X-Slacko Slim 4.4r49 (unique, stable, and flexible)

[mistfire]

Here is a test release of X-Slacko Slim. The initrd has a detailed boot logging to trace what went wrong why puppy SFS cant find.

@Sage and @Geoffrey can you please test this release. In the puppy sfs cant find please select SAVE TEMP FILES to a storage device and upload here in this form. If you cant save just select GO TO PROMPT use this command

Code: Select all

cat /tmp/bootinit.log | tail -n (last to 5-15 lines)

and tell me the results

Download: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1y2MZY ... qJLQ7kumJY

[Geoffrey]

mistfire, it appears to look on the sda1 drive and usb, but fails to load the file from the CD

[mistfire]

@Geoffrey you are right the compiled kernel has a problem on reading CD drives. I made a test earlier using USB external CD Drive also it fail to mount CD drive although the filesystem was recognized.

I wonder what kernel configuration that I need to verify?

[Sage]

Well done, Geoff - it was all getting far too time consuming for me when, clearly, a simple error was all that was involved.
The last fully functional version was 4.2 r57 wr54 initrd. So, for anyone who speaks this bizarre language, the answer lies therein. Don't call me till it's fixed!
Amazing that none of the resident gurus could isolate the fault...

[Geoffrey]

Booting from the CD I managed to get to a desktop on the P4 machine after fiddling with the xorgwizard, seems stable.

I notice that the CD is found as hdc

[mistfire]

Thanks for that @Geoffrey right now I compiled the kernel using fatdog64 source code. Configuring to 32-bit and applied some my preferences. At first I noticed that the output kernel image was 6.1Mb! I try to trim some builtin modules but keeping the disk drive, usb, keyboard, fb, pcmcia, nvme, and mouse kernel modules. but the kernel filesize was 5.9Mb.

[Volhout]

Dear mistfire,

Could you please make available, or specify exactly, what WINE sfs you use with this puppy?
I tried several versions out of ppm, and always ended up with missing libraries, and extra packages that had to be found.
A matching WINE PER or SFS (prefer SFS) would be great.

Regards,

Volhout

[mistfire]

@Volhaut almost any versions of wine should work. I tried wine 1.7 and 2.x from slackware packages. They work fine for me. You may ignore missing packages sometimes.

[mistfire]

I successfully recompile a kernel. The culprit was the source code.

Right now Im trying to simplying the init for searching puppy files. I noticed that the detection of optical drive in the script was less reliable (This might be the culprit on booting Sage's machine). I try to make some improvements on it.

Boot logging is now strictly enforced on the next release and its more readable for easy troubleshooting.

[mistfire]

New X-Slacko Slim iteration released:

Changes:
* Bugfix on CD/DVD drive detection (Both initrd and kernel)
* Some revisions on bluetooth detection (thanks argolance)
* Boot logging is now enabled by default (Initrd and rc.sysinit process only). The logs are now more readable and more detailed for easy troubleshooting (see /tmp/puppyboot.log)

* Some init script changes and simplified searching of puppy sfs files.


Download: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1UhOnI ... gUZGFxccBc
MD5 Checksum: 3591553041821f33fd16819ba2fa3c79

[Sage]

Alleluhia!
Just the weird setup menu, now:

No running instance of xfce-panel was found

Oh yes it was!

execute

:-

The notification area lost selection

Processing, please wait..

the constant, but unwanted, companion.

Otherwise, mostly everything is working. Not bad for a 164Mb .iso. Well done, misty. Notwithstanding, far too many menu entries and options.Probably could cut it to below 100Mb and include non-routine items in a PPM? Would make it even more attractive!

Permit me a few personal observations. This is an .iso run initially from the liveCD. If you want any type of installed version, better to provide an .img file like BK seems to prefer now? The recent fiasco of 'missing' .sfs illustrates a number of considerations. Firstly, look at the number of postings complaining that it 'won't run'. Note the length of time those correspondents so reporting have been around on this forum! Old lags have often been around the system extensively - if they say it 'doesn't work' - it doesn't work! If someone persistently says it doesn't work and there are only a couple saying so, it's because the silent majority can't be bothered, gave up and/or lost interest. Make sure offerings are extensively tested on as many machines as possible. Try to avoid Intel, they belong to the WIntel cartel beloved of the US DoJ, inter alia!
If you're developing a worthwhile project like this, stick at it until everyone wants it and nobody is saying 'it doesn't work'!
Best Regards & thanks.

[step]

Thank you, mistfire! Just so as you know it, when I run Slim in a QEMU box on Fatdog64-721, the virtual mouse pointer is jumpy and doesn't always follow the real mouse pointer.

[mistfire]

@Sage good to know that it finally boot on your machine. That bug that you encountered was a weird one. I already encountered that many times. But when I rebooted it. The xfce starts normally. But dont worry I wil track that bug and fix that. Right now I'm making some adjustments on the init script to make it compact, reliable, less bugs, and very easy to troubleshoot.

Since that that X-Slacko Slim on your machine. Can you please send me the puppyboot.log located at /tmp?

@Step As of now I suggest to make some tweaks on your qemu vm. Also check out the cpu usage of your qemu program. Also enable qemu acceleration and AMD-V/Intel VTx feature on your computer (if supported)

[mistfire]

Thanks Sage for the log file that you sent. I finally traced the weird bug that you encountered. It was on the quicksetup script. Im trying to revise that script

[step]

@Step As of now I suggest to make some tweaks on your qemu vm. Also check out the cpu usage of your qemu program. Also enable qemu acceleration and AMD-V/Intel VTx feature on your computer (if supported)

OK, thank you. I did a few more tests and CPU usage isn't a problem. I used QEMU to run several other different puppies based on Precise, Tahr Puppy, X-Slacko, (also Fatdog, DebianDog). The mouse mis-behaves only in X-Slacko Slim.

[kuman11]

Is this Slacko gonna run on 2008 BIOS?

[mistfire]

@Step try to run xorgwizard from command line. Then select fbdev as xorg driver then run X. If failed then try to Load xorg conf. Select xorg-uefi-failsafe conf file

@Kuman yes it will run on that BIOS

[mistfire]

New X-Slacko Slim iteration released

* Fixes on initrd
* Some fix on quicksetup
* Pburn: Improved interface


Download: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1kk3gx ... O4rI94Z96D
MD5 checksum: 577dd5bf405d9d089d9e572e86750d40

[Sage]

Still going well is r9. Xorg took a while to start up, but got there. Would improve if dhcp was on auto-start - that's probably what most folks have.
Sticking with compact 32bit is a smart move. These days, world+dog has plenty of storage, plenty of mem and loadsa mips - enough to run dozens of the 64bit majors simultaneously in virtuals. Keeping old kit on the road saves landfill and yields a rosier intellectual glow!

[kuman11]

I installed it on a usb stick. it runs fine.

Now:
How do u run Firefox i this Slacko?
I unzipped it in /root. Then the exe file doesn't start it ...