Puppy Linux, My Favourite

Puppy Linux, My Favourite

1. Puppy has the best Light Weight functional desktop.

2. Besides it fits in a USB and is portable.

3. When I travel I carry it in my trouser pocket to boot and test drive hardware before buying. I did not bring any to Australia but downloaded two versions the moment I settled down.  They are now in 2 USBs.

4. It has many versions.

I have at least 10 stored in my hard disk.

A USB with a 64 GB capacity can carry all the currently available images.

It went to hibernation.

5. Easy OS is beautiful.

6. It originated from Australia.

7. Barry Kauler is a dog lover.

8. It can be installed in many ways and PUPfile is only one variety.

9. Two events hindered its development number one is transfer of technology from 32 bits to 64 bits.

10. The corona virus event laid off many non profit organisations and their viability in question.

Easy OS-Puppy Linux

I just downloaded Easy OS, a Puppy Linux derivative and installed it to a USB stick using Image writer.

Booted it.

Configured the Wireless Network.

Signed in with Gmail to my blog post.

Finished posting this piece in 5 minutes while experimenting with Easy Ss. This was after I made a scathy comment in www.distrowatch.com on Sparky Linux which comes from Poland. Using the new version of Sparky Linux is a waste of time.

Thank you to all Puppy Linux Developers.

I have downloaded all active Puppy Linux distributions in less than 24 hours by torrent. I am Puppy Linux Lover and I am in Australia currently. Barry Kauler of Australia developed Puppy Linux, first.

It is cool, it has a small footprint and a classic Linux Utility and using the word distribution to it, is a misnomer. Only Knoppix can beat it on the number of utilities bundled up in one instant of Puppy Linux but Knoppix is almost dormant from 2020. Gnoppix is a welcome addition but cannot configure our WiFi.

Easy OS has followings.

1. Container Folder

2. Data Folder

3. File Folder

4. Release Folder

5. sfs Folder

6. Initrd

7. vmlinux

Squash File

SquashFs

SquashFs was the Linux term for compression when USB sticks were only 512MB capacity.SquashFsopens up and expand in a Live Session.

I used a 512MB stick for my first Puppy Linux.

Squash File is a one long text file including boot instructions of legacy boot time.

SquashFs can bypass the BIOS at boot time and that is its versatility.

I had to make a comment about Puppy Linux to a YouTube presentation by a guy on Windows session making mickey out of Puppy Linux giving almost half an our session to educate how to install Puppy Linux on Windows. I was annoyed and said or made a comment, to the effect, all one need is a USB stick and Puppy Image downloaded to a Linux Distribution and click the Image and by default the Image Writer is activated to install Puppy Linux on a USB stick.

No hassle at all.

Thereafter, one can carry it in one’s trouser pocket.

I did not see him again, in YouTube.

Puppy even installs Jitisi, which I had some trouble in installing in Debian Gnome probably due to fragmentation of the libraries.

EasyOS-6.0.4 which is the latest Image (I erased the USB stick that had 6.0.2) has done a great job.      One has an option to update to the latest version, if the current version is old.

It has Vivaldi browser which one has to download. By the way, its default browser is Chromium and a Chromium Container which describes all the abilities and functionality of EasyOS. It has both AppImage Installer and Flatpak Installer.

Problem for me is, it has no AbiWord but has both LibreOffice and OnlyOffice.

One cannot download applications what is not listed in their repository.

It has KODI, OBS and Kdenlive and what more on needs?

80% of what I have in Debian Gnome is available with Easy OS on a 15GB Stick. It is a persistent image.

Minimum USB stick one finds in Australia, nowadays is 32GB.

It has VLC, MPV and Audacity and many more for one to download.

Puppy Linux is my Favourite!

Neptune Linux and KDE Desktop

Neptune Linux is a Linux distribution with KDE Desktop.

I used it during its 32 bit version.

 It pretty good but not as feature rich as Netnunner Linux.

Puppy, Lupu, Quirky and Wary

 Puppy, Lupu, Quirky and  Wary

I have a very short comment on Vanilla Puppy Linux. It has sacrificed the utility value of Linux for the glossy appearance.

That is a fundamental mistake.

It cannot configure the Wireless Internet.

Any Linux distribution that cannot configure Wireless Networking is not worth testing.

My advice for them is to work on the first 512MB of the distribution for basic utilities so that it can be booted from a 1GB stick (hard to find) and the rest can be downloaded from the home page of the distribution.

The glossy appearance can be worked out later. 

It is like a chocolate, the basic ingredients are chocolates, sugar, milk and salt.

Rest is old wrapping outside.

Once the original Linux Chocolate is good, the taste and flavour can be added on (not padded on).

This is the problem with Apple Mac and Windows, they have one flavour and one is stuck with it. 

Linux has more than 300 flavours and www,distrowatch.com highlight 100 of them.

By the way, chocolate has over 330 chemical ingredients.

Puppy Linux Collectionn

Puppy Linux Collection 

I found a Puppy Collections in an Archive and downloaded a few of my favorites in the past.

FatPup

Lupu

Wary

Topup

Wolf and a many I forget the names.

