EasyOS version 2.3.2, June 22, 2020

[rufwoof]

As Easy is embracing SFS files and the layered filesystem technique, similar to Puppy, it is a good idea to think of some kind of GUI for choosing, downloading and "installing" SFS files. There could be a repository of them.

I have a vague memory that someone developed something like this for Puppy, an SFS-chooser GUI, but I can't find it. Does anyone recall anything like that?

RSH's/LazyPuppy's Topless, Lazy, Lassie ???

Seem to recall the menu being dynamic and offering all possible sfs's available from its sfs repository via the normal puppy menu, and either loading the sfs if the latest version was already available locally (previously downloaded), or otherwise downloaded and installed from its repository. Which is part used sfs-plus ???

Basically loads of menu options, but initially most sfs's not being stored locally. If you clicked say Menu, Accessories, Geany it would check to see if geany.sfs was local and if so load it and run geany if geany.sfs were the latest version, otherwise it would download the latest geany.sfs, load it and run geany. A lot more complicated/clever than that, even had variable desktops/menus and I guess multiple programs within single sfs's rather than a single sfs for each and every program.

[rufwoof]

I'm not 100% confident about sfs layering myself. I suspect there are still some bugs that can result in problems. Never been able to pin it down but along the lines of more complex combinations of files/sym-links and repeated loading/unloading (processing/handling of the .wh files in some rare/special cases).

Personally I tend to stick with just a single layer, empty main sfs, everything stored in the save area (which for me is a ext partition at the / (root) level, so I can also boot as though a full install (handy for running updates such as kernel upgrades)). If you're content to run a read-only session then that can all be copied into the main sfs and just that alone booted (which is the way I run more often, but with /home set to be on another partition so that all user level configuration/diary/browser bookmarks ...etc are preserved across reboots). In effect the Debian repository is used as the main core, so other programs can be pulled into a read-only session from that main repository as and when needed for that single session only (or added to the local core so that the programs are locally available at each reboot).

For modular multi-sfs-layering sooner or later that could see problems IMO. Its also a headache having to maintain version control/updates of such sfs repositories (order of stacking/layering issues if the same lib/file has a older version present in a sfs that is layered higher up that causes a program that is layered deeper down the stacking that uses that lib/file to fail due to running with a older copy of the lib/file).

[don570]

backi has the info right about the developers of SFS add-ons

http://puppylinux.org/wikka/sfsload

http://puppylinux.org/wikka/SFSPlus

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[BarryK]

Hi Barry !

As Easy is embracing SFS files and the layered filesystem technique, similar to Puppy, it is a good idea to think of some kind of GUI for choosing, downloading and "installing" SFS files. There could be a repository of them.

I have a vague memory that someone developed something like this for Puppy, an SFS-chooser GUI, but I can't find it. Does anyone recall anything like that?

Maybe have a look here down at the Bottom of the Page :

http://puppylinux.org/wikka/SquashFS

Regards !

ha ha, yes, I see there is 'sfsget'. That is already in Quirky and Easy, at /usr/sbin/sfsget -- furthermore, I wrote it!

Wrote it in 2011. Very old, needs some fixing.

[BarryK]

Easy version 0.3 alpha is uploaded, see blog announcement:

http://barryk.org/news/?viewDetailed=00557

Testers welcome!

[Billtoo]

I installed to a 128GB SSD.

I installed the devx and rebooted, then compiled Gkrellm + a plugin.

When I try to run hardinfo I get an error, tried changing permissions
but still getting the error.

# report-video
VIDEO REPORT: Easy Pyro64, version 0.3

Chip description:
VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation 4 Series Chipset Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 03)

Requested by /etc/X11/xorg.conf:
Resolution (widthxheight, in pixels): 1920x1080
Depth (bits, or planes): 24
Modules requested to be loaded: dbe

Probing Xorg startup log file (/var/log/Xorg.0.log):
Driver loaded (and currently in use): intel
Loaded modules: dbe dri2 evdev extmod fbdevhw glx present

Actual rendering on monitor:
Resolution: 1920x1080 pixels (508x285 millimeters)
Depth: 24 planes

...the above also recorded in /tmp/report-video
#

That's it so far.

Thanks.

EDIT: When I did the first install I removed the SSD without entering the sync command, realized my mistake, put it back in and ran the command.
I just did another install to a 16GB SDHC card,ran the sync command properly and hardinfo runs okay.

[BarryK]

EDIT: When I did the first install I removed the SSD without entering the sync command, realized my mistake, put it back in and ran the command.
I just did another install to a 16GB SDHC card,ran the sync command properly and hardinfo runs okay.

Yeah, unplugging before running the sync could result in corrupting the drive.

I have tested hardinfo and it worked. That was on a pristine Easy. haven't tried it after loading the devx sfs.

Change of subject: have started a target i586 compile in OpenEmbedded. it is just on midnight here, so I will let it run while I sleep.
I configured the kernel for i586 but with symmetric multiprocessing enabled. There are a lot of 32-bit x86 CPUs with two or more cores. But, I do recall that there were some uniprocessor systems that did not like the SMP-enabled Linux kernel.
Chose 4GB max RAM.

[Billtoo]

I have tested hardinfo and it worked. That was on a pristine Easy. haven't tried it after loading the devx sfs.

Loading the devx in my SDHC card install caused hardinfo to not work, I
compiled Gkrellm + plugin then unloaded the devx, rebooted, and
hardinfo works again.

Computer
Processor 2x Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU E8400 @ 3.00GHz
Memory 3921MB (106MB used)
Machine Type Physical machine
Operating System Easy Pyro64
User Name root (root)
Date/Time Mon May 29 12:49:44 2017
Display
Resolution 1920x1080 pixels
Vendor The X.Org Foundation
Version 1.19.1

[don570]

There is a very fast download site available for version 0.3

https://ftp.nluug.nl/os/Linux/distr/qui ... /easy-0.3/

The devx appears to have downloaded correctly as well . Very good.

