Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

amethyst wrote:

What happened is that my post was published with the other user's quotation but without my replied text field. Strange.

That is strange! I think I've seen this also but feel like it was a bug that is fixed in v 3.3.4...which we will see. When I did the murga conversions the first few results showed a similar thing, which caused me to trash the database and start over. Lets keep this in mind and if you run into it again, make a note of it and we can examine it closer.

Sometimes the answer text showed and the quoted stanza was missing!

by JASpup: what I want, at the expense of ram, is to copy a static config each session

See viewtopic.php?p=23070#p23070

@JASpup - once you have made an .sfs, if you want to make simple updates, this may help:
https://oldforum.puppylinux.com/viewtop ... 7#p1028687

amethyst wrote: ↑Thu May 13, 2021 3:55 pm

The browser will write new stuff to its folder when in use during a session. The only way to discard this, is not to save it. So either, run without a savefile or with a savefile but not saving your session (providing the browser configiration/cache is in the running filesystem). Personally, I don't mind the continual browser changes, I just clear the browser cache every now and then (it's also set to a size limit). My browser stuff is moved out of the running filesystem as mentioned. You can add your initial browser configuration to your browser extra sfs as suggested (no need to load it to RAM first).

Do you mean the config folder, or the app folder (e.g., /opt/palemoon)?

When newer versions like Firefox force updates, I would expect the answer is both. I don't want anything to change without my hand in it.

What can we do to control our systems?

One config idea I had since yesterday is copying a static config symlink to ram instead of just leaving a config on media to get modified. That's one extra step in a script but it would work.

I use so many browsers I'm really creating an albatross. I feel technical enough to understand pitfalls, but not advanced to command how everything works (e.g., one of the reasons I use multiple browsers is for the creepy big-brother identity tracking - i'll use different browsers for different gmail accounts [for example] - maybe this saves a little dignity).

We wrote a little about this recently: I collect changes 'til there are a few and make them right after boot before saving or doing anything else that would wind up in the save.

I haven't created an SFS yet from scratch yet, so it will be interesting to see how that goes. With what I wrote first here it may just be for the browser(s)+dependencies and not configs.

The archive must be a selective directory structure that lays atop the existing one in multiple locations without conflict.

williams2 wrote: ↑Thu May 13, 2021 7:14 pm

See viewtopic.php?p=23070#p23070

Other than your Firefox script as similar is the fate of the cognizant, this is the bit from the op of significance to me:

s243a wrote: ↑Sat Apr 17, 2021 2:07 am

However, an acceptable alternative is to only keep the changes to in ram.

If one copies the sfs file to ram then the standard puppy options "udba=reval,diropq=w" will minimize the amount of files that propagate up to the changes folder. However, if one only has the changes in ram then one may want to omit these options so more files from the lower layer get propagated into ram.

It is also ahead of my experience level, for a bookmark.

A topic I don't see advanced users addressing is the performance implications of updates. We're not experiencing linear performance.

It appears as if new sites are trying to negotiate their contemporary (technical) designs with old browsers, where a new browser version benchmarks faster, even though the browser itself is bloated with new code and features.

Ergo, if the interest is in performance, after considering media/location of the app, there's probably a 'sweet spot' version that is neither the newest version with all its vaunted security updates, nor the oldest version of the browser you can get to open the page.

If it were facile to keep only browser changes in ram, I would do it, but I have to understand it first.

JASpup wrote: ↑Fri May 14, 2021 4:08 am

amethyst wrote: ↑Thu May 13, 2021 3:55 pm

The browser will write new stuff to its folder when in use during a session. The only way to discard this, is not to save it. So either, run without a savefile or with a savefile but not saving your session (providing the browser configiration/cache is in the running filesystem). Personally, I don't mind the continual browser changes, I just clear the browser cache every now and then (it's also set to a size limit). My browser stuff is moved out of the running filesystem as mentioned. You can add your initial browser configuration to your browser extra sfs as suggested (no need to load it to RAM first).

Do you mean the config folder, or the app folder (e.g., /opt/palemoon)?

When newer versions like Firefox force updates, I would expect the answer is both. I don't want anything to change without my hand in it.

What can we do to control our systems?

One config idea I had since yesterday is copying a static config symlink to ram instead of just leaving a config on media to get modified. That's one extra step in a script but it would work.

I use so many browsers I'm really creating an albatross. I feel technical enough to understand pitfalls, but not advanced to command how everything works (e.g., one of the reasons I use multiple browsers is for the creepy big-brother identity tracking - i'll use different browsers for different gmail accounts [for example] - maybe this saves a little dignity).

We wrote a little about this recently: I collect changes 'til there are a few and make them right after boot before saving or doing anything else that would wind up in the save.

I haven't created an SFS yet from scratch yet, so it will be interesting to see how that goes. With what I wrote first here it may just be for the browser(s)+dependencies and not configs.

The archive must be a selective directory structure that lays atop the existing one in multiple locations without conflict.

The config folder. I think you have enough answers/suggestions here from different posters to make an informed decision. READ THEM CAREFULLY AND TRY THEM and see what works best for your setup.

