Frugal install or full install with 512 MB RAM? The solution

[gilles]

Hello,

At home, I use a computer Acer Aspire RAM 4 GO, HDD 500 Go.

When I travel, I use a very small computer Asus Eee PC 4G, Ram 512 Mo, for two reasons : it is small and especially, nobody will want to steal it.

With my Acer (HDD with windows), I prefer puppy linux Xenial 32 bits in "frugal install". The advantage of the frugal install is that you can copy the pupave to another USB. Then, if something doesn't work anymore, you can remove the pupsave from the installation, and paste the pupsave kept on the other USB.

With my little computer for travel, Asus, I had a problem. I had raring in full install and it is not possible to install an updated 32 bits browser. Now, even if I'm a bit too optimistic, I plan, in a few months, to be able to travel around the world again.

My problem was, that despite many attempts, no modern linux puppy can work properly in frugal install with this little Asus because of its weak capabilities. I wrote several posts on this forum to try to find solutions.

For those who have the same problem, I explain how I solved the problem.

So, since the frugal install did not work with this little Asus, with modern linux puppies, I tried a full install. I had various problems with Xenial and hirsute. Finally, I tried Bionic 32 bits in full install, after having, in vain, tried the frugal install.
And there, contrary to the frugal install, it works perfectly using the web browser slimjet-27.0.7.0-i686 found there : [url][https://disk.yandex.com/d/fd8rBM0WoF9sB ... show=1/url]

Then, I installed this french langpack : langpack _fr-20130304.pet

The only problem is the unsatisfactory videos on youtube. The perfect solution is to download the video. It is very easy : inside Slimjet there is a youtubevideo downloader, or you can do it with https://fr.savefrom.net/11/ and then move the video to a USB. And there, everything works perfectly.

So, if it is true that the frugal install is to be preferred for recent computers, it is no less true that with old computers, so limited that a frugal install can not work, it is then necessary to make a full install.

Still for those who would have the same problems, I continue:

Then, I still had some issues to deal with, one with Abiword, another one with small resolution problem since I could not see the bottom of some windows, and another one with videos on youtube.

- Abiword, I wanted to save texts, by default, in .odt, that is to say compatible with word, and, in addition, the saved texts always had a blank first page.
I solved these two problems at the same time in the following way: I opened geany, and gone to /usr/share/abiword-3.0/system.profile-fr-FR, then I added a line to get this :
Code:
<SystemDefaults
   DefaultSaveFormat=".odt"
   RulerUnits="cm"
then, save.

- Resolution: Since the resolution of this little computer is 800x480, with geany, I created a new script :
#!/bin/sh
xrandr --output LVDS1 --mode 800x480 --panning 800x620

I named the file xrandr-p800x620
Then, "save as" in ~/Startup
Then, with Rox, I went to this new file, selected it, then right click, then "permissions", then "make executable", then, "quiet"

Everything is perfect thanks to this full install on this small, and very old, computer with, however, very limited capacities.

By the way, wasn't puppy linux originally created, precisely, to give life back to very old computers with very limited capacities?

[Clarity]

I don't do Frugals anymore. Been using a better way for past 20 months for all modern WoofCE PUPs. Direct boot the ISO file and skip the Frugal handling altogether. No setup and no fuss.

When eeePC ("32bit Netbook") issues began appearing a couple weeks ago, I dug out a eeePC that I cannot give away. If I could I would. And I am too environmentally conscious to just dump it into the trash, as I try to donate to servicer who will recycle or reuse. I had placed this unit at a local computer repair shop for give-away and NO ONE would take, sorry to say. So the owner called after a year and ask me to pick it up. I did and its in my storage waiting for some idea to do with it, as NO local donation services in my area take 32bit PCs anymore.

It was lousy when purchased in 2008 and it remain a piece of crap! But, I own it and keep it hoping for some creative ideas or recipient. As $15(ca) RasPi runs better in Linux tests.

So, when another member was asking about booting issues, I pulled it out for boot tests.

