Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

This project was started when I realized that Ubuntu Bionic Beaver would reach End of Life on May 31, 2023; and before peebee explained that files in the then current Ubuntu repositories would merely be transfered and still somewhat available [even if not via Puppy Package Manager unless that was modified].

Bionicpup64 had been my ‘Go To’ Puppy almost since its release in 2019. It still was on my laptop. It could, and still can, perform any real-world task I wanted. Thanks to the efforts of Forum members, it still can run versions of the latest Web-browsers. And it can do all that using less RAM and in a more convenient manner than more recent Puppys*. So I thought, why not build a user-friendly version taking into consideration all upgrades and all insights Forum members have had since 666philb first made it available.

My laptop is a Lenovo T420 manufactured about 12 years ago. It has a second generation core i5 processor and 4Gb of RAM. When first available it sold for about $1,300. Today, similar T420’s can be purchased now for less than $100: very ‘user-friendly’. On my T420, the Remaster boots to desktop ‘using’ only 173 Mbs of RAM: that is, because of how efficiently Bionicpup64 manages RAM cache and buffering, only 173 Mbs of the 4Gbs are not available for running applications. And this despite all the ‘goodies’ now builtin.

The Good: OOTB, Bionic-Revival very likely has all the applications most User’s will need with one exception.

The Bad: The trade-off for the Good is that its ISO is almost 1GB, a long download. And it doesn’t have a builtin Web-browser. The latest firefox-esr is offered as a separate download. This Remaster takes a little while to reach desktop and to shut-down/reboot. Remember, you don’t have wait for it to shutdown. After 60 seconds --if you do nothing-- it will shutdown/reboot without Saving.

The reasons I didn’t build-in a web-browser are (a) they are the applications most often requiring updates, and built-ins complicate do that; and (b) most Users of Puppys already have their favorite web-browsers and/or are aware of the many SFSes and Portables you can download from links on the Forum. So only those new to Puppy would need a web-browser; and one has been provided in IMHO the most flexible format.

I’ll discuss that web-brower here, https://www.forum.puppylinux.com/viewto ... 667#p90667. Even if you don’t need it, you may want to scan the post for information about setting up ANY web-browser as default.

About the Goodies, after a word from our sponsor.

The Goodies:
It can be deployed to a USB-Key using the latest Rufus (3.22) under Windows. See this post as to how to use Rufus. https://www.forum.puppylinux.com/viewto ... 522#p40522. I have no reason to doubt that under a Linux system Unetbootin can do the same following bigpup's instructions here, https://www.forum.puppylinux.com/viewto ... 174#p83174.

The latest AUFS supporting kernel from ozsouth, https://www.forum.puppylinux.com/viewto ... 640#p85640. If you compile, he has also provided Sources and Headers linked from that post. FYI, with that ‘Hugh Kernel’ package and the fdrv.sfs built-in enabled wifi on my 12 year old Thinkpad. But as with other Puppys, ‘swapping kernels’ can be done if necessary.

The latest Openssl upgrade available from Ubuntu. A ‘reasonably’ current Openssl is an essential foundation to support Web-browers ‘acceptable’ to web-sites. My best guess is that the one builtin will keep Bionicpup-Revival useful for many years.

LibreOffice 5.3.2.2: Abiword is still there, but still presents problems with long documents. Abiword will open the Help files Wizard wrote.

Especially for newbies are wizard’s implementation of xfe as alternate file-manager and Help file documents. Thanks, wizard. I’ve only edited the Help files a little to reflect Bionic rather than fossa; and changed a couple of xfe’s default applications. Hope I got it right.

AppFinder – again so that newbies don’t have to struggle learning which applications do what.
Gimp 2.10.
Masterpdfeditor4 – still the best for doing serious work with pdfs.
XnViewMP – A graphic file manager with some basic photo editing capabilities. [Note: run Menu>Setup>Menu-Manager, Click OK to obtain a Menu-listing. Missed that before the full remaster].
lazpaint – a graphic application with a gui for creating vector graphics and combining those with raster graphics.
peazip – supplementing Bionicpup’s other compression/decompression tools, and providing an easy means to encrypt folders.
Xournal – a note-taking with graphics application.
Artha – an OFF-LINE thesaurus.
Planner – for organizing work-flow
Dukto – an easy to use application for transferring files over your network. [Also present are applications for transferring files between your computer and cameras or android devices. If possible, these were updated].
Dogradio & Deadbeef for your listening pleasure
Avidemux and Winff for basic video editing and format conversions. Avidemux is version 2.7.1. Later versions annoying stick to the Top-Left corner of one’s screen.

