ChoicePup4.1.2

[tlchost]

However, in ChoicePup you do not have to have a /mnt/home to use .sfs files. If you have them downloaded you can open ROX, find the .sfs file, right click on it. Go to OpenWith->load_sfs and click. The .sfs file will be loaded and useable. You can then start them from the menu or desktop icon. Doing it this way means you will have to do it again after a reboot.

Am I correcct in assuming that's how one needs to use SFS files with a Live-CD?

If you have a /mnt/home you can get bootmanager to load them automatically at bootup until you change the bootmanager setting.

Can this be done with the Live-CD ?

If it can...then can a new Live-CD be remastered with all the sfs files in /mnt/home ?

thanks

Thom

Hope that helps, J[/quote]

[puppyiso]

This is wonderful concept. Everytime I apt-get or online package install, I see the remaining space gets smaller.

Now with your Choicepup, No installation waiting. Instant loading. No reboot. No dependency crazy things. AND no change in space left.

Wow! THIS IS GOOD. I love this. However, you got to prepare more sfses. Of course, I could download and install but like I said, it is the old fashioned crumsy way. AND that's not ChoicePup is all about.

Good thinking. Barry should see yours. I am going to put yours to my speedy Puppy page soon. Thanks.

John S.

P.S. I couldn't attach files with Netsurf. I rebooted and attach the pic files with MS.

[jrb]

tlchost,
/mnt/home is just a symlink to wherever you decide to save your puppy settings and changes when you are running from livecd, livedvd or frugal. It could be on a harddrive, flashdrive, external drive or multisession cd or dvd.

You might want to take a look at Puppy on a CD, especially "How to install Puppy" and "Multisession CD/DVD". If you want everything on one disk this would be the way to go. Save to the multisession cd and then download the .sfs packages to /mnt/home.

Bye the way, I have forgotten to mention elsewhere that I have borrowed a trick from Pizzasgood and have a link to /mnt/home in the root directory, /root/hard-drive that only appears once you have saved. You could download the .sfs packages to /root/hard-drive and you would be all set to use the bootmanager loading technique.

Let me know if you use the multisession cd (dvd) technique. I'd like to know how that works out. I know Flash has been using that one with regular puppy for quite awhile.

Good Luck, J

[jrb]

puppyiso,
You're absolutley right, ChoicePup is about not loading up your pup_save. I'm in the process of writing up a HowTo on making .sfs's. I'm about half done. I'm hoping other people will start making up ChoicePup complatible packages that I can add to the collection. It's not hard but there are a number of steps and I want to make this explanation as clear as possible. Hopefully I will have it done by this coming Monday.

I put in Netsurf mostly to access the Help pages but I thought people might like to use it until they had loaded one of the other browsers. Once you load Firefox, Opera or Seamonkey then Netsurf is only for accessing help. I used the stock Netsurf from the puppy4 repository and I notice it should do more things than it does. I couldn't get it to download even though Download is on the menus. Maybe in the next version of ChoicePup?

I'm really glad you're enjoying it. I'm quite pleased with it myself. I see you got OpenOffice loaded. I love being able to call up writer or calc when I need them but not having them bogging things down all the time.

Bye for now, Keep me posted on how its going, J

[jrb]

I have posted a HowTo on how to turn .pets into .sfs's. Kind of long but I hope it is easy to follow. It's at How I make .pets into .sfs's. Give it a try.

Cheers, J

[Peter444]

Hi jrb, excellent work, I downloaded my copy yesterday from the asia link without any problems

The above is an obvious question, I loaded a gcompris.sfs file but could not get it to open with the (load with option load sfs)

Any help would be appreciated

Health Wealth and Happiness for the Future

[jrb]

Peter444,
Looks like gcompris is a work in progress. I got this quote from [REQUEST] Gcompris 8.3.11 Pet or SFS for 4.2 series dated yesterday and posts from today indicate they are still working on it.

I get the svg error in Puppy 4.1.2. I have checked and the files do exist, I think this may be related to one of the dependencies, librsvg. I used the one included in puppy rather than compiling from source.

The sound issue seems to be gstreamer related and checking this page shows that there is a known bug... unfortunately gcompris development doesn't seem very well documented and I am not sure which bug they are referring to.

Sorry for the errors guys, I am currently recompiling a few dependencies and hopefully it will be working soon.

There are some good people working on making it compatible with puppy4.1.2. I'm sure they will have something soon. Right now it opens for me with load_sfs but gives that "computer.svg" error that they discuss in the above thread. I'm sure once they succeed it will run well in ChoicePup.

[jrb]

ch-FirePup-0.04.3.sfs
ch-K-Office-1.6.3.sfs
bashguide_reckrhodes.sfs
have been added to the PuppyAsia repository.

