intel GMA 3600 / Realtek ALC272 sound)

On the plus side glxgears works, albeit slowly. I have tried Slacko and Swiftlinux: sound works on these but not glxgears.

The main difficulty with LINA LITE 003 is that the sound modules have been apparently compromised by the admittedly problematic cedar trail hardware in some way.

This is not limited to Lina, Saluki 009 works and Saluki 023 doesn't (neither did precise puppy) It may be related to the GMA500 drivers that produce an error in dmesg, in particular psb_gfx.ko produces a stack trace.

Most of the /dev/snd devices are not created, NB /dev/dsp is not created. The snd_intel_hda kernel modules get loaded. As far as the [other] kernels which do detect and load sound OK, in comparison it appears the right modules seem to get loaded in Lina except for the snd_realtek_codec that is not loaded.

Strace reveals that reloading alsa /etc/init.d/10alsa restart hangs on loading snd_seq_oss.ko and and snd_hda_intel.ko, the module state is held in a pending state and modprobe has to be manually killed off.

The Kernel does not allow forced removal of modules. snd_hda_intel refuses to unload.

The strace utility may be worth worth including in the Lina lite system.

Thanks

User avatar
Marv
Posts: 1264
Joined: Wed 04 May 2005, 13:47
Location: SW Wisconsin

Standalone lina-lite-003

#103 Post by Marv »

Hi elroy,

Been remastering LL-002 as standalones, adding bugfixes, menus, themes... They have diverged quite a bit so for simplicity I started from scratch with 003, seeing what was the minimum I had to add to get a viable standalone SFS. I used the Nov 27 lina-xfce-4.10.pet as a base, fixed a couple of minor things, added in my panel and menu config files, made the Application Finder.desktop Toplevel so it could be merged, disabled firstrun by changing permissions otherwise it overwrote the panel config. Unsquashed the sfs, opened up group permissons, and manually added the 'pet'. I cannot get the tgz to upload. I know it's a good file.?? Anyway, a screenshot of the standalone is attached. SFS now 76MB. Everything else from here can be easily added by pet or sfs.

A couple of thoughts looking at the base SFS and the Nov 27 lina-xfce-4.20.pet:

1: The base SFS has the tumbler-1 symlink, no library file. The pet has the library file, no symlink. They are tiny, give both both.
2: The base has the correct and latest fstab rules in etc/udev/rules.d. The pet has the version with the separate cddetect-xfce script, but with the rules in /etc/rules.d. I put the latest version in /etc/udev/rules.d in my pet and eliminated the cddect-xfce script.
Attachments
Standalone.jpg
Standalone lina-lite-003 with slightly modified menu and panel
(54.97 KiB) Downloaded 683 times
Pups currently in kennel :D Older LxPupSc and X-slacko-4.4 for my users; LxPupSc, LxPupSc64 and upupEF for me. All good pups indeed, and all running savefiles for look'n'feel only. Browsers, etc. solely from SFS.

elroy

Re: Standalone lina-lite-003

#104 Post by elroy »

Marv wrote:Hi elroy,

Been remastering LL-002 as standalones, adding bugfixes, menus, themes... They have diverged quite a bit so for simplicity I started from scratch with 003, seeing what was the minimum I had to add to get a viable standalone SFS. I used the Nov 27 lina-xfce-4.10.pet as a base, fixed a couple of minor things, added in my panel and menu config files, made the Application Finder.desktop Toplevel so it could be merged, disabled firstrun by changing permissions otherwise it overwrote the panel config. Unsquashed the sfs, opened up group permissons, and manually added the 'pet'. I cannot get the tgz to upload. I know it's a good file.?? Anyway, a screenshot of the standalone is attached. SFS now 76MB. Everything else from here can be easily added by pet or sfs.

