Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

PowerISO for Linux is a powerful image file processing tool. Lots of formats (iso, daa, nrg, isz, cue, bin, mdf, mds, vhd, vdi & many others).

Yesterday I needed to install the first two parts of the game On The Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness (from the Penny Arcade series) under Wine. They turned out to be in mdf/mds format. AcetoneISO did not open or mount them. I decided to try PowerISO.

GUI version.
The program didn't work. Dug a little. After unpacking, you need to give permissions to ALL (and libraries) files in the program folder (select all>>right mouse button on file>>Permissions>>a + x). Then she works (run poweriso.sh).
And here is the console version of the program, without the GUI.

A note on how to run the excellent Mesen emulator (NES/Famicom) in Fossapup. Many tools for debug and hack NES games, high accuracy (PAL, NTSC and even Dendy (Chinese NES clone sold in Russia).

You can download Mesen from here.
Mono is required to run the emulator. We don't need all of Mono, but only 4 components that can be installed from the PPM:

mono-runtime_6.8.0.105
libmono-system-windows-forms4.0-cil_6.8.0.105
libmono-system-io-compression4.0-cil_6.8.0.105
libmono-system-io-compression-filesystem4.0-cil_6.8.0.105

You can put the emulator in /opt/Mesen/ and run it from the folder with the command mono /opt/Mesen/Mesen.exe. I made myself a desktop file to run from the Puppy main menu (It is not necessary to do it yourself, the program at startup is able to create a desktop file itself in /root/.local/share/applications/. The icon file is located in /root/.local/share/icons/).

It remains to decide which of the emulators is better, Punes or Mesen

MadEdit-Mod is two in one - shampoo and conditioner text editor + hex editor. Well, imagine Geany, but with a built-in hex editor. Encodings, syntax highlighting, macros - everything is present. Of course, the "sweet bun" is the hex mode.
Menu>>Utility>>MadEdit (I didn’t put it into the Document, because of my inner feelings).
Pet: https://disk.yandex.ru/d/uZIbUXwqXXIY-Q

Maybe someone will need it. ClipIt 1.4.5 compiled in Fossapup (clipboard manager for GTK+). 2012 is always listed in the About window. Meanwhile on Github version 1.4.2 (which is the default in Fossapup) was released in 2015. 1.4.5 - 2020.
Pet:

Grey, can u make a usbimager_1.0.8 or 1.0.7 .pet for 32 bit Puppies?

kuman11 wrote: ↑Mon Oct 04, 2021 10:46 pm

Grey, can u make a usbimager_1.0.8 or 1.0.7 .pet for 32 bit Puppies?

32 bits... I didn't want to. But let's try.
USBImager 1.0.8 compiled in UPupFF+D (aka FocalPup32), which was launched in QEMU Probably should work in any 32-bit Puppy. Probably
Menu>>Utility

Grey,
I managed to install this version in Utility, though couldn't started it.
What's necessary to run it in a terminal?

kuman11 wrote: ↑Tue Oct 05, 2021 5:56 pm

Grey,
I managed to install this version in Utility, though couldn't started it.
What's necessary to run it in a terminal?

I am certainly not Baba Vanga and not Nostradamus to guess your version of Puppy
But you seem to have Slacko Puppy. And it means that the version for Focal does not start for you due to the fact that it does not find GLIBC 2.28.
OK then. Here is the version compiled in Slacko 7.0:

Grey,
Strange, and this version couldn't start the App ...

kuman11 wrote: ↑Tue Oct 05, 2021 11:39 pm

and this version couldn't start the App ...

It starts up for me. Well, all you have to do is ask for help in the forum section dedicated to your version of Puppy

ZEsarUX v10.0 - Clive Sinclair edition (4 October 2021) compiled in Fossapup. ZX Machines Emulator (+ some Amstrad, MSX, Sega machines).
Program has won the "Best Emulator" award from Retrogaming Total blog on 2015 and 2017.
Pet: https://disk.yandex.ru/d/fNmKqt6cnNMRzQ
Menu>>Fun>>ZEsarUX
P.S. If you have something strange with the sound, for example, a staccato sound, changing the sound driver in the emulator settings can help.
Settings>>Audio>>Change Audio Driver and change the driver from alsa to sdl. Don't forget to click on Apply Driver.

