Steal a great idea from Puppy Linux

Forum: User Feedback
Topic: Steal a great idea from Puppy Linux
started by: pcause

Posted by pcause on Mar. 09 2005,06:52

There is a small bootable distribution out there I just saw called PupyLinux. What is cool about it is that you can change files and when you shut down, it writes them to the CD you are running from. It uses a multi-session disk and so it can write back changes. Very cool. You can update config or users ow whatever.

I'd love to see this added to DSL.

Posted by ypx on Mar. 09 2005,11:44

it seems that we agree on this, as i allready posted about this subject < here >

Posted by chaostic on Mar. 09 2005,11:53

Isn't that a bit excessive (well, for normall people anyway)? You could just remaster the dsl cd to your liking. Or install to the harddrive.

Posted by ypx on Mar. 09 2005,15:51

i agree that the word steal is excessive, i prefer borrowing after asking ;)

Posted by davide on Mar. 09 2005,16:43

just wondering: if you use a usb-stick based DSl, and store your settings files on the same device isn't it the same (more or less)?

Posted by clivesay on Mar. 09 2005,16:48

Really not sure how much this would be used. We already have mkmydsl and many users are now moving more towards usb/flash drives as opposed to CD's. The cool thing is that you can run DSL with some programs on even a 64mb USB drive.

Nice option for Puppy but I think DSL has already passed it by.

Chris

Posted by chaostic on Mar. 09 2005,20:28

I beg to differ. While USB/CF might be more convientent, loosing it is a bitch. Cd's are like .05 cents in 50 packs, with 700 megs, compared to a 128 meg usb/cf that still cost like 10~40 each.

Posted by clivesay on Mar. 09 2005,20:42

Well, you can already run DSL in toram mode to free up the cd and burn with bashburn or cdrecord. So really, it already has the ability to burn a multisession CD, which is what Puppy is doing from what I understand.

Posted by pcause on Mar. 10 2005,01:38

Quote (davide @ Mar. 09 2005,11:43)

just wondering: if you use a usb-stick based DSl, and store your settings files on the same device isn't it the same (more or less)?

USB doesn't always boot and this aproach allows me to customize my DSL a bit. Also, I thought you couldn't write to the root files on the USB if you booted from there.

Posted by IndoorMoopsball on Mar. 15 2005,00:30

I looked at puppy and I liked the idea. The "puppy unleashed" version with gcc and make isn't available yet, so I can't speak to the final functionality, but I thought the idea was sound, especially for remastering. You can tweak and adjust everything just the way you want it, then save. What's easier than shutting down and having the system save everything for you on the same disk you started with? I love the dsl files we have for easy instalation, but it would be so sweat to be able to compile my own and then save the system the way I had it running rather than making dsl files.

the issues I see are:

1) because you're writing new tracks, you never really erase, you add a new copy of the changed files. That's got to build up after a while.

2) because you never really erase, how can you remove things from a remaster to save space?

3) the lack of packages like dsl has makes installing programs more difficult under puppy. without gcc you can't even compile your own (yet).

4) if you copy a multitrack data cd, does it put everything onto one track and remove duplicates?

Posted by gunnix on Mar. 15 2005,11:20

What about using a CDRW ! DSL load toram, than use it, configure it. Than erase the cdrw and write the new configured dsl!

Cdrw's can be written/erased for about 1000times I think. So the idea of puppy linux is good as well, as it would not depend on erasing/writing that much.

Not that this is really needed, but it would be nice wouldn't it?

grtz
guni

Posted by joer on Mar. 15 2005,21:59

Would it really be that portable? My friend's cdrom cannot read my cdroms that I use multi-session. Also, backup too slow. Seems you would be stuck using only the machine that wrote the mult-session. Or do I have a cheap bruner? Or mybe my friend has a bad cd reader?? Seems kinda risky and a hassle too.

Posted by softgun on Mar. 16 2005,08:28

Puppy is a RPM based distro. You cannot apt get, which is a minus. DSL can remaster from RAM as Meo has shown.

However it is worthwhile to look intpo possibilties of using DSL in the same way. In making dsl extensions there is a problem in that there must not be any post installation changes. But this can be done in uci extensions.

The way DSl does things still has an edge over Puppy -and the advangtage of Debian based distro, and Knoppix hardware detection.

Posted by l0st on Mar. 16 2005,09:56

Quote (joer @ Mar. 15 2005,16:59)

This is a real issue. Out here, a couple of my friends' (mine too) computers simply refused to boot from multi session CDs.

Posted by clacker on Mar. 16 2005,16:28

What's the point of a small distro that almost anyone can download and use, even on old machines, if it can't work on old machines? I think adding this capability would take away from our "target market."