A friendly word of advice: Focus on getting one thing right, then move on to your next obstacle. You seem to have too many things on your mind which you all want to solve at once. You are confusing yourself. You need time to learn how things work, it's not going to happen overnight.

amethyst wrote: ↑Fri May 14, 2021 6:31 am

The config folder. I think you have enough answers/suggestions here from different posters to make an informed decision. READ THEM CAREFULLY AND TRY THEM and see what works best for your setup.

A friendly word of advice: Focus on getting one thing right, then move on to your next obstacle. You seem to have too many things on your mind which you all want to solve at once. You are confusing yourself.

I agree. Even more than confusion it's wastefully burdensome with complex options. I enjoy the learning part, yet that's the only productivity. Don't tell the boss.

I'm in Tahr XFCE now manually installed from the PPM.

It's my biggest pupsave at about 750M. It looks excellent but unrefined is functionally rough around the edges vs. X-Tahr. I guess this is just the xfce-colors theme with the default windows manager theme + nuoveXT.2.2 Icon Theme for LXDE... snazzy.

I'm going to try to focus on JWM and XFCE (separately) in Xenial, booting others on very focused occasions.

I've seen no 32 Xenial XFCE puplet so that will be another project if I insist on this great old keyboard. Also no experience evidence LXDE is more efficient than XFCE.

Maybe this will be my excuse to experiment with alphabet drives (putting 32 Xenial on ydrv from the PPM).

Peebea continues to release ydrvs for esoteric uses.

Yes, the Firefox config folder will change, but if it's forcing updates, it appears to be also altering the standalone Firefox which I'm using now, 78.6. Firefox is probably the best browser to stay current on older distros, but I need to control it updating.

JASpup wrote: ↑Fri May 14, 2021 7:11 am

amethyst wrote: ↑Fri May 14, 2021 6:31 am

The config folder. I think you have enough answers/suggestions here from different posters to make an informed decision. READ THEM CAREFULLY AND TRY THEM and see what works best for your setup.

A friendly word of advice: Focus on getting one thing right, then move on to your next obstacle. You seem to have too many things on your mind which you all want to solve at once. You are confusing yourself.

I agree. Even more than confusion it's wastefully burdensome with complex options. I enjoy the learning part, yet that's the only productivity. Don't tell the boss.

I'm in Tahr XFCE now manually installed from the PPM.

It's my biggest pupsave at about 750M. It looks excellent but unrefined is functionally rough around the edges vs. X-Tahr. I guess this is just the xfce-colors theme with the default windows manager theme + nuoveXT.2.2 Icon Theme for LXDE... snazzy.

I'm going to try to focus on JWM and XFCE (separately) in Xenial, booting others on very focused occasions.

I've seen no 32 Xenial XFCE puplet so that will be another project if I insist on this great old keyboard. Also no experience evidence LXDE is more efficient than XFCE.

Maybe this will be my excuse to experiment with alphabet drives (putting 32 Xenial on ydrv from the PPM).

Peebea continues to release ydrvs for esoteric uses.

Yes, the Firefox config folder will change, but if it's forcing updates, it appears to be also altering the standalone Firefox which I'm using now, 78.6. Firefox is probably the best browser to stay current on older distros, but I need to control it updating.

You can set Firefox not to update automatically in its preferences.

amethyst wrote: ↑Fri May 14, 2021 7:33 am

You can set Firefox not to update automatically in its preferences.

That used to be true. Now the only options are update and later, which comes with a nag.

From wizard: viewtopic.php?f=159&t=2739

JASpup wrote: ↑Fri May 14, 2021 7:57 am

amethyst wrote: ↑Fri May 14, 2021 7:33 am

You can set Firefox not to update automatically in its preferences.

That used to be true. Now the only options are update and later, which comes with a nag.

From wizard: viewtopic.php?f=159&t=2739

Look if you can change something when typing about:config in the search bar. Search for "update". There should be an option for time interval between updates. Set a very large figure there and see if it works (haven't tried it myself, I don't use Firefox).

amethyst wrote: ↑Fri May 14, 2021 8:03 am

Look if you can change something when typing about:config in the search bar. Search for "update". There should be an option for time interval between updates. Set a very large figure there and see if it works (haven't tried it myself, I don't use Firefox).

The app.update.interval is 43200, if that's the right one.

There's also app.update.checkInstallTime set to "true" and app.update.checkInstallTime.days at 63.

many other update entries

JASpup wrote: ↑Fri May 14, 2021 8:26 am

amethyst wrote: ↑Fri May 14, 2021 8:03 am

Look if you can change something when typing about:config in the search bar. Search for "update". There should be an option for time interval between updates. Set a very large figure there and see if it works (haven't tried it myself, I don't use Firefox).

The app.update.interval is 43200, if that's the right one.

There's also app.update.checkInstallTime set to "true" and app.update.checkInstallTime.days at 63.

many other update entries

Change those that you think will make a difference. Try to set that install check time value to "false" and see if it works. Lots of options there you can play around with. Give feedback if something worked for you in order to help others.