EasyOS version 2.3.2, June 22, 2020

[rufwoof]

Finding that running large LibreOffice spreadsheet or word documents across Xephyr is very laggy. i.e. DISPLAY=:1 swriter from the main session, so I can cut/paste from firefox running inside the (:1) container, has swriter as good as useless (very slow to scroll etc.).

Seems to be Xephyr alone causing that lag.

I haven't tried EasyOS as yet but often used Xnest and Xephyr in the past and been doing a lot with overlayfs in VoidLinux of late to provide persistence and allow use of sfs files using chroot into separate overlays of main system. If you are running apps in some kind of chroot setup, an alternative to using Xnest or Xephyr is simply to do things the other way round to what I gather you've been doing i.e. start the app up in the chroot but make DISPLAY point back to the main session DISPLAY as outlined here:

https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Project:X8 ... the_chroot

In terms of security, I suggest using sshd server running in your container and then ssh -X (tunnel) into that from client on main desktop session (if that is possible?) - that should set DISPLAY automatically whilst providing secure X communications. Then I guess cut and paste and so on would work fine.

Whilst I don't know how EasyOS implements containers, I came across the following for Docker (EDIT: though I haven't myself ever used Docker so don't know the ins and outs of it):

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/478 ... containers
https://docs.docker.com/engine/examples ... h_service/

https://unix.stackexchange.com/question ... s-remotely

Alternatively, and even safer, use VNC over ssh.

http://nnc3.com/mags/Networking2/ssh/ch09_03.htm
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/VNC

wiak

Thanks for the suggestions (only just seen your post).

The first method is indeed insecure. Running a rover (similar to spot) window on the main desktop (DISPLAY :0) from within the container ... opens up rover elevating to root outside of the container (main root) easily (just to be sure, I verified that as per the attached image). ssh tunneling or vnc over ssh would be more secure.

Fully opening up the main desktops /dev - for instance amongst other things opens up the frambuffer - and the framebuffer could be repeatedly cat (piped through compress and ssh to a crackers ssh server) i.e. 'console' seen/watched. Generally if root is cracked via other simpler means that's not a great issue (too much bandwidth/effort for a cracker to really be bothered with, as that's typically around 1K/frame/snapshot). More generally they'd be looking for private keys/passwords - easy access into other systems/boxes/devices (router etc), such as ~/.ssh private keys (that even if password protected, once copied to the crackers system are generally relatively easily/quickly cracked).

As its just Libre writer, for just some files, that can run slow in a Easy Container, I'm not too bothered myself as I can use googledocs for not fully trusted, or the main systems Libre writer when trusted. Everything else seems to run fine, so it may all just be a Easy 1.0 (that I'm running, haven't tracked the later releases) or the specific compiled Libre version contained within that. May have been indirectly (or directly) fixed in later versions or the upcoming Easy 2.0 series.

[rufwoof]

1.0.14 frugal installed to Acer laptop (usb booted has the usb's light flashing more often that I would like).

Touchpad et al all working fine (had problems with the touchpad when using dpup on the same laptop). Dpup's lid close sleep mode however worked fine, whilst in EasyOS it doesn't. So I just created my own

Code: Select all

#!/bin/sh

# Rufwoof April 2019
# Laptop lid closed, then put into standby
# Add this script to your Startup folder

R=0
while :; do
   if [ "`cat /proc/acpi/button/lid/LID/state | grep open`" = "" ]; then
      if [ $R -ne 1 ]; then
         R=1
         echo -n mem >/sys/power/state	# put laptop to sleep
         # more ideally we should do other tidying up things before this, but for now !!!
      fi
   else
      R=0
   fi
   sleep 5
done

... which works for me. Goes into sleep when the lid is closed. When re-opened press Enter to bring it back to life.

[BarryK]

1.0.14 frugal installed to Acer laptop (usb booted has the usb's light flashing more often that I would like).