Normal GUI mode, invoked by the right mouse button:

Menu mode with icons. Toggled by clicking on the small plus or minus at the bottom of the window:

The ScummVM game engine multiport program is 20 years old. On which we sincerely congratulate them! All this time, ScummVM has been helping adventure lovers (and today not only them) to get acquainted with the classics of the genre in a convenient environment.

Anniversary version 2.5.0 has been released, which is now merged with ResidualVM and supports 2.5D games.
Deb for Ubuntu has not yet appeared on the program's website... but we already have .pet in the kennel

Install this first (fresh fluidsynth):

Then the program itself, ScummVM 2.5.0 compiled in Fossapup:
Pet: https://disk.yandex.ru/d/eNrxh5COhm7Pog

I tested the functionality of games like DreamWeb (DOS) and good games made on the AGS engine - Gemini Rue, Kathy Rain and The Samaritan Paradox. Everything works fine:

As a result of experimenting with WDL, I unexpectedly installed pulseaudio in Fossapup
It seems like six steps can be taken:
1. Install pulseaudio itself. I have compiled the latest 15.0. Pet: https://disk.yandex.ru/d/ManZLH_e2XPRIQ
2. Run the ldconfig command in terminal.
3. Install pavucontrol. I have compiled the latest 5.0. Pet:

4. Install pasystray from PPM (there is already the most recent one).
5. Create or modify /etc/asound.conf

pcm.pulse {
			type pulse
		}

		ctl.pulse {
			type pulse
		}
		
		pcm.default pulse
                ctl.default pulse
		

6. Add the following lines to /root/.xinitrc (you can start from line 43 after xhost):

# start a D-Bus session bus for both root and spot, for PulseAudio and applications that don't work without it
run-as-spot dbus-launch --exit-with-x11 > /tmp/.spot-session-bus

# start PulseAudio over the session bus and use it for both root and spot, so they see the same output devices
if [ -e /usr/bin/pulseaudio ]; then
    run-as-spot sh -c "pulseaudio --kill > /dev/null 2>&1; pulseaudio --start --log-target=syslog"
    export PULSE_SERVER=unix:/tmp/runtime-spot/pulse/native
    export PULSE_COOKIE=/home/spot/.config/pulse/cookie
fi

This seems to be all. Not really, though. Restart via Menu>>Exit>>Restart graphical server.

The pasystray icon should appear in the system tray in the lower right corner of the screen. Through it, control is carried out. One of the possible ways to adjust the volume is to hover over the system tray icon and rotate the mouse wheel. You can optionally install from PPM: pamix (pulseaudio terminal mixer) and pavumeter (pulseaudio volume meter).

Hope you get something working
Now we need to understand how to switch sound cards (I have 4 of them).

@Grey I've been playing around with setting the "sink" to switch audio devices

pactl list sinks
pactl set-default-sink 0

I checked it on a real system (before that in Qemu). Everything works fine through the pasystray and pavucontrol menus Sound cards are selected both globally and for a specific program. Conveniently quickly redirect sound from speakers to headphones. In this case, Palemoon:

Checked out PulseAudio with games. I already said somewhere on the forum that Shadow Warrior Classic Redux does not work without Pulse (crashed when trying to go into sound settings or start a level).
The problem is now solved - the game works well.

Also checked out another game that requires Pulse.
Red Comrades 3: Return of Alaska. Reloaded
Works great. But not of interest to English speaking people

Lo Wang rulez ! SWClassicRedux in Fossapup:

@Grey :-

Mm. O-kayyy.....

I'm experimenting with this in Fossa with a new 'test' save-file. Thanks for the .pets, BTW - AND your instructions, too! All seems to be working A-OK ATM.

Now; is there a way to get the main 'Volume Control' window itself to come up directly when the tray icon is clicked upon? (Okay; I know how to place an executable icon to do what I want.....I suppose what I'm asking is, what's the exec command which brings that window up?)

Nah; scratch that. Fairly obvious when I think about it; it's pavucontrol, of course. Should be simple enough to create an icon for the tray which gives me a direct launch for pavucontrol....