Enjoy, J

[jrb]

Puppy user reckrhodes has provided the first patch for ChoicePup. His ldconfig.pet takes care of the refusal to unload problem that big .sfs packages have had. With this OpenOffice will both load and unload.

I highly recommend installing this.

Thanks, reckrhodes

[jrb]

Puppy user earlytv has requested a retro version of ChoicePup for his early computers. It is now posted in the PuppyAsia repository.
choicepup-4.1.2retro-k2.6.21.7.iso

If you do a frugal install of this one it seems to be critical to add max_loop=28 to your kernel line in menu.1st. i.e.

Code: Select all

kernel /puppy412R/vmlinuz max_loop=28 pmedia=atahd psubdir=puppy412R nosmp acpi=force

Without this you don't get the ability to add extra .sfs packages. It stops at 5 instead of 25. Funny, it hasn't been necessary to do that with the standard package, only the retro. Don't suppose it would hurt with the standard either.

Good Luck earlytv. Hope this works well on those vintage machines, J

[jrb]

ch-samba-3.0.26.sfs has been reloaded. It now shares in XP without needing password.

Unfortunatly, you will have to go to /etc/opt/samba/smb.conf and change it to:

Code: Select all

# Global parameters
[global]
       workgroup = Workgroup
       netbios name = PuppyServer
       server string = Samba Server %v
       map to guest = Bad User
       log file = /var/log/samba/log.%m
       max log size = 50
       socket options = TCP_NODELAY SO_RCVBUF=8192 SO_SNDBUF=8192
       preferred master = No
       local master = No
       dns proxy = No
       security = share

# Share
   [usr=root passwd=woofwoof]
   path = / 
   guest ok = Yes 
   writeable = Yes 
   force user = root

Do this while samba is not running (stopped).

Sorry for the inconvenience. I'll change it in the next version of ChoicePup

Cheers, J

[jrb]

I am just uploading choicepup/choicepup-4.1.2-k2.6.25.16-v2.iso

This has some small improvements:

Netsurf is updated and works better. It will download some files from some sites, most notably the puppylinux.ca and puppylinux.asia repositories. It is also available on the right-click menu to open .htm, .html. .jpg, etc. files.

You won't have to use the samba fix mentioned above.

.opera has been directed to save on /mnt/home so it won't take up room in your pup_save.

It has reckrhodes ldconfig patch.

It also has a desktop icon to access links you may care to make. "my_links"

Still compatible with all the ch-.sfs packages.

Enjoy, J

[jrb]

Today I have become aware of a problem with loading any of the mozilla family of browsers "on the fly" with load_sfs. When loaded this way they do not overwrite /root/.mozilla and so are stuck with all the settings as they exist. My apologies for not noticing this sooner but I am not a regular mozilla user, I like opera.

I noticed this with ecomoneys firefox-2.0.0.20-ecofox-420.sfs. When I loaded it I had a "plain jane" firefox. Where was all the beautiful work he had done on it? As it turns out all the other mozilla browsers have this problem too.

To overcome this I have removed /root/.mozilla. Each .sfs package will load its own. However, this would simply result in the first one loaded leaving its version in the pup_save. So what I have done is created a custom /root/.mozilla for each one, .mozilla-eco, .mozilla-sea, etc. and then symlinked to them with a .mozilla symlink. As long as you don't have two of them loaded at the same time there should be no conflict.

Accordingly I am currently reuploading ch-firefox-3.0.3.sfs, ch-seamonkey-1.1.14-no_mailnews_.sfs, ch-FirePup-0.04.3.sfs, and a new one ch-firefox-2.0.0.20-ecofox.sfs. These should all work equally well in puppy412 and 420.

Enjoy, J

[jrb]

OK, I have to confess,
I made two errors in ChoicePup-v2. I thought firefox and googleearth would be able to follow hyperlinks and set up their /.mozilla and /.googleearth directories on /mnt/home. Opera can do it, why not them?

Anyway I have corrected that error and reuploaded choicepup-4.1.2-k2.6.25.16-v2.iso. The problem is now fixed and tested. If you have downloaded in the last 48 hours please get this fixed version.

I thought I might get away with nobody noticing but such is not the case. See here to view my crime being caught.

Guiltily yours, J

[ecomoney]

JRB-what a remarkable and elegant concept! SFS Loading on the fly? WOW!!!!

How have you managed to get .sfs's to automount? Could this feature be added to mainstream puppy? Its certainly something Barry/the team should take a look at.

Im flattered your including my second ever package (ecofox), but just a note it still has a few "imperfect" settings in the .mozilla config directory...firstly that its default download location is /usr/share/backgrounds (I had it set when I was fattening up my wallpaper collection), and it is also still set for updates, which results in an annoying nag to upgrade to 3 series. I will be fixing this soon and will let you know when I have.