Touchpad et al all working fine (had problems with the touchpad when using dpup on the same laptop). Dpup's lid close sleep mode however worked fine, whilst in EasyOS it doesn't. So I just created my own

Code: Select all

#!/bin/sh

# Rufwoof April 2019
# Laptop lid closed, then put into standby
# Add this script to your Startup folder

R=0
while :; do
   if [ "`cat /proc/acpi/button/lid/LID/state | grep open`" = "" ]; then
      if [ $R -ne 1 ]; then
         R=1
         echo -n mem >/sys/power/state	# put laptop to sleep
         # more ideally we should do other tidying up things before this, but for now !!!
      fi
   else
      R=0
   fi
   sleep 5
done

... which works for me. Goes into sleep when the lid is closed. When re-opened press Enter to bring it back to life.

That is a topic that I have not looked at!

I think that the ACPI daemon can handle that. The script to start it is /etc/init.d/acpid, however, in EasyOS, the execute flags on that script are not set, so it doesn't run.

But, if it was set as executable, I don't know much about what it will do. There would be some way of telling it to respond to a lid closure.

Ah, here we are, how to handle the lid:

http://www.linuxfromscratch.org/blfs/vi ... acpid.html

Excuse me for not being active on this forum or EasyOS lately. If you watch my blog, you will see that my interest is on other things! Hope to get back onto Easy sometime.

Note, I was disappointed by the Thud upgrade for Easy, so have backed off, and now thinking that will use Slackware 15.0 binary packages for the next major release of Easy -- if/when Patrick releases 15.0!

[Terry H]

I created a folder on /sdb2 to try to run a frugal install puppy on the same USB flash I am using for Easy 1.0.14. I haven't used syslinux before, but in checking online I thought I had a correct entry. When I attempt to boot I don't see any messages only the screen blinks, with no indication that any thing is happening when I select the scpup64 entry and press Enter. Initial entry below, have also tried without 'rw'

Code: Select all

label SCpup64
menu label SCpup64 startup
kernel SCpup64/vmlinuz
append vga=792 root=/dev/sdb2 initrd=SCpup64/initrd.gz rw

Then I thought it may be the encryption that is created on the work parition sdb2 in easyOS. I shrank sdb2 and created an new partition sdb3 with ext4 file system. I added the following sttanzas to syslinux.cfg. Any attempts to boot with any of the entries has no effect, same as above. Any assistance to get a correct syslinux.cfg would be greatly appreciated.

Code: Select all

label Scpup64
menu label SCpup64 startup
kernel SCpup64/vmlinuz
append vga=792 root=UUID=ede7abbd-01fb-45ba-819d-fc8fd463dca3 initrd=SCpup64/initrd.gz rw

label Scpup64
menu label SCpup64 startup
kernel SCpup64/vmlinuz
append vga=792 root=/dev/sdb3 initrd=SCpup64/initrd.gz rw

As a work around I have installed legacy grub to sdb3 and am booting the puppies I have on the new partition and hard drive via legacy boot. Thisis a pain and would prefer to not have to intervene in the boot process by pressing F12 (Dell Laptop).

[rufwoof]

Just messing around with this laptop, created this Startup script to adjust the processor scaling to performance if mains connected, or on-demand if the laptop is running on battery

Code: Select all

#!/bin/sh

# ondemand or performance
# according to whether mains on-line or off-line

# initial assumption of mains and set to performance
C="mains"
for F in `ls /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu[0-9]/cpufreq/scaling_governor`; do 
	echo performance > $F
done

while :; do
	if [ ! -z "`cat /proc/acpi/ac_adapter/ACAD/state | grep on-line`" ]; then
		if [ "$C" = "battery" ]; then
			C="mains"
			# scale to performance
			for F in `ls /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu[0-9]/cpufreq/scaling_governor`; do 
				echo performance > $F
			done
		fi
	else
		if [ "$C" = "mains" ]; then
			C="battery"
			# scale to ondemand
			for F in `ls /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu[0-9]/cpufreq/scaling_governor`; do
				echo ondemand > $F
			done
		fi
	fi
	sleep 5
done

[FeodorF]

Palemoon-28.5.0 is out.

