Puppy Linux vs Kali Linux: which is better for a beginner?

[Melony]

Hello everyone, I'm new to Linux.
Can you tell me which is better for a beginner Puppy Linux or Kali Linux?
Or would you recommend another distribution?

[pp4mnklinux]

Hi @Melony and welcome to puppy.

I can talk about what you asked us, but I can resume in one sentence: "Puppy Linux and Kali Linux serve very different purposes and are designed for different types of users, so the choice between the two will depend on what you want to achieve".

My option, as you can imagine, PUPPY, but I invite you to try... its not a final derivative, but it makes you crazy..... F96CE_XFCE_FUSILLI.

You can see videos searching on the net, because although it is new and it has been working only some days... people are motivated about it.

GIVE IT A TRY....

Take a look at it....... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bhyd9PdUU6o and please, comment if you want and share your oppinion.-

THANKY

[wizard]

Kali LInux is a security testing distribution, not good for beginners or for general purpose computing. I would suggest Friendly-Fossa64 for a beginner since it has added help files included. Here is a link where you can find it.
viewtopic.php?t=4681
You should also consider reading topics from here:
viewforum.php?f=184

wizard

[rockedge]

I also would recommend Friendly-Fossa64 which has the same overall power that the other Fossapup versions have. Yet is even more user friendly.

[mikewalsh]

@Melony :-

Jeez-us. What IS it with noobs and Kali?

In general, you'll get short shrift from the majority of fora as soon as you mention the fateful words "Kali Linux". Everybody "in the know" is fully aware that beginners have absolutely no business even looking at Kali, much less considering trying to start their Linux "journey" with it. Most fora will do one of two things; either jeer at you, and make fun of you.....or else, outright ignore you. Because the sad fact is that almost all queries about Kali made on Linux fora come from complete beginners, who have been watching episodes of "Mr. Robot" and seem to have formed the opinion that the life-style of a hacker is COOL.

The Kali developers themselves make it quite clear, here:-

https://www.kali.org/docs/introduction/ ... ali-linux/

.....that their distro is NOT for general, day-to-day use. Even Linux veterans often have problems with it.

-----------------------------------------------

Top & bottom of the matter, it boils down to this: if you're considering using Kali, then you should already possess sufficient Linux knowledge and experience to not NEED to ask for help.

Puppy's FAR more fun.....AND a lot more friendly. And so is its community!

Mike.

[mikeslr]

As others have stated, Kali is designed to provide maximum security but is not user-friendly. The previous posts have suggested a couple versions of Puppy which are particularly user-friendly; but then compared to Kali most versions of Puppy are. So what I'll explain is how you can run ANY version of Puppy Linux providing as much, perhaps more, security than Kali.

Puppys --even when located on a hard-drive are designed as portable operating systems. They achieve that by --for the most part-- operating entirely in RAM. For technical details, read How Puppys Work, https://www.forum.puppylinux.com/viewto ... 827#p55827 and How Puppy Linux Save Works, https://www.forum.puppylinux.com/viewto ... 818#p63818. But a simplified, layman's version is this:
Puppy's operating system is modular consisting of vmlinuz (the engine and platform upon which applications are built and run) initrd (the initial RAM-Disk) creating a virtual disk in RAM with instructions as to what other files are to be copied into RAM; the base-file-system.sfs (SFS means Squashed file-system) containing the window-manager, file-manager and the such other applications as its creator thought were necessary or generally wanted; a zdrv.sfs containing drivers required to communicate with your computer's hardware; and an fdrv.sfs (containing firmware) also required to communicate with hardware. ALL of these are READ-ONLY: they can not be directly* written to. They are copied into RAM on boot-up and their files accessed from there. Although a successful hacker could modify the files in RAM, on shut-down RAM is wiped clean. On Reboot you are once again operating with a pristine system if you are not employing a SaveFile/Folder..

A SaveFile or SaveFolder is a READ-WRITE system. It can be used to include applications not provided by the Puppy creator; and to customize system and application settings; e.g. your wifi choice and password. However, there's an application you can use which creates READ-ONLY file-system, capturing the content of or would otherwise be preserved in a SaveFile/Folder. That application is the Save2SFS module of nicOS-Utility-Suite. It may already be built-into your Puppy. If not, it can be downloaded from here, https://www.forum.puppylinux.com/viewto ... 983#p12983.
Once you've captured all your desired applications and settings in an adrv.sfs or ydrv.sfs you can delete (or move so it won't be used) the SaveFile/Folder you may have used while creating it. When such Puppy is booted, everything will be in RAM. If booted from a USB-Key, you can unplug the Key: It's pretty hard to hack a system which isn't there. If booted from a hard-drive, the partition or drive on which Puppy's files are located is dismounted. It's files can not be accessed, modified or deleted until mounted.

Setting Puppy up that way may seem complicated. But it's nothing even a newbie can't handle, perhaps with a little reading.

I'll should mention two 'Puppy-Like' operating systems specifically designed for security: EasyOS, https://www.forum.puppylinux.com/viewforum.php?f=63 and puli, https://www.forum.puppylinux.com/viewto ... 358#p52358. EasyOS can run applications, even an entire operating system, in a container such that any hacker would not be able to access your main operating system. Puli includes applications to sense attempts by hackers and prevent hacking. But I don't consider either EasyOS or Puli 'user-friendly'.

-=-=-=-=-=-
* To modify a READ-ONLY file-system you have to mount it, copy its contents into a folder, change the contents of that folder, package that folder as a new SFS, and replace the old SFS with the modified version.