And Upgrades –whenever possible-- to all Utilities previously built into Bionicpup64–such as Radkys for desktop management-- with the additions of grub2 bootloader config, nicOS-Utilities-Suite and pwidgets

Other Applications not included: As I mentioned, Bionicpup64 can perform every real-world task I desired. Over the course of time I’ve accumulated over a hundred applications specifically built for the ‘old’ Bionicpup64. Most were not builtin to the Revival. I expect that most, but perhaps not all, those not included will work OOT under Revival. There are many Portables published by Forum members and available AppImages which Bionicpup64 can use. Some of those may have rendered the ones I’ve accumulated obsolete.

The online folder from which you can obtain the ISO and firefox_esr.sfs will be dedicated to Bionicpup64 and open to all. You’ll find within it a screenshot of my bionicpup64 applications. Later on this thread I’ll provide links to some available portables and Appimages. If you know of an application which is either hard to find or soon likely to become unavailable let me know. When necessary and possible, I’ll upload it to that online folder. The folder MAY –I’ve got to ruminate about it-- also contain a spread sheet of applications and links to them. So check the folder before posting.

Minimum RAM 2Gb, recommended 4GB. More is even better.

Link to Bionicpup64-Revival.ISO and firefox64-esr_8.0.sfs
https://mega.nz/folder/A7ZDzRpC#akFHWOVO9HaouYx5G_e9Rg

-=--=--==-=-=---
* My last exploration of dimkr’s work on VanillaDPups suggests that they may be more ‘ram-efficient’, especially compared to other recent Puppys. Eventually, I’ll explore them again. But currently on my two main computers I don’t consider them “User-Friendly” for three reasons: (1) dimkr is moving toward (if not already) entirely depending on Overlays, entirely abandoning AUFS. I may not need AUFS’s greater flexibility, but occasionally still find it useful. (2) Conman has replaced Puppys’ admittedly confusing offering of three network managers. Conman is the fastest network setup implementation available to Puppys. But is its also the most fragile. I have a weak wifi connection, often lost. To recover it Conman requires a reboot. Puppys usual network managers don’t. Once the wifi signal is strong enough they will usually pick it up; worse-case requires just a restart-x. (3) Pulse-Audio under Puppy is not yet as User-friendly as the Alsa-retrovol combination.

firefox64-esr_8.0.sfs is available from here, https://mega.nz/folder/A7ZDzRpC#akFHWOVO9HaouYx5G_e9Rg. Don't make to much of the '8.0' designation. This is the latest (102.11.0esr) version packaged as an SFS while running Bionicpup64; hence the 8.0. AFAIK, It can be used under any 64-bit Puppy newer than Tahrpup64. You can SFS-Load it and it should run OOTB. But you may not want to, yet.

firefox64-102.11esr is ‘portable’ which SFS-Loading locates its folder in your /opt folder in RAM. As an SFS you can load it and use it as soon as you have access to the internet, even before you create a SaveFile/Folder: all the convenience as if it were built-in or user-installed.

As a portable, it is designed to store your customizations, settings and Web-cache in its own folder. firefox, itself, is up-gradable. However, AS-IS to preserve any of those changes requires that there be a SaveFile/Folder and that a Save be executed because in Puppy’s merge-file-system /opt is in RAM and RAM is cleared on shut-down/reboot. [On reboot, the contents of SFS-Loaded SFSes on your Storage medium will again be copied into RAM, then over-written by the contents of your SaveFile/Folder].

So yes, you can use the SFS that way. But it has a major draw-back: cache are the files web-sites download and store on your computer so that when you again access those web-sites THEY don’t have to transmit those files again. Web-cache can quickly add up to hundreds of MBs using RAM which otherwise would be available for things YOU want to do. I’ve configured firefox to clear-cache (in fact all history) when it closes; have provided several Addons to deter internet ‘garbage’ and have provided three tools on firefox’s Toolbar to quickly clear cache and other matters I wouldn’t want to preserve. But still, if you have limited RAM and/or don’t care to have your work-flow interrupted by having to engage in such manual chores, you may not want to make any changes until you take the following action:

After you’ve created a SaveFile/Folder open two rox windows: one to /opt, the other to your Home-partition. Drag the entire firefox64esr folder from /opt onto your Home-folder and from the pop-up menu select Move. Then drag it back into the /opt folder and from the pop-up folder select Link(relative). firefox64esr’s folder will now be ‘outside’ of ‘Puppy-Space’ and all changes will immediately preserved.

There are many good addons you can install, some even come with mozilla’s recommendation. And you should review the addons I’ve included and the setting choices I made. They may not be those you want.

Converting firefox64-esr_8.0.sfs to an 'alphabet SFS: Caution. This has both advantages and disadvantages.