You can download the palemoon-28.5.0.linux-x86_64.tar.bz2 there:

http://linux.palemoon.org/datastore/rel ... 64.tar.bz2

[FeodorF]

How to use your Samsung printer as 'local printer' connected via a USB cable.

To make your Samsung ML-2160/ML-2165 printer work with EasyOS version 0.9.14 - 1.0.14 you'll have to copy 4 files to your system.

They are part of the Samsung universal Linux driver 'uld_V1.00.39_01.17.tar.gz' file.

Samsung_ML-2160_Series.ppd (34 K r-x,r-x,r-x, root/root) has to be copied to /usr/share/ppd
libscmssc.so (2775 K rwx,r-x,r-x, root/root) has to be copied to /usr/lib
pstosecps (58 K rwx,r-x,r-x, root/root) has to be copied to /usr/lib/cups/filter
rastertospl (91 K rwx,r-x,r-x, root/root) has to be copied to /usr/lib/cups/filter

Finally you have to start CUPS via Menu->Setup->CUPS Printer Wizard and set up your ML-2160 printer.

[Lobster]

Hi Barry

Tried to install EasyOS for raspberry pi on pi 3 B+. This years version of EasyOS 1.02 I think it was. Did not work. I used the DD command and also your utility which ran OK from Bionicpup64. I looked on the micro SD card and the files seem to be there ...

I did have more details but I am elsewhere from my BionicPup for a week.

Basically what happens is it boots up to the raspberry pi rainbow cube and a lighting icon appears in the top right but it goes no further. Same on two different HDMI monitors. In other words not booting from the new high performance sd card.

Not sure what to try? I have the raspberry pi and two brand new 32gig microSD cards ...

lobster

Further info from my post on your blog:
yep it was Januaries 1.0.2 specifically for the Pi.

Also the utility which seemed to work just like the DD command is of course easydd

Seems you are working on other things. Maybe someone else has solved this ...?

[FeodorF]

Set up 'CUPS-PDF' as your CUPS printing tool in EasyOS 1.0.14 (How-To).

You will need to copy the listed files to your EasyOS to make 'CUPS-PDF' work:

a) pdf-writer (8120 B rwx,---,---, root/root) goes into /usr/lib/cups/backend
b) .pdfwriter.conf (117 B rw-,rw-,rw-, root/root) goes into /root (it holds 7 entries for the 'pdf-writer')
c) /export (rwx,---,---, root/root) folder needs to be created in '/'
d) /export/pdfs (rwx,---,---, root/root) folder needs to be created in '/export' (CUPS 'Test Page.pdf's will go here)
e) some Ghostscript Executables are needed in /usr/bin (eleven in all plus one link)

1) ps2ascii (740 B rwx,r-x,r-x, root/root)
2) ps2epsi (2794 B rwx,r-x,r-x, root/root)
3) ps2pdf (272 B rwx,r-x,r-x, root/root)
4) ps2pdf12 (212 B rwx,r-x,r-x, root/root)
5) ps2pdf13 (215 B rwx,r-x,r-x, root/root)
6) ps2pdf14 (215 B rwx,r-x,r-x, root/root)
7) ps2pdfwr (1097 B rwx,r-x,r-x, root/root)
ps2ps (647 B rwx,r-x,r-x, root/root)
9) ps2ps2 (669 B rwx,r-x,r-x, root/root)
10) pdf2ps (909 B rwx,r-x,r-x, root/root)
11) pdf2dsc (698 B rwx,r-x,r-x, root/root)
12) ps2txt (link to ps2ascii)

f) /export/share and /export/share/pdf need to be created too (CUPS will be looking for them)

This is how /root/.pdfwriter.conf should look:

MRUD:/root (All .pdf printouts will be send there)
NOTIFY_ON:YES
NOTIFY_TIME:4000
NOTIFY_MSG:FULL
USE_XWINDOWS:YES
CONVERT_SPACES:NO
SHARED_DIR:/export/pdfs

I grabbed the needed files from Quirky 8.5 to make 'CUPS-PDF' work.

