edit: 1-20-24 Don't try to follow the instructions for eliminating the password for pkexec in this thread. I'll post files for people to copy and paste in a separate thread soon.
I decided to give MX Linux a try. https://mxlinux.org/current-release-features/
It's basically a heavyweight Debian Bookworm version of anti-X. The iso is a little over 2 gig. I installed the xfce version.
It has a dizzying array of installation options, even compared to Puppy, but "frugal persist root" seems the closest to Pupmode 13/DD save on exit.
I made one attempt at a manual frugal install and then put it on a usb stick and followed the instructions to make a hard drive frugal install which is enabled by the "persist_root" in grub2. It's using a compressed file for save instead of a folder. I didn't find an option to use a save folder instead of a save file on my 1st time through, but that doesn't mean there isn't one.
It generated the following grub2 entry from the install program.
menuentry "MX 23.1 (Libretto) Frugal Install" {
insmod part_msdos
insmod part_gpt
insmod ext2
search --no-floppy --set=root --fs-uuid 2618304c-b5be-4cdc-bcc4-5eee052fdsada
linux /antiX-Frugal-6.1.0-13-amd64/vmlinuz bdir=antiX-Frugal-6.1.0-13-amd64 buuid=2618304c-b5be-4cdc-bcc4-5eeesafda quiet splasht nosplash lang=en_US kbd=us tz=America/Chicago persist_root
initrd /antiX-Frugal-6.1.0-13-amd64/initrd.gz
}
It's co-existing fine with other puppy, dog, and Windows install.
It defaults to a regular user "demo", but it doesn't keep you from logging in and running as root. Obviously the typing your password in over and over is unacceptable and has to go one way or another.
I was able to get it up and running, install chrome and some other stuff, uninstall firefox and thunderbird, remaster it and install the remastered version to a usb key on the 1st time through just by following the prompts. IMHO, the install program on the usb key that sets the timezone and install options from the usb key boot menu and the remaster program are both worth looking at for puppy dev's.
Not for old Windows 7 or 8 era machines, but it runs okay on my cheap W 10 era laptop (although obviously not as fast as Puppy and various dogs).
It doesn't have a save on demand button like Puppy in Pupmode 13, but you can choose from ask to save on exit, auto save on exit, or you are on your own. It asks you, checks for space, and then asks you again. I might ask on their forum about streamlining that.
Totally stable so far on crappy hardware and very professionally done.
edit: to get rid of the annoying xfce collapsing scroll bars, add
Code: Select all
GTK_OVERLAY_SCROLLING=0
to etc/environment. MX has created themes specifically to add thicker borders to windows so you can actually drag to resize them, which is good. Adding them do xfce based kennel pups might be nice.
edit again: had to add
Code: Select all
[global]
client min protocol = NT1
to smb.conf file to get it to see my apparently obsolete samba shares.
https://forum.mxlinux.org/viewtopic.php ... 57#p756557 explains all the different modes.
edit again: to complete the removal of the need to type you password over and over again, change "pkexec" to "sudo" for custom actions like "open root thunar here" in thunar.