The partition on which an ordinary SFS is located must be mounted if the SFS is to be used. BionicPup64, however, can use either or both an adrvs.sfs and a ydrv.sfs. Currently it has neither. These are entirely copied into RAM on boot-up after which the partition on which they are located is dismounted. If that partition is a USB-Key you can unplug the Key. It’s really difficult for a hacker to obtain information from an unplugged USB-Key. But even a dismounted partition presents a hurdle. If you are satisfied with the default addons and settings of firefox64esr –or when you are-- you can convert it to firefox64-esr_8.0.sfs to an adrv or ydrv. For example, to convert it to an adrv (1) merely Right-Click it, Select Rename from the pop-up menu and change its name to adrv_bionicpup64_8.0.sfs.
[FWIW, adrvs and ydrvs are otherwise identical except that the contents of an adrv will have priority, overwriting in RAM any conflicting contents from a ydrv. I use adrvs primarily for Web-browsers which are frequently updated and ydrvs for applications I always want and expect rarely to have to update].

One downside of adrvs & ydrvs is that they cannot be Unloaded without changing their names or moving them and rebooting. Even with Puppys excellent management of RAM, they will use more RAM loaded than unloaded. But see the OP about how insignificant this may be. Another is that they are READ-ONLY so can not be easily modified.

As part of the nicOS-Utility-Suite Amethyst has provided a tool --Save2SFS-- for working with adrvs and ydrvs. The Suite is builtin, on your Utilities menu. See viewtopic.php?p=12983#p12983 for instructions and tips. But it has one drawback: Although updating an adrv you can exclude the contents of a ydrv, or vice-versa, Save2SFS will always capture the then current contents in RAM and write it to the READ-ONLY SFS you are creating. Great for eliminating the need of a SaveFile/Folder –the reason for the tool. Not so much if there are other contents in RAM you may not want to preserve.

[Amethyst has provided other tools which might make updating an SFS easier; but I haven’t used them].

So, if you’ve moved your firefox64esr out of /opt, what I would do is rebuild the firefox64-esr_8.0.sfs. It’s not that difficult. Here’s how:
(0) Open firefox and use the Clear Browsing Data (red-’pen’ on the Left side of the Toolbar) to clear all unwanted data. Close firefox.
(1) Create a work-folder, we’ll call it temp: Right-Click an empty space, Select New>Directory and name it temp.
(2) Within temp, create another folder named firefox64-esr. Open that (currently empty) folder and leave it open.
(3) Left-Click the firefox64-esr_8.0.sfs and from the pop-up menu Select “View”.
(4) From the window which opens drag each of the three folders –opt, root, and usr-- into the firefox64-esr folder. Select copy. [Left-Click irefox64-esr_8.0.sfs again to unmount it].
(5) In /temp/firefox64-esr/opt you’ll find a folder named firefox64esr. Left-Click it and select “delete”. Leave the /temp/firefox64-esr/opt window open.
(6) File-browse to the firefox64esr you have on your Storage Media. Left-Press, Hold, then drag it into /temp/firefox64-esr/opt and select Copy.
(7) File-browse up from /opt so that you see /temp/firefox64-esr as a folder. Left-Click that firefox64-esr and Select dir2sfs from the pop-up menu. A new SFS will be created holding your customizations, settings and addons.

firefox enables you to create as many profiles as you want. I’ve built in two, each having on the menu its own listing with a distinct icon: one named firefox64ESR, the other firefox64ESR_Secure. AS-IS, the first profile should be acceptable to all web-sites, perhaps occasionally triggering a request to turn-off Ad-blocking. The ‘Secure’ version –to be used for banking and other financial activities-- will likely interfere with general web use.

Both versions run as administrator/root. It may be possible –but not easy-- to configure both to run as Spot. Both would have to be Spot. And by Spot I mean actually enforcing Spot’s restriction that only the ‘Spot’ folder could be accessed by firefox and hackers. [Merely adding ‘run-as-spot’ to the /usr/share/application’s desktop’s Exec= argument, or to the scripts in /root/my-applications/bin isn’t sufficient]. So I recommend that if you want a web-browser that will run-as-spot, look for one on the Additional Software Section, viewforum.php?f=90. Iron or Brave would be my choices.

In Revival’s Repo currently holds the following additional applications that I believe can be used after downloading. [Only tested on my computers].

You’ll also find there a Table listing those and providing download links to other tested applications. What follows is information regarding other possible applications. I've attached that list as it also indicates something about the use for all the tested applications. Remove the 'false.gz' to open in any word-processor.

