test SimplePup, a puppy derivative

[edoc]

edoc wrote:

Did a HDD install over GrapPup as I needed to update that anyway.

The install did not "take". When I rebooted I got a damaged version
of GrapPup.

Not sure what is happening.

edoc,
did you wipe the info on the partition first? perhaps if you didn't format that partition, the install just merged contents, creating broken filesystem.

--tim

[/quote]

The instructions said that if I made a certain selection it would go
ahead and wipe what was already there.

Do the installation instructions need some clarification same as
was apparently done to improve the WAG instructions?

Does Puppy yet have a simple way to wipe the disk during the
install process for a truly clean HDD install or do we still have to
try a messy process of fdisk, format, etc. to try and get it done?

BTW: Is the preferred Puppy/Win98 setup to first install Win98 then
Puppy, or the opposite, or Puppy then Wine then Win98?

Thanks! doc

[slvrldy17]

TimC wrote

slvrldy17,
is this because you already had a pupMINI file on your hd from having run Empty Crust already? ... so SimplePup just found pupMINI existing and used it....
hmm, perhaps use choice 3(?) at boot up, the one where you "choose which partition for the pup file" and create a new file for saving... named pupSIMP maybe. and you'll have to choose pupSIMP each time you boot SimplePup.
hope that works.


Tim,
You are correct about Simple Pup looking for and finding the existing pupMINI file. I've been using Empty Crust for awhile and while I doubt many people will have this problem the best solution is to give Simple Pup's save file a new/unique default name when you next update it. Trying boot option three results in an error message and no file being created. Since my work around for this is fairly easy I can live with it for the time being since I don't want to get rid of Empty Crust at this time.

Now, a request, can you provide instructions for a non geek Linux newbie for accessing data, photo, and music files in my Windows partitions from Simple Pup? I need to find out if Xgine will read my music files in wma format and Abiword my document files. Given these capabilities I can start giving Simple Pup a serious workout/test in day to day use to see if it is a fit substitute for Windows - without, it remains more of a curiosity/toy - fun to play with but of little practical use.

Thanks,

Alice

[timcriger]

i hope i haven't misrepresented myself here. i must reiterate,

All gratitude (and awe, Lobster) needs to be given to Barry, pizzasgood, mu, guestoo, and all other users on this forum. All the work is theirs, I just put it together.

i am not linux guru... i've only been tinkering with linux for eight months now, learning things from this forum. i had tweaked empty crust for my own use and wanted to know if anyone wanted to try it out... thus SimplePup-0.3 is being tested.

I'm not intimately familiar with the workings of Puppy either, some kinks are bound to be found. And as they are found, i'll still need the help of this forum to fix them.

edoc,
i've not made any improvements to the WAG/ndiswrapper setup; simply by including perl in SimplePup, the setup is easier (fewer steps). Also, i do know that the recomended dual boot install is to
1) prepare partitions (usually a total of three: win, swap, ext)
2) install windows
3) install puppy and grub bootloader
sorry, i have no experience with wine.

Hope this is clear.
--tim

[edoc]

i am not linux guru...

You are light years ahead of me!

i've not made any improvements to the WAG/ndiswrapper setup; simply by including perl in SimplePup, the setup is easier (fewer steps).

I presume that whoever is working on WAG tweaked the text for 1.0.8
and you picked up the improved WAG and added perl.

Also, i do know that the recomended dual boot install is to
1) prepare partitions (usually a total of three: win, swap, ext)
2) install windows
3) install puppy and grub bootloader
sorry, i have no experience with wine.
--tim

There have been many lengthy threads on the forum resultant
from the odd occurences during the HDD setup process. Seems
it could also use some attention.

Puppy has an emphasis on Live Booting so the HDD install has
suffered some apparent lesser attention from the brain trust.

Will keep my eye on your efforts and will try to wipe the HDD and
do a completely clean new install, even though I would prefer to be
able to do a parallel install alongside other Puppy versions and perhaps
Win98.

Thanks! doc

[Pizzasgood]

the best solution is to give Simple Pup's save file a new/unique default name when you next update it.

I'll have to second that. In general, an offshoot Puppy should either
A. Have its own pupfile or
B. Use the default pup001

Using the file from another offshoot is just asking for trouble. The main reason is because it's less dependable. You have less chance of expecting what will be on it (since the offshoot could be extremely tweaked).

In case you don't know how to do this, it's quite simple. You go to the isolinux.cfg file in the iso and change anything that says pupMINI to pupSIMP.

Another thing you should keep in mind next time is to post what the pupfile's name is. That way if it isn't a unique name, people can back theirs up ahead of time.

