Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

[Puppyt]

I believe that PuppyLinux has great potential to be the premier research tool.

With no Linux or Wine expertise behind me save the puppylinux help pages and fora, I used synth’s TurboPup Alpha 3a (Puppy 4.1.2, see http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=40477), coupled with technosaurus’ Wine 1.1.20/Winetricks/goodies/etcetera pet (http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?search_id=1238973448&t=37783), and installed the latest version of R (2.9.0: http://cran.r-project.org/bin/windows/base/). Then I downloaded one of the R GUI’s designed to assist teaching statistical concepts and use of R without having to learn the language – R-Commander (Rcmdr 1.4-10: http://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/Rcmdr/index.html), setting it up so that it loaded automatically whenever R was opened (http://socserv.mcmaster.ca/jfox/Misc/Rcmdr/installation-notes.html).

This setup, with my first effort at remastering a puppy also runs OpenStat – Bill Miller’s recent updating of his earlier software ‘Stats4U’ (http://statpages.org/miller/openstat/) and even the golden oldie, StatView 5.0.1 (although apparently abandoned by JMP this is not open source, and probably ill-beagle to include in a puplet). The PSPP pet also works like a dream, though comparatively underpowered it would serve for teaching purposes (http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?search_id=741487448&t=33527).

I’m looking forward to expert puppians updating the trailblazing efforts of cb88 (Mathpup 2.15CE: http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?search_id=190886449&t=24235 – he even compiled SciLab for it – amazing) and debernadis (RudyPuppy 2.14: http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?search_id=844369481&t=10779). Debernadis compiled dotpups for both R (2.4.0: http://dotpups.de/dotpups/Office/R/R-2.4.0/) and RLplot 1.2 (http://www.debernardis.it/dotpups/rlplot-1.2.pup, see here for the latest version http://rlplot.sourceforge.net/). That is, while I haven’t yet broken anything using the statistical applications under Wine, I understand many improvements are made with compilation to Puppy pet packages – especially where space is at a premium such as in USB pendrives and SD drives.

While I understand that the topic of ‘R’ is seldom visited in the puppylinux fora (e.g., http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?p=247854#247854, http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=17826), in my research field (animal behaviour/ comparative psychology) nearly half the papers in the leading journal use R instead of the commercial competitors like SPSS, SYSTAT, STATISTICA, SAS, JMP and GenStat etc. – and the proportion is always growing. I think Puppy could really carve a new niche for itself in the broader research area.


And to show that cutting-edge applications work in antiquated hardware…

Test Rigs:
Optiplex Gn+ 5200M / 200MHz Pentium / 64MB RAM / 256 MB Swap
Intel AN430TX / 233MHz Pentium / 92MB RAM/ 256MB Swap
EP-MVP3C2 / 500MHz K2-6 / 384MB RAM / 256 MB Swap


Many Thanks to synth, technosaurus, and the giant on whose shoulders they stand – Barry Kauler