A couple of thoughts looking at the base SFS and the Nov 27 lina-xfce-4.20.pet:

1: The base SFS has the tumbler-1 symlink, no library file. The pet has the library file, no symlink. They are tiny, give both both.
2: The base has the correct and latest fstab rules in etc/udev/rules.d. The pet has the version with the separate cddetect-xfce script, but with the rules in /etc/rules.d. I put the latest version in /etc/udev/rules.d in my pet and eliminated the cddect-xfce script.
Thanks for the info, Marv. Yeah, for the next version, I'm gonna have to revisit the xfce stuff. I wanted to make it more modular to allow someone to remove it if they'd like a different window manager, but it seems it'd be a better idea to place it in the base sfs. That way even with an empty adrive the desktop would still be there. I've got a few things to think about concerning that, and how to implement it cleanly. I'm guessing that there will be a few more bug-fix versions before a release candidate makes an appearance.

If you find anything else, please let me know, either here or by pm if applicable.

User avatar
Marv
Posts: 1264
Joined: Wed 04 May 2005, 13:47
Location: SW Wisconsin

Standalone lina-lite-003

#105 Post by Marv »

Thanks for the info, Marv. Yeah, for the next version, I'm gonna have to revisit the xfce stuff. I wanted to make it more modular to allow someone to remove it if they'd like a different window manager, but it seems it'd be a better idea to place it in the base sfs. That way even with an empty adrive the desktop would still be there. I've got a few things to think about concerning that, and how to implement it cleanly. I'm guessing that there will be a few more bug-fix versions before a release candidate makes an appearance.
It really made life simpler having it separate with xfce moving from 4.80 to 4.10 and all the expected speedbumps. Once the xfce is settled down AND we're all more used to it, I like having it in the main sfs, but precious little else. I'm going to do a bit of theme pruning and then use the standalone as my daily.

Edited Nov 28: After pruning, main sfs size now 64.6MB. Using daily.

Thanks for supporting the lite sandbox for the tinkers.
Last edited by Marv on Thu 29 Nov 2012, 16:16, edited 1 time in total.
Pups currently in kennel :D Older LxPupSc and X-slacko-4.4 for my users; LxPupSc, LxPupSc64 and upupEF for me. All good pups indeed, and all running savefiles for look'n'feel only. Browsers, etc. solely from SFS.

elroy

Re: Standalone lina-lite-003

#106 Post by elroy »

Marv wrote:
It really made life simpler having it separate with xfce moving from 4.80 to 4.10 and all the expected speedbumps. Once the xfce is settled down AND we're all more used to it, I like having it in the main sfs, but precious little else. I'm going to do a bit of theme pruning and then use the standalone as my daily.

Thanks for supporting the lite sandbox for the tinkers.
Well, to be honest the reason I did lite is due to a bit of selfishness. This is what I would have wanted in a puppy distro, and that's why I pursued it. I honestly didn't expect that there would be any interest in it, It's encouraging to know that others feel as I do about lite. It's what I use for my daily, too.

If in the future if I move it to the main sfs, I could remove all of the themes 'cept for one.

User avatar
rg66
Posts: 1158
Joined: Mon 23 Jul 2012, 05:53
Location: Vancouver, BC Canada / Entebbe, Uganda Africa!?!

#107 Post by rg66 »

Removed Pidgin and deps (gnutls, farsight). Restarted X, thunar takes 20 -30 sec to open. Played around a bit and it seems gnutls is causing issues when uninstalled.

Edit: gnutls and gvfs-smb share some libs, at least libgcrypt and libgpg-error. It seems that uninstalling gnutls leaves gvfs-smb without those giving me the slow thunar issues I had when using the Carolina gvfs-smb which was also missing those libs. I will assume that uninstalling gvfs-smb will also cause gnutls issues.
X-slacko-5b1 - X-tahr-2.0 - X-precise-2.4
[url=http://smokey01.com/rg66/]X-series repo[/url]

elroy

#108 Post by elroy »

Currently working on the lina-lite-004 prototype. If you have any suggestions I'd appreciate hearing from you.