[scsijon]

Hi Barry

Tried to install EasyOS for raspberry pi on pi 3 B+. This years version of EasyOS 1.02 I think it was. Did not work. I used the DD command and also your utility which ran OK from Bionicpup64. I looked on the micro SD card and the files seem to be there ...

I did have more details but I am elsewhere from my BionicPup for a week.

Basically what happens is it boots up to the raspberry pi rainbow cube and a lighting icon appears in the top right but it goes no further. Same on two different HDMI monitors. In other words not booting from the new high performance sd card.

Not sure what to try? I have the raspberry pi and two brand new 32gig microSD cards ...

lobster

Further info from my post on your blog:
yep it was Januaries 1.0.2 specifically for the Pi.

Also the utility which seemed to work just like the DD command is of course easydd

Seems you are working on other things. Maybe someone else has solved this ...?

Didn't Barry say he was going camping for May on his blog, or was it just in an email.

As far as microSD cards, I had some expensive ones that 'were returned', as I couldn't change partition table formats or even have the partitions format 'stick' as anything except fat32. Funny thing was there was no problem with the refund after an email was sent to the (source) company, I did wonder if they were being hard-coded again as some where back in the early years of this century, or just larger memory chipsets being used with internal block swapping and locking out of faulty sets. And some of the better microSD are nowadays actually ufs internally so you need the UFS driver loaded to re-partition them.

[gcav]

Has anyone added f2f2 to easy at setup (initrd)?

gc

[BarryK]

No, haven't gone camping yet. But busy designing various camping-related things.

Currently, building prototype #2 solar water distiller, and plan to publish DIY plans.

The actual camping trip will come later.

I was thinking of getting back into EasyOS development after Slackware 15.0 is released, as plan to use those packages, instead of the ones that I compiled from source using OpenEmbedded/Yocto.

[spotted]

I have new out Odroid N2 and tried to adapt Easy 102 arm to run on it. Naturally enough it did't work, there is too much difference in the OS'es. Firstly I could not resize N2 boot petition with gparted, its locked, could not put easy.sfs into the N2 so I had to try to shoe-horn N2 baddies, there not goodies until I get it to work, into Easy. I know how to rename and insert N2's.dtb file, but the kernel file is too different. The N2 kernel is a image.gz file which extracts to just 'image', 'DOS/Windows executable' file where as Easy is a kernrl8.img, raw disk image file.

initrd in Easy is a GPIO archive, uinitrd in te N2 is a 'program'.
What ever I changed in cmdline and config files did not work. Even tried using boot.ini from the N2, changing the kernel and initrd file names to suit, of coarse it didn't work.
THE QUESTION IS!! WILL IT EVER WORK!!!! yea, bongo drums works but i want to get that sudo jerk and bolt him to a blacks smiths anvil and smash him more than a millennials avocado

[BarryK]

pBurn, the CD/DVD burner app created by zigbert, is broken in Easy 1.0.14, and earlier, at least for me when I tried to use it yesterday.

However, Easy has an old version of pBurn, and there is a fix, install cdrtools and the latest pBurn 4.3.16 PETs, see links here:

http://bkhome.org/news/201906/cdrtools- ... asyos.html

And post in the pBurn thread:

http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewto ... 45#1030045

[gychang]

Using EasyOS Pyro64 1.0.14. Being a photo hobbiest, wondering if either darktable or gthumb are available.

Checked PPM and SFS manager but no luck...

thanks,

[BarryK]

A heads-up about something interesting...

I posted a comment to the ScPup forum thread:

http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic. ... 95#1030095

As the slackware64-current repository is, by definition, always going to be changing, there is no guarantee that packages installed from the slackware-14.2 repo will work -- even if many do now, there is no guarantee in the future.

As ScPup is built with slackware64-current packages (or slackware-current for the 32-bit build), compiling packages in ScPup and creating PETs, same story, they may not work in future builds of ScPup.

I probably put a dampener on the the ScPup project (and on LxPup), however, there is a solution. Slackware lacks dependency management, and I have conceived how it can be added in Woof, both my Woof fork and for woof-CE.

