Puppy 4.4 CE - Phase 1: pet tests

[Aitch]

Hi Techno

Good to see you at the controls on this

I'd like to suggest a noobies request be given consideration, if anyone's up for it

Is there a Puppy just for newbies loaded with extra help files, virtual tours of installed software, manual PDFs, video tutorials, etc.?

One of the things which irks me is the poor use of video help files - there've been a few on youtube & Lobster did a few....but lots more is possible - How about a help.sfs??

Any offers?

for some reason klu9's Truveo linker isn't working for me...?

http://klu9.50webs.com/puppystuff.html

Aitch

[technosaurus]

Thanks Aitch. I would prefer to have a basic getting started type help page (possibly with extra online links) in the root of the iso. That way it can be accessed from any OS even if it does not support sfs.... but yes its a good idea that I had meant to address. I already plan to make a separate DOC sfs that will contain all of the included programs' documentation (dir2pet makes them, might as well do something with them)

[gyro]

Hi,
Might I humbly suggest that some work be done to improve the way puppy handles desktop icons. Something a bit similar to the way menu items are defined. My suggestion, http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewto ... 427#349427

gyro

[Aitch]

meagain, I forgot to request inclusion of, and maybe expansion to function re: sfs's , to Catdude's graphical grub

http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=27471

Makes for a more welcoming Pup, IMHO

Also some interesting thoughts being explored re: bugfixing/longevity of the Pup, and software maintenance, here

http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewto ... &start=135

As I said recently to Colonel Schell, I hope my mind meanderings don't deter you from your task...?

Aitch

[shinobar]

Hi all,
I propose 4 app.s from 4.30 Japanese edition. They must be usefull for the next puppy.

• pupsaveconfig 1.2 : GUI of personal storage file setting at the first time shutdown.
• Grub4Dos 0.4.4.v1.1 : A bootloader supports ntfs, with GUI configurator.
• Winfonts 3.3 : If Windows is installed, divert the Windows fonts and the virtual memory.
• acpid-1.0.8-5 : Shutdown with power supply button. Suspend by closing the lid such as notebooks PC.

All available from this link.

Remarkablly, Grub4Dos in the Japanese edition enables easy to install Puppy. Follow next procedure. You need not the Puppy Universal Installer.

1. Boot from the live CD, or with any other measure.
2. Create a folder at the top layer of any partition (can be ntfs, vfat or ext2/ext3 file systems), '/mnt/sda1/pup430' for example.
3. Coppy all files in the live CD. (If you copy them on Windows OS, the file names may all turn to upper case. You need correct the case of file names in this occasion.)
4. Menu > System > Grub4Dos boot loader. Answer 'OK' for any question.
5. Remove CD and bootup Puppy from HDD. If failed, bootup from live CD and check the procedure up.

[moogsydodong]

hi techno...

the idea of splitting puppy into different sfs i.e. soffice.sfs, wm.sfs and so on is a dream come true...I'm excited on the outcome of this 4.4CE

another suggestion would be to separate the Xorg package(Xorg.sfs)
maybe we can have 2 option for Xorg

1. Xorg_full.sfs(like in the PPM Xorg_full_dri.pet)
2. Xorg_basic.sfs(like the usual Xorg default in puppy)
3. Xorg_mega.sfs(maybe a full Xorg with openGL DRI and maybe Nvidia/Ati drivers already included...

I dont think this is a practical request...I guess I'm dreaming again)
please wake me up...

awaw...

[gyro]

That brings us back to how the file system is layered backwards, the pupXXX.sfs should be able to be covered by other files on a loaded sfs. This behavior makes it difficult to make useful addons.

I think I've produced a patched "init" for "initrd.gz" that loads pup-430.sfs last in the unionfs/aufs. This is only for the sfs's loaded at boot time, but it's a start.

I have attached a new "init" file, it is the release "init" from initrd.gz in pup-430.iso, with just my changes. My edits are marked with "#gyro" before and after them.

It seems to work in a test frugal install on my machine.

gyro

Edit: I'll have a look at extending the edits so that the zpXXXXXX.sfs also gets mounted under the used defined sfs's.

[technosaurus]

@ gyro - this is a tricky one since you have to consider how many loops there are - did you use the maxloops patch as well?

[Aitch]

There's also work done on SFS mounts by the Japanese Puppy team

http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic. ... 559#349559

What changes were required to allow sfs stored in /mnt/home/puppy to be recognised?

tnx ICPUG for your interest

we modified both 'init' script in initrd.gz and /usr/sbin/bootmanager.

From this link, you can find the modified init init-430utf8 and the initrd.gz includs it, and the diff pet named I18nPuppy430_diff-0.3.pet.

you can experience it if you replace initrd.gz and apply the pet against puppy 4.30.