Sage
Posts: 5536
Joined: Tue 04 Oct 2005, 08:34
Location: GB

#109 Post by Sage »

This is turning out to be a cracking release, el., and very popular amongst the natives.
Might it be possible to reduce the footprint even more as there is still some duplication between the standard Puppy menu entries and the Xfce control panel which is comprehensive? Maybe that might make it non-Puppy?! In which case, you really have inadvertently created a new project? May be able to squeeze in an opening text (text is 'cheap') panel (e.g. click here to get a basic browser? click here to d/l basic apps from the PPM? what else would help neophytes?) with some explanations and guidance, along with that misty wolfy-tree-thing wallpaper which is somewhat more welcoming? Sorry not able to offer tech. suggestions, only the user viewpoint. Recalling (again) that one of our greatest physicists/mathematicians felt that elegance of an LCD solution should be expressible in a single-line. Maybe it was Dirac? Probably the birth of the K.I.S.S. principle. Surely must apply to coding?

User avatar
mavrothal
Posts: 3096
Joined: Mon 24 Aug 2009, 18:23

#110 Post by mavrothal »

Hi elroy,
lina-lite is aimed at "seasoned" users but I think the following would be nice.
After establishing a connection for first time (fist run or later) an app similar to "default apps" is coming up, but the drop down list for each category has the apps and (backend) links to the relevant pets in the repo.
Just the basic apps. Browsers, editors, movie- and music-players, document- and image-viewers and *maybe* business("office") apps and "utilities".
I would think that the PPM/adrive builder infrastructure can be used and the app just needs to make the calls. The fact that lina is using a single repo should make life easier.
Is probably too much since people that download it know what lina is, but still a nice addition to an "apps-free" pupplet.
== [url=http://www.catb.org/esr/faqs/smart-questions.html]Here is how to solve your[/url] [url=https://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/bugs.html]Linux problems fast[/url] ==

Sage
Posts: 5536
Joined: Tue 04 Oct 2005, 08:34
Location: GB

#111 Post by Sage »

the following would be nice
Yeah - either way, same general idea. Hope el. can make something of it without too much trouble.

sheldonisaac
Posts: 902
Joined: Mon 22 Jun 2009, 01:36
Location: Philadelphia, PA

#112 Post by sheldonisaac »

(portions snipped)
mavrothal wrote:Hi elroy,
lina-lite is aimed at "seasoned" users but I think the following would be nice.
Is probably too much since people that download it know what lina is, but still a nice addition to an "apps-free" pupplet.
I'm new to 'lina-lite, and downloaded it because it was a distro with only the very basics.
I'm by no means a dev or expert; don't know why it has an adrive and a zdrive. don't intend to do compiling, etc

I've been primarily a user of Lucid Puppy 5.2.8. Am in it at the moment.

About all I can do is "install" a pet or an sfs.

So far I've added the Opera 12.02 sfs.

Many thanks,
Sheldon

=========

Oops: booted lina-lite, see that I'd installed nano editor, as well as Pmusic and related stuff like streamripper, ffmpeg, etc

elroy

#113 Post by elroy »

Some interesting suggestions, gentlemen. There's definitely some food for thought. And I certainly do appreciate the input.

I'm going to take my time before releasing the next version as there are many things to consider. So far the only for sure thing I'm certain of is that xfce will be moved to the puppy_lina_xxx.sfs. That way it'll boot to the desktop with an empty or missing adrive.

User avatar
Marv
Posts: 1264
Joined: Wed 04 May 2005, 13:47
Location: SW Wisconsin

'lina-lite-004

#114 Post by Marv »

Agreed elroy, let it cook for a while. 003 is pretty stable and moving xfce into the main SFS pretty much consensus. Maybe a list of proposed insies and outsies run up the flagpole? IF you want to.

