Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

Hi, I am using this operating system for the first time and I see that it has many tools that I do not need and that I would like to add more tools. How can I start customizing it?

I would like that once customized, I can create an .iso file and have it saved in case I have to reinstall or want to share the customized OS.

Thanks.

This will get you started.

Installing additional software
viewtopic.php?t=1819

Anytime you post a topic, we always need to know what specific Puppy version.

Also, if dealing with a problem, we really need this info:
viewtopic.php?t=218

There are a lot of information topics, in the Instructional How-To section of the forum.
viewforum.php?f=85

As bigpup wrote, always tell us which Puppy.
First, lets deal with 'removing' applications. Puppy has an application --Menu>Setup>Remove Builtin packages. But it doesn't actually remove anything. It writes a white-out file next to the application so that it is no longer used. When you remaster that application won't be included. But (a) an application in this sense may be a component of some other application. Unless you know you'll never use that application --e.g. abiword-- you can break other applications by removing something. E.g. What does the application atkmm --Bionicpup64's remove-builtin's lists do?

(b) Spending a lot of time removing applications is mostly a waste of that time. See the discussion here regarding how little is gained by removing applications, https://www.forum.puppylinux.com/viewto ... 4070#p4070. As a practical matter, it is just more efficient to use Pup-Menu to turn off an unwanted application's display. Pup-Menu is likely built into your Puppy. If not, you can install it from here, https://www.smokey01.com/radky/PupMates.html

Puppys are binary compatible with some version of some 'major' distro. But that doesn't mean 'identical, but cut down'. Between the binaries and an application is a lot of 'infra-structure'. To a large extent Puppys use their own unique infra-structure, not that of its 'binary compatible' distro. Puppy package manager (PPM) provides direct access to the repositories of its 'binary compatible' distro. But it only 'knows' what that distro thinks are dependencies for an application. PPM is very good. But not perfect. After installing an application with PPM, to get it working, you may have to find its binary (Menu>File-System>pfind plugin NAME-OF-APPLICATION) and examine it with ListDD, (also likely built-in, but available from the above link) and/or start the application via a terminal to find out what's going wrong. [If you don't know the name of the binary, look in /usr/share/applications for a likely suspect and open it in a text editor. The Exec= argument is the binary, or a script to call the binary].

Before using PPM to install applications, see what's available in the Additional Software SubForum: https://www.forum.puppylinux.com/viewforum.php?f=7. Applications found there have already be constructed for particular Puppys. Portables can be placed in your /opt folder. Also look for AppImages of applications you want. These also can be placed in your /opt folder. But, unless forum posts tell you they work OOTB, you may have to do some experimenting.

I do not recommend remastering to include any web-browser. But you may want to remove-builtin of any already present. Web-browsers are constantly being updated. It's better to use an SFS you can load and unload, or a portable. You can have two versions of the 'same' web-browser as SFSes and portables. For example the Google-Chrome you know works and the latest version you downloaded. You can try the latter and not delete the former until you know the new one works satisfactorily.

If you're really interested in obtaining applications not otherwise available, you should consider installing pkg-cli, https://www.forum.puppylinux.com/viewtopic.php?t=717 or pkg2, http://forum.puppylinux.com/viewtopic.p ... eac#p51728. Or you can make your life easier by switching to VanillaDpup or VoidPup which include the package managers of their 'binary' compatibes.

As an alternative to remastering, you may want to consider nicOS-Utility-Suite's Save2SFS. https://www.forum.puppylinux.com/viewto ... 983#p12983. With it you can create either/or-both an adrv or ydrv for your Puppy. Locate that next to your other system files and it will be part of the system you boot up. Their contents will have priority over any conflicting file/applications still in your 'base' system. But read the entire thread.
To create a Puppy-on-a-USB-Stick I can boot into, then unplug the stick, I locate portable web-browsers in /opt then create an adrv.sfs (rather than Saving/Remastering). [adrv's have priority over ydrv's --indeed everything except the contents of a SaveFile/Folder and applications installed but not yet Saved]. Save2SFS can be used to update an adrv or ydrv.

I also recommend the remaster components of the above Suite over Puppy's included version. The latter is slower and more confusing.