Using Linux MultiSystem I wrote them into 8GB USB.

FatPup included, only 5 pf them are 64 bits and bootable. 

All the others of 32 bits are not bootable.

But I find a guy with a 32 bit computer not working. 

I can boot one of these images and see the problem with the hardware including graphic card functionality and install Puppy Linux in those hardware.

I could not write sfs file of EasyPup since it is an image not an Iso file. 

However it is a persistent image and I have it in a separate USB. It is pretty impressive for a guy who started Linux experience with Puppy Linux.

 

 

Balena Etcher

Balena Etcher

This is a Debian Utility, I found accidentally and can Flash or Copy a File or Drive into another drive.

I am currently copying USB with multiple Puppy Linux, installed Using Linux MutSystem USB utility.

It takes 1.5GB of the RAM and at least 30% of the CPU.

I want to see whether it would boot.

It takes a little longer time. 

Took at least 20 minutes to write 4.8GB. 

I do not think I use this method to copy a file in Linux.

As for Linux Image I would write  another copy using Image writer.

There is a MultSystem Copy utility in Linux,

I am going to write to my hard disk now.

Gnoppix

I am currently downloading the latest Gnoppix, its older version did not configure the WiFi.

It is based on Debian to activate the now defunct Knoppix which was my heart throb. However, Knoppix 9.1 does not boot on my NUC, but unlike Gnoppix it has tons of applications.

The new version of Gnoppix with 4.6GB could not configure the WiFi even though it shows both Ethernet and WiFi (not visible to configure).

It has Tor utility but without WiFi configuration, I cannot test their usefulness.

I think I go for Kodachai instead,

 

Multitasking in Linux and Stacer

Multitasking in Linux and Stacer 

I was running Gnoppix on Box utility and downloading three images including Kodhachi (which I have never used) and OpenBox Linux (never heard about it) and browsing the web and I was using 50% of the CPU and 4G RAM (50%).

But my home folder has only 2GB left. 

Besides, all these were done under 15 minutes and may be 10 minutes, I did not time it exactly.

Batocera Game Linux

 Batocera Game Linux

Batocera Game Linux I have not tested, for about a year.

New image is 9.1GB when extracted. Its img.gz is 3.3GB. 

Make sure the download folder has at least 10GB to extract it. 

I have tried only the NUC image but it has many images to suit almost all the game consoles.

Try direct download and torrent files do not work.

Gnome on Top of KDE Desktop of Netrunner

I usually run other desktop distributions on top of Gnome but for a change I tried Gnome on top of KDE.

Just installed Gnome base on top of the KDE.

It mixture went into a real frenzy and after two boot ups it went into Debian 11and Plasma desktop which I could choose by clicking the tiny icon on the right hand side of the desktop.

I usually have Debian 11 as a separate installation in Ceylon but in Australia with only 320GB SATA, I did not fancy that ploy.

By accident I have installed Gnome 11 on top of KDE of Netrunner. 

Who says, I do not make mistakes but a fortunate and unexpected one. I am not going to erase it since it has ton of KDE utilities including Calligra.

Few additions to my book on Linux Essentials and when clicking Synaptic packages. I would look for the version details in future.

I am going to sleep now.

I cannot get Batocera downloaded by Linux torrent.

I am going to try direct downloads. 

Yes direct download for my NUC is working OK.

It is only 3.1GB.

That is enough for the last 48 hours.

VanillaDPup and Vanilla OS

Vanilla DPUP is an excellent Puppy Derivative which has an excellent collection of Linux utilities, whereas, Vanilla OS is a useless, distribution based on Debian which has no software to run on first Live Boot. 

If I remember right it could not configure WiFI when, I tested it about 9 months ago. Its was released in 2023 and I deleted the ISO Image.

It is immutable release and not flexible, defeating the very objectives of Linux and Free Software. 

I lost interest in it and the reason I post this now is due to a YouTube presentation, I saw today.

It is trying to entice developers, making  mint out of hard working developers.

My opinion is do not try it at all and waste your valuable time.

If you do not believe me run both Puppy and Vanilla OS on Box utility and see the difference ,yourself.

Pretty obvious Puppy Linux comes on top.

NetRunner 23-64bit-KDE Plasma

 I found a way to add applications to be added to the KDE Desktop.

All what I did was to use Synaptic and install Gnome Box and and few of my favorite Gnome applications. Then I brought those icons to the desktop.

It worked, but some limitations. I could add only 18 application items with another 3 which are KDE specific I got 21 icons sitting on the left side.

The middle is reserved for KDE applications already installed in an alphabetical order. 

On the right hand side, instead of the original list I got applications categorized like Office, games, etc.

For the time being that is good enough for me. 

To my surprise. Gnome took over the KDE desktop and laid a new desktop mixing both KDE and Gnome utilities. I am more than happy with the outcome.

I finally got the KDE Desktop to my liking and it is not heavy like Plasma desktop, still uses lot of my RAM.

I got Stacer installed and it says. KDE is using at least 3GB of RAM at rest. that is 35% of my RAM doing nothing at all. 