@Grey / @666philb :-

Now; question time, you two. Pavucontrol is getting automatically placed in the notification area "dock" at boot time.....but I cannot see HOW it's getting there, okay? There's nothing in /root/Startup; nothing in root/.config /autostart.....and nothing in /etc/init.d. So what's putting it in the tray?

Also.....how do we "view" the contents of the "dock" area? How do we access that? Any ideas?

EDIT:- Huh. I'm starting to suspect this must be a built-in function of pasystray; that it automatically places pavucontrol in the tray as one of its in-built 'functions'. Oh, well; I shall just have to have two volume icons, that's all. Annoying, but there ya go.....

It's all working as it should, anyroad. Now to install it in the real one; I did backups of the kennels day before yesterday, so I can always revert if it goes tits-up.

Mike.

mikewalsh wrote: ↑Tue Oct 26, 2021 12:28 pm

Should be simple enough to create an icon for the tray which gives me a direct launch for pavucontrol....

Yes, everything turned out to be easier than I thought. Usually PulseAudio and its companion programs appear to us in the form of the Devil and his minions

We can, in principle, configure and call volume settings using hot keys, well, something like Win + P (since we call the terminal using Win + T).

Yes, in addition to /root/Startup/, there are also directories /etc/xdg/autostart/ and /root/.config/autostart/
The last one is of particular interest. Because this is where retrovol.desktop lies, removing which we can get rid of the second icon with the speaker in the system tray.

But I would not remove it. First, it's better to just change the icon to a different one. And secondly, Alsa hasn't gone anywhere. Many "old guard" programs we know are capable of using both Pulse and Alsa. For example, Deadbeef, Audacious and Qmmp players have plugins for outputting sound through both sound subsystems. Many other programs also have modules, addons, plugins, etc.

Therefore, it would be most reasonable to configure the sound output in the programs themselves. Let something play through Alsa, and something (especially when there is no choice ) through Pulse.

rockedge wrote: ↑Mon Oct 25, 2021 3:37 pm

@Grey I've been playing around with setting the "sink" to switch audio devices

Code: Select all

pactl list sinks
pactl set-default-sink 0

Under certain conditions, setting up a default sound card can turn into hemorrhoids.
But we will probably not frighten the people. If there is one card (built-in) or two cards (pci and built-in), then there are no problems. If there are 3-4 cards and there are USB cards among them, then difficulties may arise.

I have 4 of them (pci-e, usb, hdmi and built-in).
a) Pulse loves to think that you connected your speakers to the first sound card in the list.
b) USB cards (what bitches they are) love to be at the top of the list.
c) Of course, I have everything the other way around and the speakers are connected to the pci-e card, and the headphones to the usb card.

It is not very correct to declare a card by number. The number may change upon restart. Better by name.

To declare the pci-e card as the main one, I proceeded as follows. Disabled unnecessary in UEFI - that is, the built-in card. Then I found out the name of the card I needed using the pactl list cards short command. Then I looked at the list of Profiles (their names based on codes appear in Volume Control>>Configuration) with the pactl list cards command. Copied the name and profile. Then I looked at the list of sources with the command pactl list sources short. Now list the sinks with the pactl list sinks short command. You can check it with the pactl set-default-sink command just in case. I copied the data about the card I needed.

Then I opened the file /etc/pulse/default.pa in Geany and found the line ### Make some devices default at the end of this file. Made changes based on the above body movements. This is what it looks like:

### Make some devices default
set-card-profile alsa_card.pci-0000_27_00.0 output:iec958-stereo+input:analog-stereo
set-default-sink alsa_output.pci-0000_27_00.0.iec958-stereo
set-default-source alsa_input.pci-0000_27_00.0.analog-stereo

Why does iec958 and not analog work and how is it even possible? This is a separate topic

@Grey :-

You might find this helpful, if you want to come up with 'shortcut' ways of doing things:-

https://shallowsky.com/linux/pulseaudio ... -line.html

Even this author admits that while the pavucontrol GUI is very nice, it does take an awful lot of clicking to get anything done! And that's always been MY biggest complaint with the darned thing.....and why I prefer the relative simplicity of Retrovol.

