What is the puppy suport cycle?

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itlarson
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What is the puppy suport cycle?

#1 Post by itlarson »

How long are Puppy releases supported? I am looking for something like an Ubuntu LTS for a non-technical friend. Xubuntu is great, but the Dell Inspiron 8200 I am working with seems to need something lighter. Lubuntu isn't LTS, and has problems with both wifi, and setting the right screen resolution.

Also could someone explain the difference between the Slackware, and Ubuntu versions?

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bigpup
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#2 Post by bigpup »

To understand Puppy here is "How the Puppy project is run"
http://www.puppylinux.com/development/p ... tement.htm
In the true sense of LTS, there really is none for Puppy.
A version of Puppy is developed and as long as there is interest in it, it is long term supported. Lucid Puppy was a good example of that. It got updated and added to for over two years.
Improvements to the inner workings of Puppy are made and for the most part, only show up by getting a newer version. That version could be named anything. (Developers choice).
Best way to think of long term support in Puppy:
Look for a version of Puppy that has been around for a while and has been well bug fixed and maybe updated.
If you find a version of Puppy, that works very good on your hardware, and you find no need to change, that is your LTS version.
(I have a computer that Lucid Puppy 528.005 works the best on and gives me all the support I need).
Also could someone explain the difference between the Slackware, and Ubuntu versions?
Simple answer:
Slackware, and Ubuntu are Linux distro's that have been developed by other people.
Puppy can be made from the program packages of these distro's.
To keep it clear, on what distro the packages are from, the version of Puppy will identify the packages source.
Example:
Slacko Puppy uses packages from Slackware distro.

Puppy build process downloads packages of some other distro, cuts them right down to Puppy-size, and builds a version of Puppy.
The things they do not tell you, are usually the clue to solving the problem.
When I was a kid I wanted to be older.... This is not what I expected :shock:
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Terryphi
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#3 Post by Terryphi »

What is the puppy support cycle?

Until the developer gets bored and moves on to the next big thing. ;)

If you want LTS (and I fully understand why) I suggest you go for Linux Mint if your hardware is adequate. That is what I have done.
[b]Classic Opera 12.16 browser SFS package[/b] for Precise, Slacko, Racy, Wary, Lucid, etc available[url=http://terryphillips.org.uk/operasfs.htm]here[/url] :)

musher0
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#4 Post by musher0 »

Terryphi wrote:What is the puppy support cycle?

Until the developer gets bored and moves on to the next big thing. ;)

If you want LTS (and I fully understand why) I suggest you go for Linux Mint if your hardware is adequate. That is what I have done.
Actually, it's the stationary bicycle in the middle of your living room!
(tongue-in-cheek). :lol:

You don't go anywhere with it, but it does support your weight. :)

musher0
musher0
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"You want it darker? We kill the flame." (L. Cohen)

raffy
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friend

#5 Post by raffy »

The joke is supposed to get you relaxed, don't worry.

Let me give you an example. A guy named TLM built what he called Industrial Strength Puppy or ISpup. It is still there, see
http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=70060

If you find it useful, you use it until such time that you want some applications (like the browser) to be updated. If the application can be updated, then you keep updating it. There will come a time when further application updates are no longer possible without changes in underlying software. That is the time when you shop around for a new Pup. This can last for as long as 3 years.

In reality, however, new and smarter Pups arrive constantly, and you give each of them room in your PC to play (see menu.lst in /boot/grub for adding them). And in no time, you will be off using a new lovely Pup and forget about ISpup. You return to ISpup just to retrieve your data and favorites (ah, but just click ISpup's savefile while using your new Puppy and you can move all of your old data to the new Pup).
Puppy user since Oct 2004. Want FreeOffice? [url=http://puppylinux.info/topic/freeoffice-2012-sfs]Get the sfs (English only)[/url].

Dewbie

#6 Post by Dewbie »

itlarson wrote:
How long are Puppy releases supported?
Go here, specifically to the directories that end in JP.
These versions get extended support from the Japanese Puppy Linux team.

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Terryphi
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#7 Post by Terryphi »

Dewbie wrote:itlarson wrote:
How long are Puppy releases supported?
Go here, specifically to the directories that end in JP.
These versions get extended support from the Japanese Puppy Linux team.
How long is the extended support offered?

