installing Puppy linux as a first time user on Thinkpad L570

[dev]

Hello,

I came across Puppy recently and found it interesting. I would like to install it on my Thinkpad L570 which was made in 2017. It is an i5 with 8 GB of ram, so not too slow.

I dont understand which Puppy linux distribution is best for me, or even what the advantage of one over the other is. I like the idea of using an older version of ubuntu as there is less chance of low quality code being added to a system that already works well. I dont know which puppy distribution I should choose and why I would want slackware over ubuntu.

I like the kde look-and-feel the best of all the IDE's I have tried, however I am concerned about bloatware size of it.

I assume I need to choose a puppy distribution based on when my laptop was made to ensure I get all the right drivers.

Either way, please let me know
1) which puppy distribution is the best choice for my laptop.
2) if it is possible to take the icons (which might be just jpg files and includes buttons, menu items, etc) from kde and overwrite the Puppy jpg's, so it ends up looking like KDE with Puppy code and behaviour. This might get rid of the giant size of KDE and give puppy a much more attractive look.

Thanks
Dev

[bigpup]

If you have not done this suggest you read some of the topics here:
viewforum.php?f=184

To Puppy Linux.

Each Puppy version is slightly different from another Puppy version.
Plus no way a 300MB to 800MB complete OS could possibly support every computer ever built.
So there are always several versions to try for your specific computer.

Yours is kind of general in specs, so many Puppy versions would probably work on it.
But one developed around 2017 or newer would be best to use.

Really you need to try a few Puppy versions to see if you like one better than another.

One of the newer Puppy Linux versions should work for you.

There has been a lot of improvements and tweaking to Puppy Linux the past few years.

For a new to Puppy user I suggest you try:
BookwormPup64 10.0.6
It has some of the newest features and is now a very good release.

I suggest you first install to a USB stick and use that to boot BookwormPup64
That way you can use it and not have any changes to what is installed on the internal drive.
Plus it will make it easy to install Puppy by using Puppy installer programs running from this USB.

My opinion, but I would use a Puppy version based on Debian or Ubuntu, not Slackware.
BookwormPup64 is Debian based.
To me it is easier to find software packages that will work with these.

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If you really want to install it on the internal drive.

How to do it is going to depend on what OS's you are going to have installed.
Multiple OS's like Windows, another Linux OS, only Puppy Linux, what?

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Have a open mind about using the display programs Puppy uses and not so hung up about having KDE.

Puppy grows on you after you use it for a time.

About anything in what is displayed can be tweaked to how you may like it to look.
There are many settings you can change to how stuff looks.
Example desktops:
viewtopic.php?t=429

And there are added stuff offered in this section of the forum to tweak the looks of Puppy.
Eye Candy
viewforum.php?f=100

[williwaw]

Hello,

I came across Puppy recently and found it interesting. I would like to install it on my Thinkpad L570 which was made in 2017. It is an i5 with 8 GB of ram, so not too slow.

I dont understand which Puppy linux distribution is best for me, or even what the advantage of one over the other is. I like the idea of using an older version of ubuntu as there is less chance of low quality code being added to a system that already works well. I dont know which puppy distribution I should choose and why I would want slackware over ubuntu.

I like the kde look-and-feel the best of all the IDE's I have tried, however I am concerned about bloatware size of it.

I assume I need to choose a puppy distribution based on when my laptop was made to ensure I get all the right drivers.

Either way, please let me know
1) which puppy distribution is the best choice for my laptop.
2) if it is possible to take the icons (which might be just jpg files and includes buttons, menu items, etc) from kde and overwrite the Puppy jpg's, so it ends up looking like KDE with Puppy code and behaviour. This might get rid of the giant size of KDE and give puppy a much more attractive look.

Thanks
Dev

and i5 with 8gigs will work fine with one of the later pups. Is it the appearance of kde you like? It is certianly possible to tweak the desktop and icons for your preference. viewtopic.php?t=597&hilit=icons
or are you looking for KDE aplications?
slackware, unbutu and debian all have lots to pick from. Are you needing any specialized apps
my older thinkpads work fine with most anything here
puppies install "frugally", that is in a folder and you can have as many different installs as you wish at the same time
add a folder, remove a folder, have one you keep "stock" and the same one with all the customizations

[Jasper]

@dev

I found some technical specs online I hope are for your device here:

https://psref.lenovo.com/syspool/Sys/PD ... 0_Spec.PDF

I would focus on ensuring all your hardware functions correctly and then look at Desktop Environments.

There are plenty of options available to you for customisations within Puppy OSes.

[mikewalsh]

Hello, @dev . to the "kennels"..!

Thinkpads are probably the most versatile machines you can use, apparently. Never run one myself, but every Linux forum reference I've ever seen always has glowing recommendations for these machines. So; that shouldn't be an issue.

Geeks everywhere will always recommend the very newest versions of everything; it's the 'safety', 'security', 'bugfix' & 'new features' angle, y'know? By and large, that's probably true. Me, I tend to go with somewhat older, LTS-based Puppies.....where all the bugs have been long since worked-out. Even on powerful, up-to-date hardware I've never been particularly enamoured with bug-hunting, reporting and being a "tester"; yes, I know somebody's got to do it, but it's just not MY "bag", I'm afraid.