I won't deny that PulseAudio lets you perform tricks 'on-the-fly' that take some serious system gymnastics to achieve with ALSA alone. That's not in dispute. I'm just used to Retrovol, I guess; click on the icon, and the control is immediately there.

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

This is why I developed my 'quick switch' script for personal use. Taking into account that the /root/.retrovolrc config file is what controls which card Retrovol reads from, I initially use the MultipleSoundCardWizard to set-up each of my audio devices. As I do this for each device, I copy the .retrovolrc file to a safe location. These are then located in their own directory in the specific Pup's /mnt/home.

I then wrote a script that allows rapid 'switching' of the relevant .retrovolrc file, depending on the audio device I wanted to use:-

#!/bin/sh
#
# Script to choose which audio card is required, and reset Retrovol to use it...
#
yad --center --window-icon=/usr/local/lib/X11/pixmaps/audiorecord.png --title=" AudioCardChooser  " --form --text="   CHOOSE DESIRED CARD...   
  ---------------------------------
          Select required action:-" \
--field="    ~System card~!/usr/local/lib/X11/pixmaps/mozicons/soundcard-icon.png":fbtn "audio_default" \
--field="    ~Headphone card~!/usr/local/lib/X11/pixmaps/mozicons/headphone-icon.png":fbtn "audio_head" \
--field=" ~SET AS DEFAULT~!/usr/local/lib/X11/pixmaps/mozicons/green-tick-icon.png":fbtn "Multiple-Sound-Card-Wizard" \

Each selected script then puts up a GTK-dialog image box to say the change has occurred, along with swapping the /root/.retrovolrc file for the chosen one, then kills Retrovol & restarts it so it's reading from the 'current' config file.

Audio_default (system card):-

#!/bin/sh
#
# Set Retrovol to default card...
#
yad --no-buttons --geometry=+780+30 --undecorated --image /usr/local/lib/X11/pixmaps/soundcard.png --timeout=6
#
rm /root/.retrovolrc
#
cp /initrd/mnt/dev_save/Bionicpup64/AUDIO/Default/.retrovolrc /root/.retrovolrc
#
killall retrovol
retrovol -hide

....and Audio_head (headset):-

#!/bin/sh
#
# Set Retrovol to headphones...
#
yad --no-buttons --geometry=+780+30 --undecorated --image /usr/local/lib/X11/pixmaps/headphones.png --timeout=6
#
rm /root/.retrovolrc
#
cp /initrd/mnt/dev_save/Bionicpup64/AUDIO/Headphone/.retrovolrc /root/.retrovolrc
#
killall retrovol
retrovol -hide

.....and finally the SoundCardWizard is brought up to 'set' it as default.

It all works rather nicely. It's helped by the fact that the wireless dongle for the headset contains its own audio card....

[Click to enlarge:-]

Mike.

To temporarily distract from the PulseAudio topic, I decided to download a clip from YouTube.
Yt-dlp (youtube-dl fork with additional features and fixes) did a great job with this.
Pet: https://disk.yandex.ru/d/hZgpwYwScD2pQA

This utility is written in Python and has a fair amount of options and settings (it supports a huge number of different video sites, not just YT). All commands can be viewed with yt-dlp --help.
Can be used in conjunction with mpv (instead of youtube-dl). Just add to mpv.conf this: script-opts=ytdl_hook-ytdl_path=yt-dlp Or use the ytdl_path=yt-dlp parameter.

But even a simple command can produce the desired result. For example, I downloaded the video of the musical group Camouflage for the song The Great Commandment, which I have not seen for a long time:

yt-dlp https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6s1-caKRtQ

For to see the quality options, use "yt-dlp -F <url>" e.g. :