Thinking about the proposals for a puppy package manager front end at firstrun, my first impulse was to just put a launcher to the manager itself on the destkop at firstrun but on second thought the number of choices and package names might overwhelm a first-timer so a simplified frontend maybe. I'm lousy at dialog boxes. Anybody game?

My 'just the basics' standalone SFS now weighs in at 63.6Mb, my 'chubby' at 89Mb. Both seem happy, as am I. :D
Pups currently in kennel :D Older LxPupSc and X-slacko-4.4 for my users; LxPupSc, LxPupSc64 and upupEF for me. All good pups indeed, and all running savefiles for look'n'feel only. Browsers, etc. solely from SFS.

elroy

Re: 'lina-lite-004

#115 Post by elroy »

Marv wrote:Agreed elroy, let it cook for a while. 003 is pretty stable and moving xfce into the main SFS pretty much consensus. Maybe a list of proposed insies and outsies run up the flagpole? IF you want to.

Thinking about the proposals for a puppy package manager front end at firstrun, my first impulse was to just put a launcher to the manager itself on the destkop at firstrun but on second thought the number of choices and package names might overwhelm a first-timer so a simplified frontend maybe. I'm lousy at dialog boxes. Anybody game?

My 'just the basics' standalone SFS now weighs in at 63.6Mb, my 'chubby' at 89Mb. Both seem happy, as am I. :D
I'm proficient enough at creating dialogs to pull that part of it off, but I need input as to the selections offered for choices and the overall format - the "grand vision". That and any woof included apps that may be desired to be removable...I'm open to suggestion. I'm all for the democratic process concerning such matters. It's more valuable if it's usable to others than just something that is usable in my mind.

Sage
Posts: 5536
Joined: Tue 04 Oct 2005, 08:34
Location: GB

#116 Post by Sage »

I'm open to suggestion
Well it won't be popular amongst the tiny group of gurus that frequent these columns, but as a user, I don't like all this adrive, .sfs and other devices used to separate bits and pieces. It won't sell. I guarantee that amongst the great unwashed. Make it simple. What you offer needs to be complete at boot up with textual guidance on-screen, a PPM, essentially of .pets, and a control panel OR, not and, menu for making it (subjectively, of course) look good. We already know you guys are extremely adept in your art, now the real skill is in making easy. Think old ladies, politicians and posers - it's difficult enough to teach them to switch the bl**dy thing on! We had a PM who admitted he didn't know where the ON swicth was located. Developers need to grasp the enormity of the mindset required to pacify allegedly intelligent folks if they don't immediately see those accursed four coloured squares on the screen.

User avatar
rg66
Posts: 1158
Joined: Mon 23 Jul 2012, 05:53
Location: Vancouver, BC Canada / Entebbe, Uganda Africa!?!

#117 Post by rg66 »

Sage wrote:
I'm open to suggestion
Well it won't be popular amongst the tiny group of gurus that frequent these columns, but as a user, I don't like all this adrive, .sfs and other devices used to separate bits and pieces. It won't sell. I guarantee that amongst the great unwashed. Make it simple. What you offer needs to be complete at boot up with textual guidance on-screen, a PPM, essentially of .pets, and a control panel OR, not and, menu for making it (subjectively, of course) look good. We already know you guys are extremely adept in your art, now the real skill is in making easy. Think old ladies, politicians and posers - it's difficult enough to teach them to switch the bl**dy thing on! We had a PM who admitted he didn't know where the ON swicth was located. Developers need to grasp the enormity of the mindset required to pacify allegedly intelligent folks if they don't immediately see those accursed four coloured squares on the screen.
If you do a remaster (not a custom build) you will have only 1 sfs to load, adrive, zdrive, puppy sfs all in 1. You can also clean up the menu and control panel to your liking and it will show in your new "build".