But that's the magic of Puppy; no matter the age of the hardware, there's usually something, somewhere in the archives that will fit the bill! You can run anything on that machine, so that's not an issue for you.....not where Puppy is concerned.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

One thing to realise is that Puppy does not normally employ the standard 'DE' paradigm. Some community members have gone to the trouble of building/remastering Puppies with 'proper' DEs built-in, but Puppy usually makes use of the JWM window manager, along with ROX-filer's 'pinboard' feature for icon location, etc. It's a very lightweight solution that mimics the appearance of a normal desktop environment.

It's slightly more labour-intensive, since it's largely controlled by text files.....but it's every bit as customizable as a regular DE; perhaps MORE so.

For inspiration, here's a short GIF of my current daily-driver.......a highly-customized, upgraded & 'modernized' build of the 8-yr old Xenialpup64. This is running on a 4-yr old HP Pavilion desktop rig:-

[Click to enlarge:-]

This is very much unique to me.....AND JWM/ROX-filer. It's not to everyone's liking - I prefer a 'busy' desktop! - but it serves to demonstrate what's possible.

On the right is what I call the "infocenter", including the gKrellM system monitor & Puppy's native pWidgets. The 'docks' are home-made; quite simply, I 'draw' them directly on the background wallpaper....

Perhaps it'll give you some inspiration!

(BTW, I concur with @Jasper , above. Leave customization till last; make sure everything works first..! )

I also concur with m'colleague, bigpup. Give Puppy's standard set-up a fair crack of the whip; don't get TOO hung-up on 'must have KDE'. Your imagination is what ultimately dictates the eventual 'look; really, the sky's the limit! I've been gradually refining my current 'look' for probably the last 7 years or so. It's NOT a quick process....

Mike.

[mikeslr]

Puppys are 'binary-compatible' with some major distro's version. That doesn't mean identical. Only that a 'snapshot' of a then current major distro's binaries and some libraries have been used in the build, and the Puppys so built will have immediate access to the repository of that version via Puppy's Package Manager. Between the binaries and the applications are 'infra-structures': for example the Qt5 framework and packages built against that framework. The 'infra-structure' Puppys use is often unique rather than those used by the binary-compatible major version's. While you can access the binary-compatible's Repos, the builders of applications for those repo assumed the OS would include of its 'framework'. Although the package will download and install into Puppy, it will not run until YOU have also installed all the components of the binary-compatible's framework for that application. [Hint: for applications, always look first in your Puppy's Thread and the Additional Software Sub-Forum. https://www.forum.puppylinux.com/viewforum.php?f=7, for applications a Puppy Dev or Fan has built].
Puppys that are binary compatible to Slackware versions are reputed to provide better graphic and sound. However, they also inherit Slackware's philosophy: provide a basic operating system and leave it to the User to built his/her own specialized applications. Although peebee has done a great job in producing the Slackware compatible S15Pup, and mistfire in producing Quickpup, https://www.forum.puppylinux.com/viewtopic.php?t=3171, under which many applications can be used, it is still easier to 'flesh-out' 'Ubuntu and debian' Puppys with those applications you want.

You'll find references to AppImages in the Additional Software Sub-Forum. These are packages (which like snaps and flatpaks) include 'all' necessary dependencies. But packagers of AppImages DO NOT test against Slackware.

As others have written, try several Puppys, especially among them Bookworm (debian-compatible) and F96 (Ubuntu-compatible).

KDE is a very nice Window-Manager. I've been playing with Kubuntu the last several days. And miss the ease of customizing my desktop which radky's enhancements to JWM has provided to Bookworm and F-96. Under these Puppys you'll find JWMDesk and JWDesk Theme Manager. Hint: To Add a 2nd Panel, Click Options, then put a 'check' in the 'Launch Bar' box under Accessory Tray.

You might consider installing radky's PupControl, https://www.smokey01.com/radky/PupMates.html if not already present.

PupControl.png (73.45 KiB) Viewed 247 times

It may be possible to 'port' graphic elements used in KDE to Puppy. [Icons are Icons. Copy>Store>relocate to appropriate folders within Puppy. Better yet and more likely to succeed: build a pet using tools which are included in all Puppys]. But you'll find it easier to use any of the many graphic elements you'll already find available in 'Eye Candy', https://www.forum.puppylinux.com/viewforum.php?f=100. Puppys' pet builder tools can also be used to 'translate' icon sets you find on the web. And Wallpaper can be used OOTB. One thing you should glean from "Show Us Your Desktop", https://www.forum.puppylinux.com/viewtopic.php?t=429 is that Puppys look-and-feel depends solely on your imagination.

One thing you may miss from KDE is its option to have your file-manager display dual-panes. Although its much easier under JWM to just open two rox-windows, you can install the additional file-manager XFE --note there's no 'C'-- via any Puppy's Package Manager. Or --depending on your Puppy-- find a pre-built version in the Filesystem Section, https://www.forum.puppylinux.com/viewforum.php?f=101. This post shows it configured to display dual-panes and a tree view, https://www.forum.puppylinux.com/viewto ... 101#p42101. Or try wizard's Friendly-Fossa, https://www.forum.puppylinux.com/viewto ... 902#p43902 in which XFE has been builtin, together with some other things easing a 'newby's' transition to Puppy.

One other thing you might find handy. You can also install via PPM AppFInder, https://www.forum.puppylinux.com/viewto ... 513#p21513, than using JWMDesk>Launch assign it as a Launcher next to your Start-Menu launcher. Don't forget to download and install the xfce_read-jwm.pet I provided in that post.

[dev]

Thanks for the detailed responses!