I have not done a Frugal since Dec 2019. I have found no need to do so. I download PUPs to the SG2D USB stick and booted directly from WoofCE PUP-DOG ISO files and saving the sessions to a ext2 partition. (I do this everywhere, today.)

So, I pulled the eeePC out of storage, added few 32bit modern PUPs and tested the ISO file boots to it.

My tests

• Slacko V7 - works fine, but does NOT discover the Wifi adapter for setup.

• ScPUP32 - don't remember, but think it booted

• UPupFF+D-20.12+8 - Works and discovers Wifi adapter

• UPupGG+D-20.10+5 - don't remember, but think it booted

• UPupHH+D-21.04 - Works and discovers Wifi adapter

Basically, they all booted with couple not discovering the Wifi adapter at boot.

The desk navigations works fine and the pad tracks correctly. The apps all work: PUP and this 32bit Atom processor eeePC is a match.

So anyone interested, PM me its yours if you pay the freight! I'm too old for this piece of ....

Most important is that I have NO boot issues and I have NO Wifi issues when using as reported above.

[wiak]

I don't do Frugals anymore. Been using a better way for past 20 months for all modern WoofCE PUPs. Direct boot the ISO file and skip the Frugal handling altogether. No setup and no fuss.

When eeePC ("32bit Netbook") issues began appearing a couple weeks ago, I dug out a eeePC that I cannot give away. If I could I would. And I am too environmentally conscious to just dump it into the trash, as I try to donate to servicer who will recycle or reuse. I had placed this unit at a local computer repair shop for give-away and NO ONE would take, sorry to say. So the owner called after a year and ask me to pick it up. I did and its in my storage waiting for some idea to do with it, as NO local donation services in my area take 32bit PCs anymore.

I know what you mean, about the iso method, but that remains a 'frugal' install (just different to the usual) in my view of the meaning.

As for something useful to do with that old eeePC... I believe they don't consume a lot of power - whilst not much use as a desktop laptop, I think it would prove useful as a Zoneminder server using one of rockedge's creations for that purpose - or even as a webserver more generally.

[gilles]

Hello,
Big improvement with another web browser.
So, I edited the first message.

[bigpup]

You can get a frugal install to boot using the lowest amount of memory, by using a specific optional command, added to the boot menu entry.

Code: Select all

pfix=nocopy

It commands the boot process to do not copy .sfs to RAM
(faster boot, slower running)
The slower running, is when starting a program, because everything needed, has to now be loaded into RAM.
But after that, the program runs normally.

Example edit of a boot menu entry:

menuentry "fossapup64 9.0.5 - Don't copy SFS files to RAM"
linux /vmlinuz pfix=nocopy,fsck pmedia=usbflash
initrd /initrd.gz

Try editing the menu entry config file, used by whatever boot loader you use, to boot, and add the pfix=nocopy.
Try it for a little time and see how it runs.

You can check memory usage by entering this in a terminal/consol

Code: Select all

free

Check memory usage, before and after the edit, to see how much it changes.

[gilles]

Hello,
When I travel I use my little Asus Eee PC 4G that nobody will want to steal, instead of my usual computer.
Although when I travel I just need Abiword and email, just by curiosity I tried to solve the only problem with this Eee PC 4G: youtube videos.

On Internet, I found where to buy a 2GB RAM module for 15 euros (17 US dollars). But it seems that this new RAM is not properly supported by the Eee PC 4G. But, lowering the video quality on youtube to the minimum (144p), it is almost perfect.

I wonder if by acting on the BionicPup32 CPU Frequency Scaling Tool 0.8.1 (menu - system - CPU frequency adjustment) it would be possible to improve things further? I have this: https://1drv.ms/u/s!Asu_bDH-TJA5ab4rCks ... o?e=FcHqlB and this:https://1drv.ms/u/s!Asu_bDH-TJA5aG5Jtgmvd4ItnI?e=5Lhoue

Thank you

[bigpup]

CPU Frequency Scaling Tool set to performance is the best setting for this low a powered processor.
That should make it run at it's top best ability at all times.

Playing videos is more about the graphics hardware ability than the processor.