Gnome rarely use more than 1GB RAM even when I am working.

This is why, I gave up KDE long time ago. I do lot of thing in the background, downloading copying ISO files to NTFS partition and many more.

Gnome is not intrusive.

I could not get my favorite applications to the desktop. 

That is the down side!

It is whole new experience and worth it. It has 373 new updates and was bit slow to update.

Having NOT used KDE for long time, it was somewhat of a big ask for me to change my way of using tany desktop. Instead of the root user, getting a standard user installed was bit clumsy. I had to click the log in icon to find the new user and it was not listed.

There is no standard package Installer for KDE applications. I had to search for the applications, in some sort of a file manager and thankfully organized in an alphabetical order. No query for dependencies but goes on installing all applications at the same time not, one application at a time.

Bit clumsy.

Anyway, it is there, if I get fed up with Gnome.

NetRunner 23-64bit-KDE Plasma

Netrunner is one of the best KDE Desktops with a modern look.

Nobody seems to have noticed it and it has tons of KDE applications.

It gives pleasing desktop appearance and I have decided to install it on top of one of my Debian instances, simply because it supports Synaptic Package Manager.

That is an accolade by itself.

What it means is I can test Gnome applications on top of KDE Desktop.

All these day, I have been testing KDE applications on top of Gnome.

I am having best of two Desktop Worlds.

Using Synaptic, I installed Variety desktop effects to make the rigid KDE desktop looks  dynamic to the user being.

I have no hesitation of recommending it.

The right hand side of the desktop looks like one's cellphone application. That is beautiful.

Well I did not know how to Install new application.

When I clicked Update it opened a window panel and within it I found a graphical set up.

I installed all the missing stuff, Focus writer, Manuskript, and Scribus.

My View about ARCH Linux and its Derivatives

Honestly speaking, my advice for a newbie to Linux is for he or she to use Puppy Linux to begin with Never Try ARCH or it derivatives.

My View about ARCH Linux and its Derivatives has not changed at all.

This is the latest testing.

I forgot to mention anything about Arch Linux in my book of Linux essentials. 

Hence, I decided to check few of its derivatives.

Except for Majaro Linux, which is a pretty good distributions (except when installing additional applications) one should not try any other Arch derivatives.

I just mounted Arcolinux on a USB stick and tried  to have a simple user experience. Except for Gparted it had nothing, not even a simple browser. At least they could have used now dysfunctional Midori browser.

It configured the WiFi but what the use of Internet without a browser included in the distribution.

Image size is 2.7GB

I am going to try Storm Linux which is 3.5GB.

Storm Linux is pretty good.

It did configure WiFi.

It has Chromium browser.

It has VLC and Pulse Audio.

In that sense it is at least user friendly.

It has Note,  Htop and Vim but no office or AbiWord.

Its installer is Calamara.

It is Xfc based and themes are very dark for me.

Endeavor OS is on the USB.

Image size is 2.7GB.

I just tested it. 

Endeavor OS is pretty good and it is KDE based and has a pleasing desktop.

WiFi is smooth.

It has Firefox, which is my favorite browser.

It has Calamara installer, offline desktop is KDE but online installation lets one choose a different desktop.

Image size is 2.7GB

On the whole it is almost like Manjaro Linux.

It has Spectacle, the screenshot capture utility. 

On the whole Arch has come a long way and some developers are listening to the user comments.

Bluestar Linux when I tested it, last time, it had issues with WiFi connectivity but this time WiFi configuration was OK but I had to fiddle, a bit.

I thought Blustar Linux is going to come on top but I have some reservations.

Its image size is 4.6GB.

I have downloaded it direct from the SourceForge.

Linux tracker image is slightly older but almost the same.

This what it says about itself.

Bluestar Linux is an Arch Linux-based distribution, built with an understanding that people want and need a solid Operating System that provides a breadth of functionality and ease of use without sacrificing aesthetics. Bluestar is offered in three edtions - desktop, deskpro and developer - each tailored to address the needs of a variety of Linux users. Bluestar can be installed permanently as a robust and fully configurable operating system on a laptop or desktop system, or it can be run effectively as a live installer and supports the addition of persistent storage for those who choose not to perform a permanent installation.

A Bluestar Linux software repository is also maintained in order to provide additional tools and applications when needed or requested.

Most of the of the above, I could not accomplish on a live session.

Having taken the password for the WiFi it did not mount Firefox.

Since it was heavy, I tried to log out and log in.

That where the problem started. 

It asked for a password for the user.

I tried the usual.

live

root

user

without a password, press enter

I tells me I have tried, three times and it Froze.

I am not going to try it again, certainly not Install it.

The installer is Clamara.

My advice is once one gets the hand of Linux after using Puppy Linux on OpenBox, Xfc or similar desktop, GO STRAIFGT to Debian Linux.

I prefer Gnome but it has Cinnamon, Mate, and many more.

Try using Live DVD and there is DVD1 which gives all most all the Desktop varities one can choose at the time of installation.

This my last adventure and i am going back to finish my book Linux Esentials. 

It has lot of stuff. 

I usulay finish a book in a few days but this book took the longest time.

Puppy Linux and EasyOS-6.0.4

Puppy Linux and Easy-6.0.4

By the way, this is posted with Puppy Easy OS on Live Session.

It took a little time for me to get the Firefox downloaded and running.

This is a comment, I want to make here, since YouTube Guy who probably comes from Windows background was making Micky out of Puppy and giving almost half an our session, how to install Puppy Linux on Windows. 

I was annoyed and said or made a comment, to the effect, all one need is a USB stick and Puppy Image downloaded to a Linux Distribution and click the Image and Image Writer is thereby activated for install on a USB stick.

No hassle at all!

Thereafter, one can carry it in the trouser pocket.

I did not see him again, in YouTube.

Puppy even installs Jitisi, which I had some trouble in installing in Debian Gnome probably due to fragmentation of the libraries. 

EasyOS-6.0.4 which is the latest Image (I erased the USB stick that had 6.0.2) has done a great job.

One has an option to update to the latest version, if the current version is old.

It has Vivaldi browser which one has to download.

By the way, its default browser is Chromium and It has a chromium container which describes all the activities of EasyOS.

It has both AppImage Installer and Flatpak Installer.

Problem for me is, it has no AbiWord but has both LibreOffice and OnlyOffice. 

One cannot download what is not in their repository.

It has KODI, OBS studio and Kdenlive and what more on needs.

80% of what I have in Debian Gnome is available with EasyOS on a 15GB Stick.

Minimum USB stick one finds in Australia, nowadays is 32GB.

It has VLC, MPV and Audacity and many more for one to download.

Docking Station of Gnome

Docking Station of Gnome

Docky A full fledged dock application that makes opening common applications and managing windows easier and quicker. Docky is fully integrated into the GNOME Desktop and features, no nonsense approach to configuration and usage. Docky provides an intuitive application launcher, running application management, and various "docklets" including a CPU monitor, weather report and clock. It is similar to other docks such as AWN and cairo-dock. Applications can integrate with Docky to add extra items to their context menus or modify their icons to display more information.

Docky is derived from the GNOME Do "docky" interface. Docky is a theme for GNOME Do that behaves much like the Mac OS X dock. Unlike GNOME Do's traditional interface, Docky can be set to one of three modes for hiding:

None - Docky is always visible.

Autohide - Docky is normally hidden and appears when the mouse pointer reaches Docky's unseen edge at the lower/upper edge of the screen.

Intellihide - Docky hides if it overlaps any window in the active window group, but it can still be brought up with the mouse pointer. Standard Do functionality is still present within Docky and the Do hot-key will still produce the expected behaviour. Docky 2 is a separate application from GNOME Do.

Emmabantus in the earlier versions had an intuitive docking station at the bottom of the desktop and the applications were arranged according to the tasks they performed. However, there was poor standardisation of the menus and items and it started fragmenting over time with poor maintenance. The Cairo Dock seems to be the base and it can be downloaded using Synaptic Package Manager.

With Debian Gnome the panels are bigger and located on the right side, instead on the bottom in Emmabantus and appear to clutter the desktop and one cannot launch an application from these panels.

However, Gnome has its own way of addressing this issue with a few essential items, on the bottom of the desktop. One can add or delete any of the applications that are stationed below on the desktop without any panel restriction.

If the number of the items are few on the desktop each item of  the panel member appears big and as and when the number of applications are added each item becomes smaller and smaller to fit the horizontal breath of the monitor. I have added 30 odd items and that gives a pleasing or eye catching appearance.

All the other items are arranged with big icons, 32 for each page and I have seven pages in total which means over 220 items. Most of them are little games and I can drag and drop essential item to page one or  non essential game items to page seven. The Gnome work on this is much more visually appealing than MacOS and I love it.

Web Browsers

 I have 10 browsers installed but my default is Firefox (nearly 600MB install as big as LibreOffice, all due various languages) and I really like KDE Falkon

Graphical Browsers

   1. Firefox - Open-source web browser developed by the Mozilla Foundation

2. Chromium - Open source web browser used as a base Google Chrome

3. Konqueror - The default web browser under KDE

4. Epiphany- GNOME Web - (epiphany-browser package) Simple yet powerful GNOME web browser targeted at non-technical users

5. surf - Simple web browser by suckless

6. TorBrowser - Firefox-based Web browser aimed at defending against tracking, surveillance, and censorship.

7. Falkon - (formerly qupzilla) Lightweight web browser based on Chromium

8. midori - Fast, lightweight graphical web browser (available in bullseye and buster) not available in latest kernels.

9. qutebrowser - Keyboard-driven, vim-like browser based on ?PyQt5

10. luakit - Fast and small web browser extensible by Lua

Console

Web browsers that can be used in a terminal emulator environment.

1. edbrowse - Line oriented text-mode editor & browser. Supports HTTP, FTP, scripts, editor, mail client.

2. elinks - Advanced text-mode WWW browser

3. links - Web browser running in text mode

4. links2 - Web browser running in both graphics and text mode

6. lynx - Classic text-mode web browser with support for Gopher, HTTP, FTP, WAIS, and NNTP protocols

7. w3m - WWW browsable pager with excellent tables/frames support

Third Party Browsers

The following web browsers in are not in the Debian repositories, and thus require the use of third party repositories to install them on Debian

Free browsers

1. Brave

ungoogled-chromium

Non-Free browsers

2. Opera

Inactive projects

3. conkeror

4. netsurf-gtk

5. uzbl

2 Pane or 4 Pane View and FileLight

By the way, I left 3  1GB external hard drives in Ceylon, all my work of over two decades. 

They were meant to be but in my coffin, so that when mankind destroys this world (NATO is the biggest WAR Monger) in a stroke of madness and hate, in a future date an Alien Species would discover there was a doctor guy who was mad about Linux. 

The reason being, guys at the airport in Ceylon and Australia would have thought, I was a CIA guy snooping and pulled out all my luggage and made my holiday travel a certain misery.

I do not have all my files, not in the cloud (in other words, literally in a CIA folder) but in my head.

2 Pane or 4 Pane View

If one has a tiny hard disk (320GB) with over 22 partitions and 4 of the same instances of the Debian Gnome distribution installed, it is nice to have an overview in NOT one Pane but 2 or 4 panes.

Gnome commander is in 2 Panes and give me an overview of the entire hard disk. But unless I have command line tesxts I cannot open any of them.

Whereas 4 Pane give me all the information including cash, configuration and details.

1. First Pane give me my /home/bono 

it goes like

.cash

.config

Desktop Folder

Documents Folder

Downloads Folder 

2. The Pane 2 gives me 

bash history

Emac history 

My profile 

3. Pane 43

I thinks gives the active file used like Firefox and SNAP

4. Pane 4

If I go to the  pane 4, it tells me I have Brave installed.

 

FileLight

By the way, Filelight is a KDE utility which lets me scan

1. Folder

2. Home Folder

3. Root Folder

inner most center /usr/ 21.2GB in the center (out of 25GB)

1st circle /usr/share with all the libraies 

2nd circle /usr/share and /usr/lib/

3rd circle gives me how much memory is taken by each application and there are 4th and 5th circles that give me tiny information, I never bother about all my life.

By the way, all files are big and little test files and arranging them in folder makes bird's eye view of the file system.

 

Calibre E-book Reader and E-Book Editor

Calibre E-book Reader and E-Book Editor

I have got altogether 4 instances of Debian Gnome in my NUC with 320GB hard disk.

In one of the Gnome instances;

I have got 630,000 odd files of 12.5GB capacity in my root folder of 15GB but my home folder has only 2.0GB of storage with 12.5GB remaining to download any ISO image which I want to test.

What matters is the working /home folder!

I have installed tons of applications including Statistics and Databases, just to test them before finishing my book on "Linux Essentials".

This is what makes Linux file hierarchy and functionality excellent which neither Microsoft Widows and Apple Mac could not match in my life time.

I can safely say these guys who use these proprietary software and hardware are either fabulously rich or stupid to go with their opulence / abundance.

My goal before my demise is to make Linux PC usage to become 10%. 

It is a big ask.

In other words, there is one clever guy among, nine other not so clever guys.

This web site will function long after my demise and one could peruse here, over 2500 entries. 

Only about 30 guys visit this site daily and I have blocked all Google Advertisements and I have no commercial interests and after over 25 years, I have not received a cent from Google.

This site was named Linux 100 to give a running commentary of all Old and New Linux distributions.

Unlike the www.distrowatch.com which is geared to make an income, usually hit rates but "NOT THE REAL USERS" my contributions are always FREE.

I am Going to ditch Google before my demise and I am probing alternative avenues.

Coming back to Callibre which comes from KDE Desktop is a very useful utility which I downloaded last as my Linux application. One can install on Gnome desktop using SNAP.

I am writer and working on 5 books currently, only using Linux utilities to write and I would like to review my own books using Callibre. 

It also has a E-book viewer and E-book editor.

One is at his or her own liberty to download and test them.

Bunsen Lab Linux

I am curently downloading Bunsen Lab latest version to test Live.

It is 1.7GB.

Bunsen Lab Linux

This is to report that, I saw a wrong comment on a YouTube presentation by a woman who has no understanding of Linux, saying Bunsen Lab cannot configure WiFi.

This comment was wrong, I am live here, from Bunsen Lab on a USB and it effortlessly configured WiFi and I am posting this to prove it is Live from a Bunsen Lab Distribution.

Long long time ago, I used Crunch Bang Linux and its versatility is a minimalist form but was a good workhorse, then.

Mind you Internet was horrible then, in Ceylon.

I am posting this from Australia.

Just Like in Snal Linux it has all the keyboard or Super key commands on the right hand side of the desktop.

The browser, the Firefox is smooth and fast is on the top right hand corner.

It is only 1.8GB. 

Software installer is Synaptic Package Manager, which is versatile by itself.

It has Dropbox, Dilo and Chromium available for install and I did not try them on a Live session.

Yes, I tried Dilo and Abiword and it installed both of them briskly.

I have no hesitation to recommend it, if one is looking for minimalist distribution as opposed to KDE/Plasma.

I do not use Plasma at all but Gnome is my basic.

Good work, guys and girls of Bunsen Lab

BIG Thank YOU.

CrunchBang was a Debian GNU/Linux based distribution offering a great blend of speed, style and substance. 

Using the nimble Openbox Window Manager, it is highly customisable and provided a modern, full-featured GNU/Linux system without sacrificing performance.

Development of CrunchBang has ended, but it inspired the creation of some excellent spin-off projects by community members.

    CrunchBang++
    Bunsen Labs

LinuX-BBQ

It is dormant and discontinued in 2016.

Its download file from Source-Forge is available.

Please do not download the small file of 435MB, the new file is 3.4GB.

It can be run in BOX utility.

It is Arched based, probably Cinnamon desktop.It cannot configure WiFi and it cannot be logged out and booted again, since it asks for a non existent password for user.

I won't recommend it for a newbie and I do not think it has multiple desktop types, unlike the old distribution..

LinuX-BBQ-Enjoy the Gourmet
LinuX-BBQ, Enjoy the Gourmet

Below is a review by a Linux User.
It sums up everything, this Linux Distribution is about.

It is pretty good and even a  regular Linux user needs little gray matter to use it.

I LOVE it since it/them, since most of the distributions use few resources and BBQ users all the window managers there in Linux.
It used to be only about 10 when I started Linux.

There are over 76 (excluding, Gnome and KDE) window managers.
What an achievement of Linux which Apple and Windows can NEVER match.
It is all a different ball game, football included.


Softpedia Linux has links to

LinuxBBQ cream and I am trying to download LinuxBBQ,threesome for the last three days and the link to it breaks in midair.

I hope they introduce torrent files, to poor guys like me who has a very poor download speed and Telecoms Service even at night.

 Not my own comment but a Linux user at large.
Thumbs UP the best distribution I have come by during my 10 year or so venture with Linux. The creator seems to never sleep while dishing out new spins constantly and the community is top notch. If your looking for any type of distro this place seems to have it. Hell they got rare minimalist, skinniest, sparse, lean, lean & mean, average, ordinary, unique, unique, big, plump, fluffy, bloated. It's all good. I still got ribs on my plate I ain't even touched and I'm full!

Xournel

 I just downloaded Xournal using SNAP.

Xournel and Xournel ++

 Like AbiWord, Xournel was one of my favorite utility to make a word processing file.

Xournel ++ has added the ability to make notes and sketches on the go.

It is like Gambas and is available in both Ubuntu 21.10 and Debian 12.4.0 Gnome Live DVDs. 

One cannot find them in both Suse Linux and Nobara Linux (what a pity for those commercial users).

Debian and Ubuntu also have Steam deck clients for Gamers' use.

One have to purchase the games but it has retro games capability.

Linux has come a long way.

Linux Mint

 Linux Mint
Linux mint is trying to forge away from Ubuntu, Kubuntu derivatives and that is a very encouraging change, since they are going back to basics.
 

Go back to Debian base and forge ahead.
 

Reason being the change of Canonical to Unity.
 

I am one who is in favour of Mark Shuttleworth's smart move.
 

Yes it was a smart move by him.

He is doing a Bill Gate to Linux Community.

I wish him success.

Linux missed the opportunity for netbooks and I do not want to see it misses on tabloids.

Like iPads, tabloid is the future.
 

We must not let only Apple to dominate the market.

Google's Android has shown the way and Ubunbtu should not miss this opportunity come what it may.
 

I am highlighting Linux Mint here since, it overtook Ubuntu head and a nose recently in downloads at www.distrowatch.com and Ubuntu in the last week or so putting its nose ahead again.
 

Linux Mint did not miss time in promoting both Ubuntu 10 and Ubuntu 11 base.

Not only that it did not forget the Debian and out came Debian Mint in Last December.

Linux Mint was thinking ahead and getting ready for all the consequences resulting from Unity experience and not forgetting the community they were with.
 

Like PCLinux Linux Mint gave variety of options and Long Term (LTS) support and rolling editions and also brand new version based on Debian for the newcomers and the newbies.
This is what was lacking with Ubuntu.
They did not have two versions but with too much enthusiasm promoted Unity only.
They can reverse this by supporting their community who were with them when Microsoft was dominating the field.
It is not too late, let the user decides the trends of the future what Canonical and what Mint and Debian should do is to be ready for all the eventualities including brickbats we call in our country.
God Luck to everybody in Linux and especially the developers and without you we do not have a customer base.
In any case innovation is the future for IT both hardware and software.

Penultimate Linux

Penultimate Linux
It is difficult for me to give an ultimatum as far as Linux is concerned.
The innovations that come by every minute of the day prevents me from announcing an ultimatum to Linux way forward and then the next distribution would come, out of the blue.

Enough is said about the Linux 100 and I have gone beyond the hundred by many a mile.
It is time for me to concentrate on Mobile Linux form Mobilin to MeeGo to Android to Unity derivative that might come soon.
 