Otherwise, from the screen shot and what everybody's saying it looks like you did a great job. Keep up the good work

[timcriger]

thanks pizzasgood, for the help.

about ram size check at bootup:
what i need to change in simplepup to have it check for enough ram before loading usr_cram.fs ??
is it simply a change in /root0/etc/ramdisksize ??
and what size should i set it at? (usr_cram.fs is 73 MB alone)

thanks,
tim

[Pizzasgood]

Hmm... Well, the only things I've ever changed were /etc/ramdisksize and the segment of isolinux.cfg that stores the size. I don't know what program you're using to remaster, and even if I did I probably wouldn't know where it tells you the correct size. If you changed isolinux.cfg to put the correct size (or if the script told you to), that is the size you should put in /etc/ramdisksize. Otherwise, you need to take the sizes of things to figure it out. I don't remember exactly what at the moment, but I'll go check now.

EDIT: Also, /etc/sizeusrcram needs stuff.
EDIT2: I was mistaken. It's /etc/ramdiskfssize, not /etc/ramdisksize

[Pizzasgood]

You need to get the size of usr_cram.fs and put it in /root0/.etc/sizeusrcram
Assuming you have the image.gz mounted at /mnt/image and writable, and usr_cram.fs at /root/tmp/usr_cram.fs (these paths can be changed, just alter them),

Code: Select all

SIZEUSRCRAM="`ls -l /root/tmp/usr_cram.fs | tr -s ' ' | cut -f 5 -d ' '`"
echo -n "$SIZEUSRCRAM" > /mnt/image/root0/.etc/sizeusrcram

should do the trick.

Next, you need the size of the image. Under the same conditions as above,

Code: Select all

IMAGEUSED=`du -ks /mnt/image | cut -f 1`
IMAGESIZE=`expr $IMAGEUSED + 448`
echo "Calculating the new ramdisk size... $IMAGESIZE Kbytes."
echo -n "$IMAGESIZE" > /mnt/image/root0/.etc/ramdiskfssize

will set the /root0/.etc/ramdiskfssize for you. You need to add it to isolinux.cfg on your own, though. Just add the parameter ramdisk_size=XXXXXXX in the line with initrd= and pfile= and such.

[timcriger]

thanks pizzasgood,
i'll incorporate this fix and any others from the next few days and post a new SimplePup by the weekend.
--tim

[slvrldy17]

Tim,
In addition to giving the save file its own unique name there is one thing I would ask for. When you click on a document file attachment in an e-mail in Thunderbird you get a dialog box asking if you want to open the attachment with the default viewer in this case Abiword. Can you arrange the same kind of link so that an image file attachment can be opened with GQview? In the Edit> preferences>filtering>file types pane it shows all the normal image file types that may come in an e-mail attachment - if GQview can be made the default viewer for these it would add a degree of functionality that folks coming from Windows are used to and would look for. In Windows the equivalent is the Picture and Fax Viewer - I've never used the fax capability but the image/picture viewer is something I use darn near every day.

One other piece of advice - Take your time and don't rush getting an update out - better that you take your time and get it right - There is NO deadline on your part. You have done a beautiful job of bringing together the work that you rightly credit to others. Do them justice by taking the time to get your own ducks in a row. Thus endeth the sermon.

Thanks,

Alice

[Fossil]

Hi,

Once again I've been experimenting with Simple Puppy. This time, the non-emulator Wine came under scrutiny. One thing that Linux does lack is a good small astronomy program. Yes, there is Celestia, but that is quite large. As for Kstars, I guess that it would require too many dependencies for Puppy. With regard to satellite tracking, there is Predict, which is in the form of a tabulated time form-sheet. Other than that, I could not find anything to fit my requirements.
So Wine might prove to be the answer. using what programs I already have installed, I tried it out. These two worked first time.

Both ran smoothly under Wine on my old Pentium 333, with 256 Megs RAM.
For anyone interested in the night sky, I'd say, give them a go.

I've included a screenshot taken with Mtpaint. Starcalc's interior appears transparent, showing Orbitron in the background. This is not the case when the programs are running. I guess it is an artifact of the screen capture.

STARCALC 5.72
An astronomy planetarium and map program for Windows 9x/ME/NT/2000/XP.
This program is small and light. It runs smoothly and is easy for the novice astronomer.


Orbitron 3.70. *satellite tracking system for everyone*
On start-up, a warning box will appear. 'This application has requested an ActiveX object, but the Mozilla Active X control is currently not installed. Do you wish to download and install it?'
Answer: 'No'.
The full screen view of Orbitron will then appear. It runs very smoothly on my old box.


Just a thought, but if someone could please make a Dotpup of Predict, or any other astronomy/satellite forecast program, I'd be very grateful.

Thanks,


Fossil

[babbs]

I'm sorry for being absent most of this week. Family emergency.

SimplePup-0.3.1 has been posted to:
ftp://puppyfiles.us/pub/releases/simplepup/