# yt-dlp -F https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6s1-caKRtQ
[youtube] k6s1-caKRtQ: Downloading webpage
[youtube] k6s1-caKRtQ: Downloading android player API JSON
[info] Available formats for k6s1-caKRtQ:
ID  EXT  RESOLUTION FPS |  FILESIZE   TBR PROTO | VCODEC          VBR ACODEC     ABR  ASR    MORE INFO
--- ---- ---------- --- - --------- ----- ----- - ------------- ----- --------- ---- ------- -----------------
139 m4a  audio only     |  1.10MiB    48k https |                     mp4a.40.5  48k 22050Hz low, m4a_dash
249 webm audio only     |  1.09MiB    48k https |                     opus       48k 48000Hz low, webm_dash
250 webm audio only     |  1.44MiB    64k https |                     opus       64k 48000Hz low, webm_dash
140 m4a  audio only     |  2.90MiB   129k https |                     mp4a.40.2 129k 44100Hz medium, m4a_dash
251 webm audio only     |  2.88MiB   128k https |                     opus      128k 48000Hz medium, webm_dash
17  3gp  176x144    7   |  1.81MiB    80k https | mp4v.20.3       80k mp4a.40.2   0k 22050Hz 144p
394 mp4  214x144    30  |  1.32MiB    59k https | av01.0.00M.08   59k                        144p, mp4_dash
160 mp4  214x144    30  |  1.82MiB    81k https | avc1.4d400c     81k                        144p, mp4_dash
278 webm 214x144    30  |  1.74MiB    77k https | vp9             77k                        144p, webm_dash
395 mp4  358x240    30  |  2.80MiB   124k https | av01.0.00M.08  124k                        240p, mp4_dash
133 mp4  358x240    30  |  3.29MiB   147k https | avc1.4d400d    147k                        240p, mp4_dash
242 webm 358x240    30  |  3.92MiB   175k https | vp9            175k                        240p, webm_dash
396 mp4  536x360    30  |  5.54MiB   247k https | av01.0.01M.08  247k                        360p, mp4_dash
134 mp4  536x360    30  |  7.79MiB   347k https | avc1.4d401e    347k                        360p, mp4_dash
18  mp4  536x360    30  |  13.58MiB  605k https | avc1.42001E    605k mp4a.40.2   0k 44100Hz 360p
243 webm 536x360    30  |  6.89MiB   307k https | vp9            307k                        360p, webm_dash

Then, choose e.g. quality "18" (360p), do (yt-dlp -f 18 <url>), for example:
yt-dlp -f 18 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6s1-caKRtQ
Or e.g.; "140" m4a audio only :
yt-dlp -f 140 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6s1-caKRtQ

Grey wrote: ↑Sat Oct 30, 2021 5:15 pm

To temporarily distract from the PulseAudio topic

I couldn't get away from the PulseAudio theme for long

Today local Computer Pirates (they are bad, I am good! ) provided me with 2 versions of the new JARS game. The game is published by Daedalic Entertainment, and I really love their products (never paid , but still love).

The first JARS version is for Win, and the second for Linux from GOG. The first one can be run in Wine - but rather difficult (problems with the Media Foundation). And the Linux version, as it turned out, only works with PulseAudio.

Gentlemen, comrades, friends! It seems that all new games not only from Steam, but now from GOG, will require PulseAudio.

Grey wrote: ↑Sun Oct 31, 2021 8:37 pm

And the Linux version, as it turned out, only works with PulseAudio.

So. I was able to run JARS without PulseAudio and even with sound. Just in case, I'll tell you how, maybe someone will need it, because there are quite a lot of games using FMOD.

The executable file of the game is located in /mnt/sda4/Installed/JARS/game/. I created an asound.conf file in this folder with the following content:

pcm.!default {
    type hw
    card Audigy2
}

ctl.!default {
    type hw
    card Audigy2
}

Instead of the name of the card, in principle, you can write its number. That is, instead of card Audigy2, specify card X (instead of X, the card number where you want to output the sound).

Now the game can be started with the command (terminal is opened in the folder with the executable file using the ~ (tilde) key):

ALSA_CONFIG_PATH=/mnt/sda4/Installed/JARS/game/asound.conf ./Jars.x86_64

Yes, we just slipped asound.conf into the game the way that damn FMOD wants to see it, through which the game outputs sound.

I hope someone will find it useful in difficult everyday life and in battles for sound with new games.

How to recognize if the game uses FMOD (and then the trick from the previous post will work) or the game is "sharpened" for PulseAudio (accordingly, the trick will not work and PulseAudio will be required)?

Well, you can see something about FMOD in the terminal.