Naming my top 10 will cause lot of injustice to that are not mentioned.
 

Life is making choices, prejudices and making decision at a given point of time which only lasts for that moment of time.
 

What is not mentioned is not deliberate exclusion but a subjective statement with some value added judgment.

I have to go by the gut feelings but not with culinary delights.

1. Number one for me is 10th anniversary Knoppix

2. Number two is Puppy (lupu, quirky and wary). If not for Puppy I would not have come this far.

3. Number three is PCLinux including FullMonty which opened me to Live CD world.

4. Number 4 is Mepis and AntiX (including Taylor Swift) for looking after old computers.

5. Debian is my Number 5 (currently it is my number 1)

6. Gparted, Pmagic, RIP

7. Peppermint

8. Imagine-OS

9. Incognito and Polippix are new derivatives with a strong political statement.

10. Last but not least Ubuntu, Mint and Unity and all Ubuntu derivatives making the feel of Linux universally available for the ordinary folks (not the Developers) who are taken for granted by the multinational companies hell bent on making money out of a poor product since the other choices are discredited by false propaganda.

If I miss any it is due to personal circumstances for me not being able to use the particular distribution.

To rectify that anomaly I always talk about Linux 100 and not top 10 like a Video / Audio Chart.

Linux 100 and more going to stay like Dalmatians 101 in the web and IT world.
You have lot of choices now.
Go and select your own 10.
 

Please note I have excluded Games and XBMC (it is KODI now) due to their craving on graphic intensive hardware requirement and environment which many poor people cannot afford at this point of time.

In 10 years time the story may be quite different.

Installing Debian Packages on top of Gnome

 By the way, Fakon browser of KDE is available at Synaptic.

I accidentally found Ubuntu is now using Snapcraft package for installing its supported applications. 

I do not use Ubuntu due to several reasons.

Gnome does not support all software under Synaptic Package Manager. For example Opera Browser which I have in my cellphone cannot be installed using Synaptic.

One does not have to go to the terminal.

There is way about it.

Step One 

Using Synaptic Package Manager Install Debian Package Installer which is a Graphic installer.

Step Two

Download the Debian package of Opera Browser from Opera Web Site.

Step Three

Open the package using Debian Package installer.

It looks for dependencies and install the package instantly.

If you are not happy using the same one can remove the package.

I used to do this long time ago and I have forgotten the details but with some soul searching reactivate my old habit. 

The first Debian package I installed long time ago was AbiWord after many trials.

1. There is a good application launcher called Ulauncher.

It had a Debian package and that is when I decide to try the Debian Package Installer. (Do not confuse with Calamara Installer).

I reinstalled AbiWord and last of all I tried Opera.

I am posting this using Opera browser.

I want to see weather Vivaldi has a Debian package.

Yes, Vivaldi has a Debian package.

These two are Proprietary applications and that is why Debian does not have then in its repository.

That is why I like Debian, it is my choice to look for proprietary applications, if only they oblige with a Debian package.

Debian Genome in 20GB Space

I have tested minimum memory space for Gnome Desktop with lot of useful application.

One need at least 20GB.

/root at least 18GB

/home at least 2GB

 

Mind you I have two swap partitions of 16GB and 8GB.

 

The applications added are

Htop

Ranger

Notepadqq

Xournal

AbiWord

Libre office already there

VLC

GIMP already there

Blende

Scribus

Handbrake

Clapper

Audacity

Variety with desktop effects.

KDENLive KDE deeivative

Spectacle KDE derivative

Sweeper

Bleachbit

Ulauncher is a good one.

I do not recommend bulky KDE or Plasma Desktop.

Consume memory and mounts slowly.

Instead install KDE utilities on top of Gnome Desktop.

This is now possible one gets best of both worlds.

Notable mentian is Variety I found accidently. It has small foot print but gives lovely animation and desktop effects.

I have avoided Vim and Emac controvacy.

Firefox, Bluefish and Thunderbird are my favorites.

Richard Stallman, a Brave Humanist

 Richard Stallman

A Brave Humanist

It is very difficult to describe this unique character called Richard Stallman. 

Having listened to his views, I have used two words to describe him in essence but have decided to devote a chapter on his behalf, in my book "Linux Essentials".

He was asked what is his religion and he joking have said his religion is Ignaseous and the Church is E-Max (which is a text editor in Linux).

He can be better described as a philosopher.

What a philosopher does is to bring out a concept out of his or her own thinking process (arena) which has not been discovered or postulated before. The beauty of this new concept is, it outlasts, the person who creates it and the rest of the humanity grasps, it with delight.

Freedom is such a concept.

Add this concept, to emerging technology is very difficult but that is what he did. He formulated, the laws underlying the Free Software and that was his contribution. In of his own words, the term Open Software, misrepresents and corrupts, his original intention laid down by Four Principles.

In a summary form, Free and Open Source Source grants any user four essential freedoms.

The freedom to run the program for any purpose

The freedom to study and modify the program

The freedom to redistribute copies of the original or modified program

The freedom to distribute modified versions of the program

These principles are very much similar to Buddhist way of thinking.

