Quirky Pyro64 version 0.6 (alpha) -- and Pyro32 0.5

[BarryK]

2. The nouveau driver lacked hardware acceleration as did Easy Linux 0.5 pre-alpha, released Oct. 02, 2017 and requires
the items detailed in this post: http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic. ... 820#969820

I have just been reading this:

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Ha ... celeration

...can't say that I am any less confused

[gcav]

Hi Barry...

While playing with your oe-quirky...
Seems like Peter released a new Bacon version, and this needs updating...

recipetool create -o bacon_3.6.bb http://www.basic-converter.org/stable/bacon-3.6.tar.gz

This seems to break the whole compile.

I am new to bitbake so I'm learning who this whole thing works..
Just thought to let you know...

Thanks,
gcav

[BarryK]

Hi Barry,
Thanks for this latest release. I am testing it, and will probably migrate to if from slaq64...

I miss Quirky's F2FS boot and the speediness of it. This is by far
the fastest distro I have tested. TBH ext4 does not work nicely on a flash drive. Will F2FS be avaliable on -esp- syslinux boot?

Note that Quirky/Easy is using ext4 without-journal, to minimize writes to the flash.

[BarryK]

BarryK

This is what I get:

Code: Select all

2.9G personal storage, free space 2.8G

The actual partition has about 73G free. This is with the frugal install (full install wouldn't boot up). The devx pet expands to just over 2gb.

With Quirky, the live-CD and frugal install run totally in RAM, in a "zram".

So, it doesn't matter how much hard drive space you have, you need to have enough free space in the RAM to install the devx pet.

Installation requires more space than the final installed space of the pet. The install script estimates how much space will be required based on the size of the pet, and this errs a bit over what will actually be needed.

If you have a PC with 4GB RAM you would be ok. Otherwise, you will have to do a full install.

There is a report about the installer full-install being broken. I plan to test that tonight.

[BarryK]

You need only set TCLIBC = "musl" to enable building musl instead of glibc.

IIRC, Barry did an open embedded build with musl libc, but I cannot seem to find those results. Were they just discarded?

Must have been discarded.

[BarryK]

Not had any luck with a full install though. Tried it with the installer script, and later using the universal installer from the frugal install. Booting with Grub4dos with the generated menu entry. It finds the kernel then hangs.

I have tested a full install, from a live-CD, it works.

Perhaps I know what your problem is. The Linux kernel has a bug. In menu.lst in GRUB, there is a line like this:

kernel /boot/vmlinuz root=PARTUUID=${DISKUUID}-${TARGETNUM} rootwait rw

That $DISKUUID is got from running "fdisk -l /dev/<drivename>".

Years ago, when this "PARTUUID" boot mechanism was introduced, it had a bug, it would not accept a partition number ($TARGETNUM) greater than "09".

I never reported this, as I thought it is such an obvious bug, it will get fixed. But, perhaps it hasn't been?

The installer script also has a bug: the "popup" utility, which gives reports of progress, like "Please wait...", segfaults. So, although the installer works, you don't get those progress messages.

popup is written in BaCon. BaCon is proving to be an ongoing problem. Well, I will take a look at it.

[Keef]

BarryK

Yes that looks exactly like the cause. I originally installed it to sda10, but when I re-installed to a lower numbered partition it booted successfully.

Also,
As you noticed previously, the nouveau driver works for me on Pyro64, but with the 32 bit version I can only use Vesa.

VGA controller [0300]: NVIDIA Corporation G84M [GeForce 8600M GT] [10de:0407] (rev a1)

[BarryK]

Installed to 8GB USB pendrive
4install-quirky-to-drive-mbr running from Easy succeded.
4install-quirky-to-drive-mbr running from Fatdog failed.
Reason:

Code: Select all

SIZEBYTES=`echo "$FDISKINFO" | grep '^Disk /dev' | cut -f 5 -d ' '` #141104

no value because there was no Disk but Festplatte.
Suggest:

Code: Select all

SIZEBYTES=`echo "$FDISKINFO" | grep -m 1 "/dev/${TARGETDRIVE}" | cut -f 5 -d ' '` #141104

to avoid language dependance.