There is a good site to find the md5sum online
http://onlinemd5.com/

The md5sums checked out fine.

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[Terry H]

Installed to a Patriot 8GB Flash drive. The firmware for my intel wifi card were not included in firmware.

I downloaded the latest iwlwifi-7265d-27.ucode from kernel.org. This wasn't found as the latest version that was searched for was 26. So I downloaded the previous version, which was loaded. Wifi working now.

All working very nicely so far on Dell laptop with Intel i3-5005 with 8GB RAM.

[Terry H]

I spoke too soon in my previous post. I have no sound. The tray icon is displaying that volume is on maximum. In fact the text shows that volume is 65295%.

I've looked at alsamixer and retrovol configuration. I don't know what needs doing to get sound working.

[BarryK]

I have tested hardinfo and it worked. That was on a pristine Easy. haven't tried it after loading the devx sfs.

Loading the devx in my SDHC card install caused hardinfo to not work, I
compiled Gkrellm + plugin then unloaded the devx, rebooted, and
hardinfo works again.

Computer
Processor 2x Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU E8400 @ 3.00GHz
Memory 3921MB (106MB used)
Machine Type Physical machine
Operating System Easy Pyro64
User Name root (root)
Date/Time Mon May 29 12:49:44 2017
Display
Resolution 1920x1080 pixels
Vendor The X.Org Foundation
Version 1.19.1

Yes, a bug! This one of the side-effects from using a layered filesystem. q.sfs is on the bottom, and it has /usr/lib64 a symlink to /usr/lib.
However, devx-0.3-pyro64.sfs has /usr/lib64 as a folder, not a symlink. As devx sfs is at a higher layer, it overrides q.sfs.

Hardinfo looks for /usr/lib64/hardinfo, but it isn't there!

So, I need to fix the devx sfs. However, you can apply a fix:

Move the files from /usr/lib64 into /usr/lib
Delete /usr/lib64
Create a symlink:
# ln -s lib /usr/lib64

Then for good luck run this:
# ldconfig

....that last operation updates the library search cache. This is a good thing to do after sfs layers have changed.
I plan to put that in, so it will happen automatically.

[FeodorF]

The 'please wait ...' message is kind of sticky while you change your keyboard layout at first boot. It will sit there till the 'Welcome' window pops up.

Is it needed at all right there?

[FeodorF]

Running version 0.3 of a 16GB usb2 stick.

[rufwoof]

dd'd to a clean usb

During boot it mentioned creating ext4 sdb2 partition
... fdisk failed to write disk label ... invalid argument

Booted to console ... showing if you see this run xorg wizard
... running xorg wizard results in it saying Sorry text mode xorg wizard not available in this build of Puppy.

Paraphrased the above from memory, and my memory ain't too good

Blindly tried another reboot adding

boot > easy modeset=0 nomodeset nouveau.modeset=0

and got to see the mouse cursor, then bottom green panel ... before crashed out of X

[Philh]

Tried on AMD Radeon laptop
It got the correct resolution.
Videos playing in xine were very jerky. I tried different ouputs from xine but but that didnt make any difference.
libva and libvdpau errors. Dont know if they are relevant. See attachment.

Tried a different AMD Radeon laptop and x wouldnt start.
Xorgwizard said text mode disabled in this build.
Tried easy radeon.modeset=0 but still wouldnt start.

On an intel netbook resolution was correct and videos played ok.

[FeodorF]

wifi didn't work for me. It was missing the firmware driver rtl8712u.bin.

To solve the problem I went to the hidden folder:

/mnt/sdb2/.session/ (Wkg partition of the stick)

and created the following folders:

lib/firmware/rtlwifi/rtl8712u.bin

to make wifi work.

[linuxcbon]

Easy Linux 0.3
- very long time to start at 1st time.
- xine is better and smaller than vlc or kodi. Please keep xine only, it's my favorite.
- at first boot

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 /etc/X11/xkb/symbols : No such file or directory

- xorgwizard doesnt work in console mode , too bad

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Sorry, the text-mode Xorg Wizard is disabled for this build of Puppy.

Not alpha quality : X crashes (my video card is Radeon HD)

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(EE) Backtrace :
Bus error at address 0x7f02e4c4a000

dmesg gives :

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radeon 000:01:05.0 : GPU lockup ...
radeon 000:01:05.0 : ring 0 stalled ...

xwin gives in dmesg :

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traps jwm[2963] trap invalid opcode in libpixman-1.so.0.34.0

[don570]

I've tried unsuccessfully to get to the desktop.

I have noticed the Xerus64 (which works well) uses X Server 1.18.3

Easy 0.3 uses X Server 1.19.1 Release date 2017-01-11

Arch Linux uses
xorg-server-1.19.3-2

Fedora 25
xorg-x11-server-Xorg-1.19.3-1.fc25.x86_64.rpm

Warning : these won't run on Easy linux because of dependencies

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[L18L]

... I went to the hidden folder:

/mnt/sdb2/.session/ (Wkg partition of the stick)

and ...

Thank you for sharing this knowledge.

As always, booting without drm_kms_helper ... no console and no desktop.

With boot parameter

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 drm_kms_helper.edid_firmware=edid/1920x1080.bin

got a desktop.

renamed gpudriver.conf

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mv /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/poulsbro.conf[b]HIDE[/b] /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/poulsbo.conf

after reboot got:
Direct Rendering Yes.

Name of that file does not matter (poulsb(r)o or 20-gpudriver.conf)
Important is only *.conf.