The database entry for each package needs a list of dependencies, and also the version of each dependency must be specified. The Salix distro did this partially for Slackware 14.2, but only listed deps for each package, no versioning of deps.

The first step to the fix is to create a file that has the name of a package on each line, with all the deps. Versions of deps are not yet required.
This file will be named 'DEPENDENCIES' and will be in Woof. I have written a script that generates this file, from the Ubuntu packages database -- it generates the "real" package names, not the split up names as used for DEBs.

Next, will modify the '0setup' script in Woof, so that when it converts the Slackware 'PACKAGES.TXT' file to Puppy-standard-format, it will read 'DEPENDENCIES' and automatically generate deps for each package, complete with required version of each dep.

Changes will also have to be made to the PPM.

Will post to my blog as this progresses.

[peebee]

I probably put a dampener on the the ScPup project (and on LxPup)

Hi Barry

Will be interested in this initiative - would request that you try to make anything you do applicable to Woof-CE if possible.

My experience is that Slackware is reasonably good at being backwards compatible - i.e. Slackware-14.2 apps do run on Slackware-Current**. I haven't seen the reports of problems you alluded to in your post on the ScPup thread....

Thanks
peebee

p.s. ** As an example Alien-Bob actually makes Chromium available for both 14.2 and Current and its the same 14.2 build for both that runs perfectly happily on both.... LibreOffice and Thunderbird are the same.

[foxpup]

The database entry for each package needs a list of dependencies, and also the version of each dependency must be specified. The Salix distro did this partially for Slackware 14.2, but only listed deps for each package, no versioning of deps.

The first step to the fix is to create a file that has the name of a package on each line, with all the deps. Versions of deps are not yet required.
This file will be named 'DEPENDENCIES' and will be in Woof. I have written a script that generates this file, from the Ubuntu packages database -- it generates the "real" package names, not the split up names as used for DEBs.

Noob, but thinking and :
Isn't the ubuntu DEPENDENCIES list the same thing as the deps list from Salix?
And can the (general) dependencies of a (real) package not change from version to version? And (hence) from distro to distro?

[BarryK]

The database entry for each package needs a list of dependencies, and also the version of each dependency must be specified. The Salix distro did this partially for Slackware 14.2, but only listed deps for each package, no versioning of deps.

The first step to the fix is to create a file that has the name of a package on each line, with all the deps. Versions of deps are not yet required.
This file will be named 'DEPENDENCIES' and will be in Woof. I have written a script that generates this file, from the Ubuntu packages database -- it generates the "real" package names, not the split up names as used for DEBs.

Noob, but thinking and :
Isn't the ubuntu DEPENDENCIES list the same thing as the deps list from Salix?
And can the (general) dependencies of a (real) package not change from version to version? And (hence) from distro to distro?

@foxpup,
The deps will probably stay the same for most packages, if going from Slackware 14.2 to 15.0 for example. But not necessarily for all. For example, a media player might introduce support for a new media library. Or, a package might change from one library to another, for example from openssl to libressl.

Regarding Ubuntu versus Slackware pkg deps, the good thing about Debian and Ubuntu is they compile apps with every capability enabled, so there will often be more deps. This means bloated, however such a deps list is good, as it covers every possible dep that a app may possibly require.
Mapping that to a Slackware-based build is easy, just remove a dep if it isn't in the Slackware repo.

@peebee,
Yes, you can usually get by with running 14.2 apps in a slackware-current build, there may be just a few library packages that are incompatible, except for examples I mentioned above. And you can provide PETs of the old libraries -- though, that only works if the app is linked against a different library name -- if the new library is say abc.1.2.so and the older library is also abc.1.2.so, then you have to get creative and use LD_PRELOAD to specifically load the old library for the app -- but that is getting very difficult to implement.

It could be that I am over-dramatizing the problem. It could be that Patrick is taking care not to break 14.2 packages running in the upcoming 15.0, in that case, very good.

Anyway, I will keep you posted on my proposed fix, and will make it woof-CE compatible.

[gychang]

Really like EasyOS Pyro64 1.0.14 install on my HD. Is there a way to install darktable for photo editing?