Thanks for that, fixed.

[Sage]

the nouveau driver works for me on Pyro64, but with the 32 bit version I can only use Vesa.

The Radeon driver is automatically offered & works OK in Pyro32. Change your video card?

[BarryK]

Hi Barry...

While playing with your oe-quirky...
Seems like Peter released a new Bacon version, and this needs updating...

recipetool create -o bacon_3.6.bb http://www.basic-converter.org/stable/bacon-3.6.tar.gz

This seems to break the whole compile.

I am new to bitbake so I'm learning who this whole thing works..
Just thought to let you know...

Thanks,
gcav

Unfortunately, the version that I used in OE, 3.5.4 I think, has problems also.

I posted to the BaCon forum yesterday about a problem with hug.so

But, testing the Universal Installer, found that the 'popup' utility segfaults. Using the "process=wait" option causes a segfault, for example:

Code: Select all

# popup "terminate=ok process=wait|this is a test message"

I did a test, compiled popup in Pyro64, using BaCon 3.0.2, and popup does not segfault.

That's annoying. ideally I should try and find why it is crashing, but a quick fix might be to roll BaCon back to 2.0.3 (released 2015, used in Quirky April64) in OE.

[BarryK]

I discovered why mypaint 's external applications list doesn't form in Barry's Distros
as explained HERE and see image below..


It's because the file 'mimeinfo.cache' is needed to be placed in
/usr/bin/applications/

among the desktop files.

Mypaint uses that info to form a list. Other linux distros apparently have that file as explained here

I wonder could you run update-desktop-database when a new pet package is installed.

___________________________________

Thanks for the info.

That mime cache file is now generated when the distro is built, and updated when a package is installed.

EDIT
As a temporary fix, for the purposes of building the next releases of Pyro64 and Pyro32, I have created PET package 'z-popup', just with the popup utility, compiled with bacon 3.0.2.

[BarryK]

BarryK

Yes that looks exactly like the cause. I originally installed it to sda10, but when I re-installed to a lower numbered partition it booted successfully.

Another thing, as L18L reported, the installer misbehaves for a non-English locale (LANG variable). I have fixed that.

[BarryK]

Not had any luck with a full install though. Tried it with the installer script, and later using the universal installer from the frugal install. Booting with Grub4dos with the generated menu entry. It finds the kernel then hangs.

I have tested a full install, from a live-CD, it works.

Perhaps I know what your problem is. The Linux kernel has a bug. In menu.lst in GRUB, there is a line like this:

kernel /boot/vmlinuz root=PARTUUID=${DISKUUID}-${TARGETNUM} rootwait rw

That $DISKUUID is got from running "fdisk -l /dev/<drivename>".

Years ago, when this "PARTUUID" boot mechanism was introduced, it had a bug, it would not accept a partition number ($TARGETNUM) greater than "09".

I contacted Stephen Warren, one of the kernel developers, his reply:

For the partition number, are you using a value that's encoded in decimal or hexadecimal? Put another way, the partition numbers are 01, 02, ..., 09, 0a, ..., 0f, 10, 11, ...

From a comment in the kernel:

* Convert a name into device number. We accept the following variants:

...

* 6) PARTUUID=00112233-4455-6677-8899-AABBCCDDEEFF representing the
* unique id of a partition if the partition table provides it.
* The UUID may be either an EFI/GPT UUID, or refer to an MSDOS
* partition using the format SSSSSSSS-PP, where SSSSSSSS is a zero-
* filled hex representation of the 32-bit "NT disk signature", and PP
* is a zero-filled hex representation of the 1-based partition number.
* 7) PARTUUID=<UUID>/PARTNROFF=<int> to select a partition in relation to
* a partition with a known unique id.


I have validated that the code that parses the MSDOS/MBR partition tables does assign names using hex not decimal, and the values are compared as strings, and so the code is consistent with the documentation, so I believe this should be working fine.

Hex numbers!

OK, I will modify the installer to fix this.

How can I do a decimal to hex conversion in a script? The busybox printf applet can probably do it. Off the top of my head, can't think how.