But it's usually easier. If the game is with FMOD, then it will NOT start at all. If the game only works with PulseAudio, then it will start - but without sound. Of course, there may be exceptions to the second case.

666philb wrote:

Hi 666philb.

Why are there SO many disk and device icons in Double Commander? This is observed in both Fossapup64 and Bionicpup64.

For example, device icons are displayed correctly in Linux Mint

no idea @Grey , a quick search shows that it's not just a puppy issue.

Philip, I figured out how to hide a LOT of disk buttons in Double Commander (we discussed this somewhere on the forum).
1. Go to the Commander settings Configuration>>Options...>>Behaviors
2. Put a tick (enable) on "Automatically hide unmounted devices"
3. Most of the buttons will disappear, but not all. Now we add the rest to the "Drives blacklist", like this:
/initrd/pup_z;/initrd/pup_ro5;/initrd/pup_ro4;/initrd/pup_ro3;/initrd/pup_ro2;/initrd/pup_f;/initrd/pup_a

@Grey

Thanks for that. Don't use it much, but have had a copy of Double Commander on my HDD for a few years. All those drives used to annoy me too. Once I realised that on FatDog I had to change /initrd to /aufs in the blacklist, I was well happy.

Simple Viewer GL v3.1.3 compiled in Fossapup. The most recent version (3.1.7) does not work correctly in Fossapup, so version 3.1.3.
Tiny image viewer based on OpenGL. Supported formats: SCR (ZX Spectrum screen), WebP, PNG, JPEG, PSD, XCF, SVG, GIF, TIFF, TARGA, ICO, BMP, PNM, DDS, BMP, XWD, XPM.
Pet: https://disk.yandex.ru/d/4qvP3hPIbg22cg
Menu>>Graphic>>Simple Viewer GL

Well, key features:
1. Using OpenGL acceleration.
2. Support for viewing ZX Spectrum graphics (standard + border; multicolor 8x4 + border; attributes (53c) and other rare like Gigascreen). These types are: zx-scr, zx-scr$, zx-bsc, zx-mc1, zx-mc2, zx-mc4, zx-bmc4, zx-img, zx-chr$.

I need the program only because of the support for ZX graphics, but I didn't cut the rest of the formats in this case Some time ago I was looking for a Linux viewer capable of displaying .scr pictures (ZX Spectrum graphics format, standard+border = 6144+768=6912 bytes). It looks like the best (Only? Plugin for Gimp does not count ) option so far is the Simple Viewer GL by a Belarusian programmer from Minsk.

The config file can be found at /root/.config/sviewgl/
With the right mouse button, you can drag the picture across the screen, and rotate the mouse wheel to change the scale. Remember the main thing: Keys from 1 to 0 - scale from 100 to 1000 percent, Enter - switch to full screen mode and back, Space and Backspace - next and previous pictures, C - change border color, Shift + ? - Help and list of control keys:

A small addition to the previous post.

If at the first start the viewer suddenly opened "in the corner", then you can drag it to the center of the screen while holding the Alt key.

Now how to set up the viewing of a picture in aforementioned Double Commander.
Let's say we need to open ZX pictures in the standard way for many Commanders - with the F3 key. Going to Configuration>>Options>>File Associations.
1. Enter the file type. For example "ZX-picture (scr)".
2. You can assign an icon for the file type (a 5.25 floppy disk will look good ). But not necessarily.
3. Add the scr extension (without dots).
4. Assign an action. Add>>View.
5. Assign the sviewgl Command. And Parameter %p
We apply. Restart the Commander. Now you can open pictures with the scr extension using the F3 key without leaving the Commander.

Shh... Quiet! You hear?! Somewhere far away, Windows and Total Commander are trembling and nervously smoking on the sidelines

I completely forgot. At the beginning of November I compiled Xfe 1.44 (commander and file manager). I prefer Double Commander. But maybe someone will need it.
Pet: https://disk.yandex.ru/d/dIER7DYEyDhd3g
Menu>>Filesystem>>Xfe
Auxiliary companion programs for viewing files are present (a text editor and a picture viewer).

To disable the warning that the program is running as root, uncheck the corresponding setting in the Warnings section, which is in Edit>>Preferences>>Dialogs: