Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

Greetings, good people:

The Question: How to switch taskbar and tray positions on the screen (taskbar to bottom, tray to top – just like in other Puppy versions)?

The Rant: I've been trying to install any version of Puppy with a modern-ish version of Firefox, because I found it impossible to upgrade it in Slacko 6.3.2., not least of all because users upload the installation files to Mega.nz which is unaccessible from the installed version of FF (38-ish). Sucks donkeyballs tbh. So after many tries and fails (somehow Ubuntu-based iso files don't work with Balena Etcher) I finally managed to install Vanilla using Unetbootin. I like the looks, FF version is 90-smth so good, the only thing is I'm too used to having my taskbar on bottom, hence the question. And for the 'Google is your friend' people out there, tried it and got 'It looks like there aren't many……’ so yeah. Thanks in advance.

The Vanilla DPup has an edit Tray application, it's in the application Launcher tray (looks like a Baseball diamond). It allows you to edit tray attributes. The initial display will show each of the existing trays current positions indicated by a small arrow where the tray is currently located. When click on one of the trays, editing options will be displayed including indicators to show screen positions. You just need to click on the position you want each of the trays. Then click the 'Apply' button.

You can change the tray layout with ptheme (Desktop -> Desktop Settings -> Theming). If you choose "412", then change the tray preset to something else, you'll get the default looks but with a different tray position and layout.

Thank you both for helping me learn something new, much appreciated. Unfortunately, karma is being a b**** again, now the installer doesn't recognize my disk. Ah well, I can take a hint. I better just give up on Puppy and try something else.

When you open ptheming's GUI, it will look like this, except I've already relocated the 1st panel to the bottom.

To do that, I had to first move the 2nd panel from its position on the bottom. I prefer it on the left side (and have to remember to change its orientation to vertical). If you want it at the top, first move it to a side, move the 1st panel to the bottom, then move the 2nd panel from the side to the top.
The primary reason I'm posting is that it took me quite a while to figure out that if I wanted the 1st panel to make use of the entire bottom I had to select the left-corner as its point of origin.

dimkr has constructed VanillaDPup to function like a 'full install' debian, albiet taking advantage of Puppy's 'merge file-systems' concept of locating installed applications, settings and customizations in a SaveFile or SaveFolder rather than --as you would have with a 'full install'-- overwriting the existing files in a 'full installs' one-only file-system. See, rockedge's quotation of dimkr's explanation of How Puppy Linux Works. https://www.forum.puppylinux.com/viewtopic.php?t=5818

VanillaDPup provided firefox as a built in. You can, of course, use it. And if you update the builtin version it will write the changes to your SaveFile/Folder. But Puppy has other means of using applications other than installing them. VanillaDPup can use portables, AppImages and SFSes. All of those are located external to your operating system: they don't over-write anything in that system or each other. So, when a new version is available, you can try that new version and if it there's a problem you still have your old version to fall back on.

Take a look at what Puppy's Additional Software Forum has to offer, https://www.forum.puppylinux.com/viewforum.php?f=7 In particular, note that both firefox and firefox-esr are offered as portables, https://www.forum.puppylinux.com/viewto ... 559#p37559. You can use their internal update mechanism. Updates will b written to their own (external-to-your-system) folder.

@wsurfer0 :-

I believe I'm the individual you're blaming for saving browsers to MEGA.nz. I do have two other cloud a/cs, but to attempt to maintain everything I publish for Puppians across 3 totally different a/cs simply to accommodate certain individuals.....

I don't think you have the slightest clue as to the magnitude of what you appear to be expecting. These are not community-maintained accounts, they're my own personal ones. On top of which, it would mean deleting a lot of older stuff just to make way for browsers. I'm not prepared to do that, I'm afraid.

Now, if you had taken the more appropriate step of contacting me by PM and explaining your problem, I would be quite likely to make an alternative arrangement for you. Instead, you've burnt your bridges by publicly bitching about it in open fora.

Politeness doesn't cost anybody anything, y'know?

Mike.

@ wsurfer0: Just following up T'Other Mike's post.

Puppy Linux lacks the full-time paid staff of Windows and Ubuntu; and the cadre of programmers responding to the inner circle of debian. Some have called Puppy 'fan-driven'. But I think a do-ocracy best describes it. No one tells anyone what to do; or how to do it. Everyone --yourself, included-- has the right to contribute his/her own time and resources in whatever manner (s)he desires to provide to the general public such modifications to a Puppy Operating System or application (s)he thinks would be useful.

Often, that put's Puppy Linux 'on the cutting edge', such as dimkr's work to provide a modern operating system with all the 'bells & whistles' of debian, yet able to function with the limited resources of an 'old' computer. Or BarryK's EasyOS providing perhaps the most secure operating system currently available.

But it also means that users sometimes have to think outside the box to get from where they are to where they want to be. Sometimes a detour is necessary, as in the case of adjusting the location of panels: first you had to move one out of the location where you wanted the other.

That's one of the reasons for this Forum's existence. If you come upon a hurdle to your progress, ask how to overcome it. It is possible to upgrade Slacko 6.3.2.'s firefox 38-ish with the package MikeWalsh provided at mega.nz. But not all at once. For example, you might have first had to download and SFS-load ozsouth's Firefox ESR 64 bit ver 91.10.0 SFS, https://www.forum.puppylinux.com/viewto ... 132#p39132