Aitch

[gyro]

@ gyro - this is a tricky one since you have to consider how many loops there are - did you use the maxloops patch as well?

No patches added to release 4.3, just my edits.
My edits should be independent of the number of loops. It just moves the system stuff to after the loop setup sfs's. Here's the original mount command for unionfs:

Code: Select all

 mount -t unionfs -o dirs=${UMNTMAIN}${ZLAYER}${UMNTRO} unionfs /pup_new

here's mine

Code: Select all

 mount -t unionfs -o dirs=${UMNTMAIN}${UMNTRO}${UMNTSYS}${ZLAYER} unionfs /pup_new

The preceding code generates the definitions for the various layers in the series of variables. The user specified sfs's are all in UMNTRO no matter how many loops. I've moved the definition for pup_ro2 (loop0), out of UMNTMAIN into a new variable UMNTSYS, and then rearranged the order of the variables.

Since zpXXXXXX.sfs is defined in ZLAYER, my latest version of "init" puts it under the user specified sfs's, also.

I have attached my latest version of "init"

gyro

[Aitch]

If it hasn't been mentioned
Please also include pizzasgood's multi-user function

http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=47409

Aitch

[technosaurus]

I would really like to include multiuser but that may be better left for 4.5X since a lot of his fixes need to be translated into the woof build tree (from unleashed), and lots of software repackaged, but maybe it is easier than I suspect. I will make a separate multiuser branch for testing though.

[shinobar]

There's also work done on SFS mounts by the Japanese Puppy team
http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic. ... 559#349559

tnx Aitch.
well... the init script on the japanese edition is quite a few modified from the original.

1. as for the main sfs filename, it allows trail characters after the version number, such as 'pup-430JP.sfs'.
2. additional sfs files can be read from subsidiry directories, say /mnt/home/puppy/*.sfs (coop with modified /usr/sbin/bootmanager).
3. do not coppy the main sfs files to HDD. that is performed by /etc/rc.shutdown(also modified for japanese edition).
4. in case you have pupsave and no main sfs on HDD, you boot up from live CD, the original init script does not coppy whole main sfs on the ram no matter the size of ram. therefore, you cannot unmount your live CD. japanese edition coppies the whole sfs if ram size >= 256MB.
5. original init script fails to find the main sfs on HDD in case there are multiple main sfs on HDD and you boot up from the live CD. japanese edition, fixed.
6. original init script does not always pick up main sfs from the same directory of pupsave. japanese edition, better but not perfect.

[shinobar]

for the next init script i like to ignore case in finding main sfs.
means it allows both 'pup-xxx.sfs' or 'PUP-XXX.SFS'.
it is safe if a Windows user try to install puppy with Windows OS.

how do you think?

[Aitch]

Cool - maybe those who are working on changes to init/sfs mounts can get together, or at least let Techno know who you are/what mods you have done.....as it seems we are getting many different mixes, where they could usefully be combined, and take good advantage of googlecode/bugtracker maybe?

Yes/no?

Aitch

[rexterd]

Is 4.4 using aufs as its default filesystem? Please include mounting sfs file on the fly. Just some few lines needed to be added to init script. Thank you.

[technosaurus]

jrb has sent me a pet that allows dynamic loading in 4.3+ (there is already a puplet available)

[Lobster]

Those who have offered to help with 4.4
I suggest they download and test 4.3.1 release candidate
http://www.puppylinux.com/blog/?viewDetailed=01161
4.3.1 will be the base for 4.4
Let us get it as good a base as possible

You could also become familiar with the google bug reporting system technosaurus has set up.

I was exploring the bug reporter this morning, trying out the wiki - could not edit the wiki but was able to add a link to our existing wiki page
from the front page

[gyro]

Now that my pup-430 frugal install mounts the aufs stack with pup-430.sfs and zp430305.sfs at the bottom, I've discovered something a bit odd. There seems to be some firefox 2.0.0.7 stuff in devx_430 /opt/mozilla.org/.

This may have caused problems with my real firefox, which is included in my-apps-sfs4.sfs. When I mount devx_430.sfs above my-apps-sfs4.sfs, firefox does strange things. But if I mount my-apps-sf4.sfs above devx_430.sfs, firefox is ok. (My fixed init also mounts them in the order that I specify them in BootManager, rather than alphabetical as it did before.)

So we might have to be careful that no existing sfs files contain rubbish that used to be hidden by pup-430.sfs.

Does devx_430.sfs contain any unnecessary left over's?

gyro

[shinobar]

Graphical menu on boot up is easy thanks to Grub4Dos.
atatched the screen shot of Puppy 4.30 Japanese edition.
the menu has followed options:

• nomal boot
• boot with most safe options
• boot with pfix=ram option
• pfix=fsck
• and boot up menus of Windows if they are installed