 

Dhamma (Principle of Truth) Dhanam, Subbha Dhanam Jinati.

 

In other words, Gift of Knowledge is the best Gift of all.

 

Coming from a Buddhist background grasping Linux Principles was pretty easy for me. 

Having said that, I have a funny way of coming back to Rebirth Principle, over an over again. It is a bit of an obsession. 

I have another principle, called “Uncertainty Principle”.

 

Let me apply these Principles to Richard Stallman.

 

I think, Richard Stallman in his previous birth was born as a Buddhist. I do not think that country was Ceylon but may be Thailand.

The base of his concept is for humanity.

Source Code should be shared with the entire humanity.

It does not belong to corporate clients.

It is not a capitalistic venture.

It is social and progressive.

This idea has to be shared.

By sharing and modifying it expands beyond its origin and spread to the far corners of this world.

 

To propagate Buddhism (The Essential Truth), at a cross road two monks should not walk along the same path.

 

Even a good concept, given time is bound by the Uncertainty Principle and gradually disappears, into thin air.

 

This is happening to Free Software.

 

It is wrapped in another verbiage called Open Sources and the Freedom disappears and little bit of other things from proprietary stuff is added on top, blurring the very Principle of Freedom.

 

This pieces is not about FOSS but about the man who created it.

 

In essence he is global man with democratic vision.

 

He does not use force to spread his message.

The conviction is his force and not coercion which is the corporate tool.

 

Its the ordinary people vs elite, a sound philosophy.

 

Greater good not a moral code like in a religion.

It is an ethical issue. 

 

Copyright and unjust trade agreements are not its mode of distribution.

Digital Rights Management is vicious encroachment on these principles. 

Good examples are Google’s Androids, Apple’s Mac, Microsoft’s Windows and Amazon’s Web Services. 

They manufactured consent to use these products and sideline Free and Open Software. 

Uncertainty Principle hard at work to destroy a simple and benign force.

Richard Stallman’s ideas have no boundaries or limitations but the corporate giants create this misconception that, if one pays for something one gets a better product.  

What is amazing is these ideas which should have come from either Russia and China is coming from America and in that respect, he is a Reborn Guy from an Buddhist country in Asia, has some valid credence.

Listen to Richard Stallman on YouTube

Listen to Richard Stallman on YouTube

Having Listen to Richard Stallman on YouTube, I have erased Ubuntu vestige in my NUC and installed the fourth copy of Debian Gnome.

By the way, except for testing I rarely use Ununtu.

Do not try Calamara but go to the old Graphic Installer of Debian. Calamara is Debian independent installer.

Debian minimum requirement are;

1GB of RAM.

6GB of hard disk

Root permission to Install (on the hard disk).

Use Gparted to partition the disk.

/boot of 725 MB

/root of 13GB

/home of 4GB

2 swap partitions are already, there.

no var

LibreOffice is already there.

I added (all these are not available for Ubuntu in SNAP packages). 

That is the very reason for erasing Ubuntu.

1. AbiWord

2. Stacer

3. Ranger

4. Notepadqq

5. Red Note Book 

6. Gparted

7. Gnome Pie

8. Software, Already there

9. Synaptic Package Manager, already there

10. VLC

11. GIMP

12. Bleachbit

13. KDE Spectacle

14. Kdenlive

I have 0.5GB left in the root file (warning has already come) and 3.5GG left in my home folder.

That is it.

Variety and Spectacle Utilities in Linux

Variety and Spectacle Utilities in Linux

In my investigation of Linux utilities, I accidentally, found two very interesting utilities.

Number one is Variety, it gives one a soothing desktop animation and effects with lot of very simple customization.

What I really like is the large Time, Day and Month display on the desktop.

It can be connected to the Internet for variety of images.

The second item is Spectacle that one can take a screen-shot with or without animations. 

Apart from them I downloaded

1. Stacer

2. Ranger

3. Notepadqq

4. Sweeper

5. Gnome-pie

6. Gnome teaks 

The heavy weights are 

7. Scribus

8. Blender

9. Inkscape

10. Kdenlive

11. Transmission

12. Deluge

13. Box

14. VLC

15. Audacity

16. Clapper

17. AbiWord

18. Xournal ++

19. Rednotebook

20. Evolution

21. Bluefish

22. Synaptic Package Manager, my favorite 

23. SNAP software which I rarely use.

24. LibreOffice

25. Lot of file managers and 4Pane is excellent.

26. Lot of simple games both Gnome and KDE.

All these has taken little over 11GB and I have 12GB left in my home folder without Iso images.

27. All the Iso images are in NTFS partition and it has only one ARCH Linux derivative.

ARCH Linux and its derivatives cannot be tested live on Gnome BOX Utility. So I do not bother with ARCH.

28. I have enough data for my book on "Linux Essentials".

 

By the way, this site is not a gossip column.

With elections all over, including Ceylon, I have no interest in politics at all.

Guys who are in politics are mostly impotent scoundrels and when see Nancy Pelocy, Joe Biden and Democratic Party, it looks like USA Hegemony is in a Cliff Edge.

Good on America!.