You have also opted for an excellent choice of applications/sfs's to go with your puplet, my I suggest one more? The Evil empires own AMSN messenger (how else are linux newbs going to tell their friends about puppy?). Ive tested the .sfs from here a little and found it quite stable, although Im having problems with the webcam feature.

http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=38622

Bye the way, I have forgotten to mention elsewhere that I have borrowed a trick from Pizzasgood and have a link to /mnt/home in the root directory, /root/hard-drive that only appears once you have saved. You could download the .sfs packages to /root/hard-drive and you would be all set to use the bootmanager loading technique.

Im going to claim the opensource "intellectual property" for that feature lol I knew it would have a myriad of uses. Thanks to PG for implementing it, and WhoDo for including it in 4.2.

One other possible improvement, you based this on the super stable 4.1.2 (wise), did you say this has pwidgets? Perhaps an hour or two with a makeover (add some "bling!!!") and perhaps even Patriots updated JWM and the cover will be as good as the book.

Keep up the good work!

[jrb]

Thanks ecomoney,
I look upon ChoicePup as a "proof of concept" exercise. I am hoping that some of my modifications may make it to the mainstream.

See here to follow the evolution of "live mounting of sfs files". I have implemented code written by others and perhaps refined it a tiny bit.

Immediately I saw the concept I realized it had great possiblities. Too many times I have suffered the agony of pup_save.2fs crash followed by a major rebuild. For a year I remastered after every .pet install just to avoid this. Now I am running a 128 MB pup_save. Exactly 4 MB of it is used. To create a new pup_save requires setting keyboard, mouse, video and copying the contents of one folder from the harddrive to the "my_links" folder accessed from the desktop. Less than 5 minutes.

As for bling, I'm not much into it but I have been eyeballing ttuuxxx's puppies420 as the base for my next ChoicePup. It has to wait however, Canadian taxes are due the end of this month (oh joy) and I have promised myself (and my wife) that I will have them done before I tackle another project.

Do keep me informed on updates to ecofox, its a beauty. Life is indeed a "work in progress".

Cheers, J

[rheya]

Do keep me informed on updates to ecofox

@jrb : you bet !

[rheya]

@jrb : firefox is simply fantastic !!!! it's so rapid and full of gadgets..I definetely like this choicepup of you...
anyway....i am still examinating all the programs , but I'd wish to ask you if you can only use loaded SFS files on choisepup or you could add in choisepup any of the official puppy packages too?

it's just a curiosity, because the programs you offer as SFS are great ( the more, the better, of course ).

I'll update you soon on all of those programs that are working or not ....that's my only way to be useful to this wonderful forum.....
BTW : my internet connection was automatical in choicepup and it was very easy the printer configuration too....

BTW : I am afraid to verify what's about my poor scanner

a question : when I wish to load a program that needs a complement ( as frostwire AND jre ) which one should I load first ?

hugs to you all, geniuses
rheya

[ecomoney]

firefox is simply fantastic !!!! it's so rapid and full of gadgets..

Thank you rheya....it was "forged in the furnaces of a Scunthorpe", at a community centre cybercafe and in peoples homes and business in the area. Just goes to show that there is no substitute for getting in amongst people to develop software. Hugs to you too for your kind words and encouragement.

Its a package Im definetely going to maintain and keep up to date....someone told me yesterday its even capable of doing the upgrade to firefox 3.05 without too many problems.

The "official" thread for it is here

[jrb]

Hi rheya,
Glad to see you got firefox running. Thanks for calling my attention to the problem.

I'd wish to ask you if you can only use loaded SFS files on choisepup or you could add in choisepup any of the official puppy packages too?

Yes, you can add any of the official or unofficial pets to ChoicePup. None of the functionality of Puppy412 is gone. However, if you add an official browser, word processor, spreadsheet or graphics (paint) program it will probably overwrite the default files linked to the desktop icons. Then your desktop icons will only work with the .pet you have installed.

If you want to install a large .pet (>500kb) my advice is to make it into an sfs or let me know what you want and I'll have a go at it.

I'll update you soon on all of those programs that are working or not

Wonderful. You've already caught two problems. For some reason my Frostwire package quit working. No idea when or why. One of the many develpmental changes in ChoicePup must have done it in.

ch-frostwire-4.17.0-jre.sfs has been rebuilt however. I have loaded it and used it to download a file on two different machines using the latest version of ChoicePup. Please download it again and give it a try.

I am afraid to verify what's about my poor scanner

Scanners are not well supported in linux. I had to boot to windows to use my old microtek scanner. It was almost a relief when it died. I'm now using an hp scanjet 3500c which works beautifully in Puppy.

when I wish to load a program that needs a complement ( as frostwire AND jre ) which one should I load first

As far as I can tell it makes no difference which one you load first. Just as long as they are both loaded.

Thanks again for your help, J