EDIT
here is one way, using busybox dc applet, converting decimal 10:

# dc 10 16 o p
a

And using printf:

# printf "%x" 10
a#

[jamesbond]

...BIOS isn't exactly supportive of having anything else as default ... will win me Sage's approval

Be careful invoking YT here, jb, I'm an outsider with no IT quals in my cupboard.

Lol What I mean is - you would agree that it is better for me to find a hand-me-down computer from gumtree which is better in every sense of the word, rather than a new, but crippled, and much less powerful Aldi PC.

Maybe pity me instead as the slightly bemused recipient of a gifted Zotac Zbox with same unfortunate characteristics as your Aldi monstrosity*.

Well if it is a gift it's worth fighting for

*PS. The only way to deal with those things is to strip them, remove the HD/SSD, reformat & reload a proper OS using your ever-faithful doorstop. [All the series inter-converters are, fortunately, available from our Asian friends on the Web.]

That wouldn't be necessary, not yet. It was possible to boot Fatdog from that contraption. And I persisted I think I would be able to coax it to install to internal SSD, but taking over from Win$ instead of dual-booting. But since the wifi was horrible (wasn't supported by kernel 4.4.x - had to resort to a hack), and there was no HDMI sound (as so many has pointed out - the drivers wasn't ready back then). and especially because I was in "decision mode", I decided to do none of that - Aldi won't be too happy if the the boot logo is a dog instead of a square

The one from gumtree (an 5-year old HP) on the other hand, works straightaway from first boot. And it came with a Full HD monitor too, so that was very nice to work with (no need to share the screen with the kids' TV).

Anyway, I'm digressing. Sorry Barry, I've been away from the forum for a while - just felt the need to socialise a bit. Ok, back to topic

[BarryK]

The one from gumtree (an 5-year old HP) on the other hand, works straightaway from first boot. And it came with a Full HD monitor too, so that was very nice to work with (no need to share the screen with the kids' TV).

Ha ha, I also bought a PC via Gumtree!

A few months ago. It is a home-made gaming machine, bits and pieces put together. HP motherboard, with UEFI firmware, no USB3 (I bought a USB3 PCIe card), 16GB RAM, i5 CPU, NVIDIA card (Intel onboard video).

It's great!

[TyroBGinner]

Finally, a Puppy Linux version that uses a current kernel! Much thanks to Kauler.

I am very appreciative of having a large array of drivers and firmware incorporated into the distro - even if it means a larger size for the iso file. I have some pieces of newer hardware that got drivers into the kernel only recently...around version 4.13, I think.

Having a 64-bit processor and/or eight gigs of memory doesn't mean you're rich or spoiled. It just means that you're living in the current decade.

Onward and upward...

[Sage]

{

Having a 64-bit processor and/or eight gigs of memory doesn't mean you're rich or spoiled

No prizes for guessing where you live! You just don't get the RoW do you.}

Run into this video screen display issue previously reported for Easy with Pyro64. Using a SOTA 1Gb Radeon, multi outputs into my SOTA smart TV, cannot get any res. without the edgemost icons spilling off-screen. Checked out suggestions given previously, but my HW & TV specs are all good. Unable to pin down the root cause with my limited knowledge. Pyro32 on bog std. kit is OK.
...and:
Pyro32 won't detect wired NIC connection but OK on wifi. Pyro32 works well on TV @ 1280x1024 with no loss of icon display at edges.
1up, 1down.

BBC/iPlayer accepts log-ins, but fails to run under SM on either Pyro??? This may be a BBC thing. Expect Auntie's management, Westminster politicians and the Treasury to screw up, as usual. Limeys may wish to confirm - or otherwise.

[scsijon]

Firstly, just a little note for BarryK,

For the instruction page "Prepare your computer for booting Linux.html"

I wonder if you should add a note before trying to shrink with windows disk manager to run the windows disk optimiser? Especially if the system has been used before and cleaned up by deleting applications. Just a thought.

EDIT1: Problem1
Just a queery, can someone tell me how to access the equivalent of the old JWM Configuration Manager's "Tray Configuration Options" page please, I can't find it and manually setting the config file under /root is not working.

