Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

[01micko]

Hello people

In response to forum member Minnesota's request for easy recognition of what Puppy version and what kernel you are using I created this small script to let you know in an instant this information.

A transparent dialog appears bottom of screen letting you know the pup and kernel. It should appear in your taskbar.

It runs at boot or on restart of X and has a timeout of 60 seconds. You can also run it from a terminal. You can also run it by navigating to "/root/Startup/versioninfo.sh" and clicking the script.

Uninstall old version unless you want to maintain the menu entry, this one does not have a menu entry

Have fun!


Changelog
Version 2.0
Added functionality for woof built puppies whereby Versioninfo identifies the compatible distro that puppy is built from, such as "ubuntu", "debian", "puppy", etc. It still works fine for standard build puppies too.
Version 1.8
Code cleanup, I'm lame at bash .It executed twice if "/etc/puppyversion" existed.
Version 1.7
Added code to handle woof builds, there is no "/etc/puppyversion" - Thanks BarryK
Version 1.6
Ditched "xosd". (It is a useful little app IMO and deserves it's own thread)
Using "yaf-splash"- thanks zigbert and trio
Now appears in your task bar (or bottom of screen if you have the bar on the top)
Timeout - 60 seconds
You can kill it earlier, click on or near the "6" in the kernel version
Smaller again - thanks Lobster
Larger text - thanks Minnesota
Version 1.0
New engine.... "xosd"... transparent, included in the pet, 16k
Moved to bottom right of screen
No timeout, stays there
Issue: always on top, and color may alter
Version 0.4
Reverted back to xmessage
Improved look
Version 0.3
Bugfix- if no gxmessage it fails, older puppies may only have xmessage.
Version 0.2
Changed to gxmessage... thanks trio
Added dialog

[trio]

Hmm, bro..using gxmessage is much nicer

[01micko]

[01micko]

Um... bugfix

gxmessage is nicer but some puppies only have xmessage, so now both are catered for...

[ttuuxxx]

Hey micko, I bet it wouldn't tell you which specific version your using, say like during the 4.2 build and we had like 20 different 4.2's, alpha beta, RC, final etc, but wouldn't your script just say 4.2 and the kernel? now if we think a bit out of the box <> what would have to be done? well if the burner say Pburn, when it burns a iso, if it actually looked for a sfs file and seen it in a iso, it could maybe add a text file to /etc/version2 or something which basically just had the iso name on it, so when you click your little magic script it would read, beta alpha number etc.
Probably won't happen but just an idea
ttuuxxx

[01micko]

hey ttuuxxx,

Yeah, neat idea, but it would need support from the top . You know what I mean . You can really get whatever info you want from whatever file if it's there.

But, Barry has these rolling version numbers for the alphas now so this approach should be fine. Is it working ok with 214? (if you had 214X5 or whatever in /etc/puppyversion, it would read it fine)

Mick

[ttuuxxx]

[01micko]

Now here is an idea

If Barry created an empty file in /etc called 'derivative' or whatever (/etc/derivative) I could easily accommodate my script to read that file... and if it is left empty it doesn't show up, so official versions just read 'kernel 2.6.xx.xx, Puppy 4xx'. However, the creator of a derivative, or, in the future when Barry steps down, the future Benevolent dictator could add their description to this file ; be it 'alpha1, alpha2, beta1, RC3, .. or HanSamBen, MacPup, NOP, etc ... you get my drift.

Now, Pwidgets could also read that file, but that is not my objective (although, if it happens I will create the widget). What I want, is to find some way to print to the screen this info, transparently, with a minimum of overhead. . I'm sure it is doable, but I don't know how... yet! Of course, this method would have to satisfy JWM, Icewm, XFCE and whatever WMs are good for Puppy.

Anyone out there got any idea how we can achieve this?

Cheers

[Minnesota]

Tried on first CD I found.. Upup 463 works, k = 2.6.29 also works on 416.

You are right the idea is to be able to pass a machine and look up to see the version number.... certainly a start... could be turned off setup or for us who want it could add to startup? Progress...as you say all kinds of information can be displayed.

[01micko]

Hi Minnesota,

If you wanted this at startup you could symlink to the app (it is located in /usr/sbin) in the /root/Startup directory. Or you could make a small script calling "versioninfo" and drop it into /root/Startup. This may be useful if you have a slow box, you could add some sleep.

[trio]

[01micko]

That symlink must be missing in BarryK's 2 revamp, 218.

Anyway, gxmessage is default

Cheers

Edit... ahhh, seems BK missed gxmessage in 218 altogether, it is in ttuuxxx' 214, big_bass' 216-fat_free-dillo and official 217. I haven't anything further back! I may scrap the option and add funcionality for the "derivative" idea... Puppy creators can use it if they wish.

[01micko]

Updated to 0.4

The newer pups Barry has made don't have "gxmessage" so I reverted to "xmessage" but tried to make it look a little nicer.

See main post.

[Lobster]

Hi 01micko

tried version 04 in Puppy 4.17 - the program closed down
without me clicking on OK - is that deliberate?
VersionInfo at the start of the menu entry is superfluous

Somewhere (forget where) there is a versioninfo or version file - anyone remember?
maybe you are using that?

version numbers can be called up by running help
kernel number by running System Hardinfo

Hope that is of use and interest and you continue developing this useful little prog

[01micko]

Hello Lobster