This is the lite thread, for people who know what they are doing or like me, think they know :wink: or want to learn (the hard way). "Making it simple" would be better for the full Carolina aimed at a more mainstream crowd.
X-slacko-5b1 - X-tahr-2.0 - X-precise-2.4
[url=http://smokey01.com/rg66/]X-series repo[/url]

Sage
Posts: 5536
Joined: Tue 04 Oct 2005, 08:34
Location: GB

#118 Post by Sage »

Sorry rg, I completely disagree. You have failed to understand the reality of world + dog. El. asked for opinions - I speak for users. As I clearly state, here and elsewhere, guys like you will always be able to set things up and make them work. For years/decades, Linux was an ivory tower OS, in which the cognoscenti spoke to each other but no-one else. Maybe that's what it takes. But all that is now over (at least in public Fora - what you say to each other via PMs is your affair). Real folks are grateful for all the pain and sorrow you suffered. But are you now offering a viable product for general edification? Yes - I think so. And the Puppy genre is a prime example. Plug it in, spin it up and go. If there are further hurdles, forget it - at least for Joe Public. If it's intended as a toy to expand your IT intellect for experts like yourself, then why not keep as a private distribution? That's how BK differentiates Woof from his distro releases. Fiddle-faddling with a - z notional drives and .xfy files ain't on most peoples to-do list. We need the gurus desperately so we can get on reading the latest strategies for beating the coronavirus, watch pictures of Mercury and listening to wwoz from the Big Easy, without all the IT stuff to worry about.
[Other non-IT folks feel free to fill in your own selections.]
Otherwise, if this distro is intended as a closed-circle plaything, be my guest; just distribute amongst yourselves and enjoy.

User avatar
mavrothal
Posts: 3096
Joined: Mon 24 Aug 2009, 18:23

#119 Post by mavrothal »

Sage wrote:I completely disagree
Sage,
you have bare-bones lina-lite, you have Saluki with a good range of apps and you have Carolina with the Out house sink.
Each one fills a different purpose/needs.
Why none of them suits your needs and why lina-lite is the most appropriate to be modified toward the direction you (the userS) would like?
== [url=http://www.catb.org/esr/faqs/smart-questions.html]Here is how to solve your[/url] [url=https://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/bugs.html]Linux problems fast[/url] ==

Sage
Posts: 5536
Joined: Tue 04 Oct 2005, 08:34
Location: GB

#120 Post by Sage »

Don't take it personally, Mavro. As I see it the most likely candidate I can persuade users to, errr, use, is the one with the smallest download size and the quickest into an opening display, with maybe a few textual guides to customise. Tiny and SliTaz meets some of those criteria, Puppy met/can meet more for the expenditure a little bit extra resource and effort. Furthermore, I am primarily interested in saving landfill/recycling and using, in this instance yours rather than my, intellect to reduce, retrofit and remove the rat-race to oblivion. [Don't worry, I am far more active and vociferous in my own professional areas!]

This Puppy, these Puppies, are proving formidable vehicles for achieving the great percentage of ordinary folks' needs and aspirations as far as IT is concerned. Why do you wish, erroneously, to infer something about my needs. I am old, I stand outside the IT field, I meet and influence the decisions of a vast array of busy folks trying to use this technology to advance their own causes. I see the big picture - I try to help. I know what I see, I hear what I hear. If you want to erect a slew of additional hurdles for putative user to jump over, forget it. There are always going to be plenty of clever IT guys like you who can twiddle their hypothetical drives whilst blindfolded, hands behind the proverbial. That, I contend, is not the prime directive. One of the best Puppies ever issued was John's MeanPup - did the biz, 50Mb .iso, ran in 64Mb. Carolina-lite at 105Mb is close to emulating that achievement in the contemporary context. Slacko is equally good, if a little larger and the new Wary is also a good basic workhorse. Small is beautiful, less is better - genius comes in the tiniest packages; think Einstein, Dirac, the Hamiltonian, etc.

So, please don't accuse or insinuate unworthy intentions. Umm, someone said "we're all in this together". But he didn't mean it! One should have the greatest respect for BK, el. & micko, inter alia.

Post Reply