[cobaka]

@Melony "woof"

Until 2018-9 I used only Windows. Windows is a great OS, but some-one whispered "Puppy Linux" and now I'm writing about my experience installing/using 'the Puppy'. There are a number of 'Puppy kennels' availalble. By chance I ended with uPupBB-32 not one of the other (equally functional) versions of Puppy. I used it [32-bit Puppy] for a long time - even on 64-bit machines. I'm not recommending uPupBB-32 (or Friendly Puppy) over the others. I just say it worked for me. But now - I'm writing from a 64-bit Linux box.

How I got started. I got into Puppy Linux by making a bootable CD using Windows with Nero (CD burning software). With that I created several bootable CDs (ISOs) from various Puppy kennels. Note: take care not to mix the save-file between kennels. Grief will follow.

You should mention your system capability. If you still run a 32-bit CPU I recommend uPupBB-32 or (better still) Friendly-Bionic-32.
At the moment I'm using uPupBB-64 but (to a small degree) I found '32-bit' suited my needs better. (Applies if you use bash/terminal.)
Later I installed 'Friendly Puppy (32)' on a friend's 64-bit machine. Jane told me she preferred the 32-bit background screen to Puppy-64. Anyway, she used it an said, "Wow - this thing is fast!" And 'If I wanted to do this using Windows - I'd still be waiting'. So that's the experience of one person. (or two if you count me as a 'person' - woof!

Listen to what others say about different kennels because (by mere chance) I only used uPupBB and I'm biased.

OK - you can boot from CD and you'll quickly have internet connection running after you boot.
Really - getting Puppy working is a dream if you have a CD. Others here will quickly tell you there are apps 'out there' that will create 'Puppy-on-a-stick' and do that in Windows. So there are more ways to kill a cat than by drowning it in butter. Once I had a single version of 'the Puppy' running others I quickly found 'Puppy' was self-replicating.

Once you have Puppy running (whether from CD or thumb-drive) you can create a few boot-able installation disks.
Do that - and use good quality thumb-drives, not some unknown brand. (Even 'good' thumbs can die prematurely. Ask me how I know ...)

I spent some time learning how to use GParted (partition editor) and a boot-strap loader. There are a few around; I used Grub-4-DOS.
These are easy to use, but need a tiny amount of tuition. Ask here if you need a pointer.

Next: Avoid this BIG mistake. Puppy comes with a very basic word-processor. It has bugs - Libre Office is capable and reliable.
Now the big mistake. Don't find/install Libre-Office using google/download/<click>. Use Puppy Packet Manager.
menu -> setup -> Puppy Packet Manager -> <your-application>

Now - even after 5 years I still consider my knowledge of 'the Puppy' limited, so you are reading the experience of a novice here.
I can say this: Driving Puppy Linux is like getting into a manual after driving an automatic. It has a different 'feel'. The menu structure is different. (Not better. Not worse. Different.) Windows tries to isolate 'the user' from the Operating System. You can mix/match upper-case/lower-case file names. That's because Windows caters for the novice programmer who does not read too well. Puppy/Linux treats u-case/l-case names as animals from a different zoo. Linux is a minimal system because it assumes you (the user) has some knowledge. The advantage of a minimalist system? The OS code for Linux is one-sixth the size of the code in Windows. Less code -> less bugs. Less code -> runs faster. It's a good trade!

AND Linux does some things in a really cool way! You'll discover that - just like I did.
You can try 'the Puppy' and leave whatever OS you are using at the moment untouched. Try 'the Puppy'.
You have nothing to lose - but your smoker's cough. Woof.

cobaka.

[GG_grandpa]

I can't speak about Kali, but I agree with the various endorsements of Friendly FossaPup. I've tried several different flavors of Puppy, including the alleged "most recent" based on slackware 15. I find the year old version of FriendlyFossaPup (built around the two year old FossaPup64) actually contains more recent versions of software than the "newer" Slacko15. When you consider the additional documentation in FriendlyFossaPup, it is easily the best choice for a beginner.

regards,
Joe

[Melony]

@Melony :-

Jeez-us. What IS it with noobs and Kali?

In general, you'll get short shrift from the majority of fora as soon as you mention the fateful words "Kali Linux". Everybody "in the know" is fully aware that beginners have absolutely no business even looking at Kali, much less considering trying to start their Linux "journey" with it. Most fora will do one of two things; either jeer at you, and make fun of you.....or else, outright ignore you. Because the sad fact is that almost all queries about Kali made on Linux fora come from complete beginners, who have been watching episodes of "Mr. Robot" and seem to have formed the opinion that the life-style of a hacker is COOL.

The Kali developers themselves make it quite clear, here:-

https://www.kali.org/docs/introduction/ ... ali-linux/

.....that their distro is NOT for general, day-to-day use. Even Linux veterans often have problems with it.

-----------------------------------------------

Top & bottom of the matter, it boils down to this: if you're considering using Kali, then you should already possess sufficient Linux knowledge and experience to not NEED to ask for help.

Puppy's FAR more fun.....AND a lot more friendly. And so is its community!

Mike.

Thank you for your reply! Now I realize that Kali is not for me
Actually, I don't know why I thought Kali would be right for me. I've been reading a lot of information about different distributions these days, so maybe I confused Kali with another one...

[Melony]

Thank you very much for your answers! You have helped me a lot!
Now I know exactly where to start learning Linux!

[williwaw]

Thank you very much for your answers! You have helped me a lot!
Now I know exactly where to start learning Linux!

one thing different about puppy is that it can be installed frugally, that is, once you get your USB (or hard drive) set up with your first puppy, its easy to add additional puppys without having to do a new install

As GG mentioned, Friendly has good documentation, as does EasyOs

[Fossil]

Suffice to say that all the debating in the world won't further your ambitions; the only thing to do is jump in and try Puppy Linux! What is there to lose, even if you at a later date choose to move on elsewhere (I bet you don't!) in the interim you will have gained a substantial amount of knowledge which is never a wasted gift! Welcome to the forum.