Dewbie

#8 Post by Dewbie »

Terryphi wrote:
How long is the extended support offered?
Why don't you ask shinobar?

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mikeslr
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Puppy Long Term Support --what is it?

#9 Post by mikeslr »

Hi itlarson,

Your friend has a Dell Inspiron 8209, whose specs are: Intel Pentium 4-M 1.6 GHz, 128 Mb to 1 gb RAM, and perhaps only a 20 gb harddrive. That it runs xbuntu at all suggest that RAM has been upgraded to at least 512 Mb. When Ubuntu talks about Long Term Support, it means the ability to upgrade to "the latest and greatest applications that the open source world has to offer" for about three years without having to install a new kernel by downloading and installing an entirely new version of Ubuntu. Each ubuntu installation eats up about 5 gbs of your harddrive, more if you install applications which aren't already included.
LTS has a price: the newest and greatest versions of applications almost always take up more space than the version they replaced. Ubuntu has moved on to glib 3, so even though your friend can barely run the current Ubuntu LTS, chances are his computer won't run the next LTS.
In this context, there are many LTS Puppies, because their design is different from "the big boys." Although they can be run as "Full Installs," they are designed as Frugal Installs, usually run with a "SaveFile" to preserve settings and added applications. As a Frugal Install Puppies use only about 500 mgs of harddrive, excluding a SaveFile which can run from as little as 32 mbs to 3 gbs or more. But usually between 512 Mb to 1 Gb. In addition to installing applications, Puppies can uses SFSes: entire applications you can load-on-the-fly and unload when not needed. SFSes have several advantages, not the least of which is that you can try the "latest and greatest version" of an application without wrecking your system if it doesn't work. And Puppy has a couple of applications for converting the "latest and greatest version" published as a pet into an SFS.
Although I don't mean to discourage devs who have fun developing pets of the newest and latest versions, with one exception most applications developed years ago can accomplish the same things as the newest and greatest versions of that software recently developed. Upgrades have to do with "bells and whistles" or being able to run under the newest kernels which your friends hardware may not support. The exception is Internet browsers and their associated software to view video. These are constantly being upgraded to deal with security issues. With that exception, all Puppies are LTS: As most malware is developed for "windows," you can safely use a Puppy until it your browser-flash-html5 no longer permits you to view videos. Then you can try the latest browser --in the form of or converted to an SFS. And if that doesn't work, well its time to look for a new Puppy.
Some versions of Puppy have proven to be LTS just because they were that good. Three years ago ttuuxxx published Classic Pup 2.14 and it's still going strong. And many of us, myself included, still use as our everyday work-horse playdaz Lupu 528, based on ubuntu Lucid thru onerick. Because Barry K still favors building Puppies from Ubuntu binaries --is even considering ending our "home-grown" wary as his base-- I'd recommend any of the several versions of puppy precise currently available. See my post about mixing and matching pups and pets, http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic. ... 436#680436. My best guess is that a couple of years from now, when ubuntu starts the alphabet anew with a bloated operating system, some Puppy dev will use ubuntu binaries to create a pup which, in addition to the pets and sfses compiled under that pup, will also be able to use most of the applications developed for precise.
And your friend will have an easy Upgrade: simply download the new pup-ISO, unpack it into a directory, add it to Grub4dos's Menu.lst, try it out, and if it runs load his favorite precise-sfses and be back in business.

mikesLr

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bigpup
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#10 Post by bigpup »

itlarson,

Are you there?
A little feedback would be nice.
The things they do not tell you, are usually the clue to solving the problem.
When I was a kid I wanted to be older.... This is not what I expected :shock:
YaPI(any iso installer)

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RetroTechGuy
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#11 Post by RetroTechGuy »

Terryphi wrote:What is the puppy support cycle?

Until the developer gets bored and moves on to the next big thing. ;)
For example, ttuuxxx's Classic Pup 2.14X:

http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=42553
[url=http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=58615]Add swapfile[/url]
[url=http://wellminded.net63.net/]WellMinded Search[/url]
[url=http://puppylinux.us/psearch.html]PuppyLinux.US Search[/url]

Dewbie

#12 Post by Dewbie »

RetroTechGuy wrote:
For example, ttuuxxx's Classic Pup 2.14X
And now for the rest of the story:
http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=77561
http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic. ... start=4845

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