EDIT2
OK, I just came across ARChon in the unsorted area http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=102884, and considering what's now available on android, I wonder if this package should not now be considered a usefull addition to puppy as it seems to let us run android apps on puppy (even if in a chrome browser). Maybe there is even a mod or another for seamonkey out there.

EDIT3: Problem2
Your startup page "file:///usr/share/doc/home.htm" needs it's first link updating, it's looking at the old blog site.

Just got a Lenovo ideapad 110S-11|BR cheap (their at eol but lightweight without falling backwards all the time, small enough to be very portable, and good enough for me to use for writing storyboards with), it's a 64bit Celeron 3060 with 4gig of ram and it seems to like Pyro64 so far as i've tested. It's not bad for a 11.6" 16:9 screened system. Only strange thing it's using a Sandisk Ultra DF4032 (32GB) mounted on the motherboard for storage and that appears not as a hard drive but as a Full Sized SD Card in the desktop with hardinfo and pup-sysinfo showing it as a USB Device. I shall in time upgrade and add a 256GB SSD as there is an internal spot for it to plug in and Levano is nice enough to have online a PDF Repair Manual for the model that shows how to add it. On top of that is the ability to setup the bios to run in either UEFI OR Legacy mode. I'll await barry's beta version to install though.

EDIT4: Problem3
PKGget Package Manager and it's :configure page are not sizing themselves to the screen, even when the fullscreen button (square) is pressed. PPM is remaining small horizontally while extending below the screen vertically and the :configure screen is extending to the right and below the available screen and therefore no access to these "hidden" areas..

EDIT5: How to add a SWAP Partition
I built some "spare" space at the end of the 16gig usb drive when I loaded it with pyro64 "for future use" in case I needed for some reason to add another partition. Having played with Pyro64 for a while I had the idea of changing it from a blank partition to 4gig of swap and see if pyro would pick it up. This might help those with low ram pc's as I had noted when reading the thread backwards that there were a few 'available memory space' problems.
Test 1: when starting the laptop, I dynamically added to the end of the startup script qfix=swapon, and it was shown to be used when it started up.
Test 2: I just let it run without changing the startup script and it still picked it up, so with a little thought when 'loading' the usb you are no longer limited to just the ram available, you can have some swap space also.

So, to a 16gig usb you have partitions like after initial installation but not yet used:
sdb1 a vfat32 boot partition
sdb2 a ext4 / partition
BEFORE STARTING FROM THE USB DRIVE the first time
Add with gparted:
AT THE END OF THE USB NOT EARLIER
as sdb3 a linux-swap partition of 4GB (4096MB)
leaving any extra space between sdb2 and the new sdb3's swap partition
Only then, shutdown the system, restart using the usb for the first time
And after iut's up, opening a Console Screen and typing swapon (or swapon -s) you should see something like:
NAME TYPE SIZE Used PRIO
/dev/sdb3 partition 4G 0B -1

this shows a 4GB Partition assigned as a swap partition is active.

I'll add more here as I find them until BarryK releases his update, then i'll start a new post when I find something worth posting about.

Hope his bushwalking is going well.

[Sage]

supra

...BBC/iPlayer accepts log-ins, but fails to run under SM on either Pyro???

The old enemies strike again. Auntie, MS, Tory Party & Adobe. Hoops to jump through for iPlayer:
- must register with BBC now
- need to load FP

Further testing: subjectively Pyro32 seems to be working more reliably on 32&64 bit machines? Might be illusory? Other feedback?
Would be helpful if the wired network failure could be rectified on both as well as reducing the size and load times. Maybe some of these are mutually exclusive?

[foxpup]

I was waiting for another non-ubuntu build after easy/pyro-0.3. So I was very happy to find out about this new OE build.
I did a frugal install on SSD from iso. It starts up and works very fast.

I still have the problem with the wifi not connecting automatically at startup. It seems like the settings for wlan0 are not preserved across reboot.
No other problems so far.

I do not need LibreOffice, so if you want to save on size, I suggest leaving LO out. I guess one could easily add it as portable when needed; I would have to check if it works in Pyro like in Puppy. It is amazing though LO is in it, looking at the total size of Pyro!