EasyOS simplification plans afoot

[BarryK]

Here is the first instalment:

https://bkhome.org/news/202206/complete ... asyos.html

Still a lot of things to do. Then at the end, most of the tutorials I have written will have to be rewritten!

[tosim]

Outstanding! Thanks for ALL YOU DO!

[rudyt]

In today's blog posting, you wrote:

The installation of EasyOS, that we describe as a "frugal" install -- Puppy Linux parlance -- can be in any Linux partition, preferably ext4, in any folder or sub-folder. It has been a secret, but a save-file in an ntfs partition is also supported.

You can't just throw out a comment like that and not give us more info

The only thing that's stopping me from using EasyOS on this particular laptop is that it's a work laptop with only NTFS partitions. I am forced to use frugal FossaPup install booting off a USB stick with a single file savefile on the harddrive (NTFS). I'd love to be able to do the same in EasyOS.

[williwaw]

The only thing that's stopping me from using EasyOS on this particular laptop is that it's a work laptop with only NTFS partitions. I am forced to use frugal FossaPup install booting off a USB stick with a single file savefile on the harddrive (NTFS). I'd love to be able to do the same in EasyOS.

Can't you keep your saves on the USB stick you boot with?

[williwaw]

Here is the first instalment:

https://bkhome.org/news/202206/complete ... asyos.html

Still a lot of things to do. Then at the end, most of the tutorials I have written will have to be rewritten!

The variable "TIMEOUT=0" means to wait zero seconds, so the menu won't display. This is because I don't want to offer choices here. Instead, I am planning to offer boot choices in the initrd.

Will the choices be boot-time choices or shutdown-time choices, or maybe both? (I'm presuming you will retain the current qfix= parameters.)

[rudyt]

Can't you keep your saves on the USB stick you boot with?

Sure, that's what I do now with EasyOS, but it's slow as molasses compared to the internal SSD.

With my traditional single file savefile puppies (BionicPup, FossaPup, Slacko, etc.), once I boot from the USB, the stick is no longer mounted and I remove it, having nothing sticking out of my laptop and have another available USB port.

[Clarity]

Can't you keep your saves on the USB stick you boot with?

I would NOT recommend this, as USB sticks perform horribly, contrary to popular belief that USB are like system drives...they are not and was NEVER designed as such. (But, manufacturer changes are afoot on USB; both, specs, mediums, as well as controllers)

Session Saves for Puppy Linux (NOT EASYOS) have not embraced full use on an NTFS to match the full use on a EXTn (where n=2 or 3 or 4).

NTFS has been recently "embraced" in Linux kernel. Thus NTFS security and Linux format security should become equivalent, if not already so. Thus, things like symbolics will work no matter if partitions are EXTn or NTFS (standard or compressed). This, comment if optimistic on my part.

Just some info.

[Clarity]

@BarryK , I applaud your uncoupling of the system from the boot manager such that the system is independently separate. This way, both your BM and the Puppy Linux BM can become one across the board: The advantage is that the community, developers + users who understands GRUB2-EFI, which has been in use for several years by PUPs & DOGs, can be used for EASYOS as well, in the future.

Great thinking outside of the box.

[BarryK]

Here is the next installment:

https://bkhome.org/news/202206/ask-ext4 ... -menu.html

Regarding ntfs save-file, I implemented that sometime ago, but never tested it.
This is if you do a frugal install to a ntfs partition, at bootup Easy will see that it is not a Linux partition and will create a save-file, and those folders 'containers', 'releases', sfs', etc will get created in the save-file.

Never tested, I will have to test it, coz it most likely will need something to be fixed.

Note, I have configured the kernel to use the old ntfs-fuse driver, not the new ntfs3 that got merged into the kernel awhile back.

I am forgetting... I implemented the save-file mid-2021, and did test it.
The save-file was implemented as a "sparse file", almost the size of free space in the ntfs partition, so the partititon never has to be resized. What I do recall is it was very slow, so lost interest. Blogs from back then:

https://bkhome.org/news/202105/automati ... puppy.html

https://bkhome.org/news/202105/easyos-n ... -file.html

Found where I reported on the slow performance:

https://bkhome.org/news/202105/pie-exec ... again.html

A lot of water under the bridge since then, so might need some fixes.

[williwaw]

Here is the next installment:

https://bkhome.org/news/202206/ask-ext4 ... -menu.html

...only two entries there for, now, to test the concept. There is a third entry, that will only appear if you are in lockdown mode, offering to restore normal bootup....

So, you get all bootup choices, either at shutdown or in the initrd at bootup, and you only need to create one entry for EasyOS in the boot manager.

Having some options at boot time is a nice feature! (and sort of a puppy tradition, too)
thanks

Would it be appropriate to also include a choice for qfix=ram "Rollback to last saved session", and maybe qfix=new "Rollback to pristine first-boot", to address a possible scenario where a previous save or update breaks something essential for booting properly?

[BarryK]

Would it be appropriate to also include a choice for qfix=ram "Rollback to last saved session", and maybe qfix=new "Rollback to pristine first-boot", to address a possible scenario where a previous save or update breaks something essential for booting properly?

Yes, should be able to put that in for 4.2. Which intend to build tonight, then some basic testing that it is sane.