Mike Walsh has published many Portables. Almost all the ones I tried worked. You can safely try any portable because they never become an integral part of your system even if you choose to locate them within it. They are run from their own folders wherever you place those. The worse that can happen is they won’t function: you can then just delete their respective folders. But before deleting those folders you may try to figure out why they didn’t function and overcome that.

The same is true of AppImages as they are ‘self-contained’. If you dissect MikeWalsh’s portables or those I’ve included in the Repo you’ll find that some consist of AppImages wrapped in structures in order to make them more convenient to use. Hint, Ubuntu published the long-term release FocalFossa in 2020. About that time independent creators of applications turned there efforts away from Bionic Beaver to Focal Fossa. AppImages are supposed to include everything they need. But this is especially NOT true if they don't include glibc libraries. Revival's is 2.27. If the current AppImage can't be run under Bionicpup64, look for an earlier build.

An almost complete list (with links) of Mike Walsh’s Portables is at https://www.forum.puppylinux.com/viewto ... c57#p48734.

Mikewalsh has not updated that list to include his Wine-Portable, https://www.forum.puppylinux.com/viewto ... 191#p68191. Using it very many available 32-bit Windows programs can be run. Caution: your specific application may not be among those. It’s best to search https://appdb.winehq.org/ for reports. But WineHq doesn’t test programs published as portable, or the portable version of installable programs. These frequently will work even if the ‘installable’ version doesn’t. And being portable, they won’t pollute Wine’s registry. So you can test them safely, then delete their folders if you are not satisfied. The worst that can happen is that you’ve lost some time.

There are alternatives to Mikewalsh’s Wine-portable. But they would require SFS-Loading a 32-bit compatibility SFS . You can download one via Menu>Setup>Quickpet, Click the Useful tab. Alternatively you can use the ‘Universal’ compatibility SFS available from here, https://sourceforge.net/projects/spup/f ... 64/addons/. Using either, the 32-bit system would have to be configured, then say a portable-wine.sfs, from here, http://www.mediafire.com/?mso58025te7mz loaded or install a wine-pet, https://www.forum.puppylinux.com/viewto ... p=270#p270 following instructions on the wine-threads. Consequently, I only recommend using a 32-bit compatibility SFS if there is some 32-bit application other than Wine that you want. Steam? perhaps?

If an application has been packaged as an SFS you can also safely try it. The content of SFSes will be merged in RAM with the contents of your file-systems copied into RAM on boot-up. But that content will not be written to your SaveFile or SaveFolder. Application SFSes can always be unloaded; ‘though sometimes that will require a reboot.

In a following post I’ll explain how to safely test any other type of package. The following explains why caution should be employed before installing pets, debs or package formats other those specifically mentioned above.

Quickpet: Quickpet offers applications. I specifically do NOT recommend Wine via Quickpet. However, other applications it offers can be tried as a 2nd to last resort. After the initial publication of Bionicpup64 and the applications 666philb placed in its Quickpet repository many fans have published newer versions of some. Always first check what’s available from links on the Forum’s Additional Software Section, viewforum.php?f=7&sid=cee7623505c1016d9ded8774ca4677fe and the Forum’s Bionicpup64 Section, viewforum.php?f=115.

The firefox-esr available on the Repo is configured to offer psearch as a Bookmark. psearch is a google-search engine dedicated to ‘all things Puppy.’ It may help you to find bionicpup64 applications and information about them.

Use even more caution than with Quickpet before installing anything using Bionicpup’s Puppy Package Manager. It provides direct-access to and downloads not only from its own repositories, but also Ubuntu Bionic Beaver repositories. debs from the latter –and also anywhere else on the Web-- were created to run under Bionic Beaver. BionicPup is not a ‘cut-down’ version of Bionic Beaver. It uses its own ‘infra-structure’: applications created for Bionic Beaver assume that its ‘infra-structure’ is present. When installed into Puppy (a) they may not work OOTB – you’ll have to install missing components; (b) you may not be able to find the missing components; and (b) if you do find them, they may interfere with applications built for Puppy. Building applications for Bionicpup64 using Bionic Beaver’s files is often possible: but it’s an artform beyond the scope of this post. It’s the primary reason I’ve stocked Revival’s Repo with applications.

You'll probably recognize most of the applications in the Repo. If not, the Table and/or the website associated with each application should provide a glue. The Kernel Headers and Kernel resources are present even for those, like me, who don't compile applications. Several of Mikewalsh's google-chrome portables and Zoom portable can be updated. But to do that successfully the Kernel Headers and Kernel resources have to be sfs-loaded. Alternatively, you can obtain the original ones via Quickpet. But those can't be used for compiling under the included kernel. After updating you can SFS-(un)Load them.

Almost all the applications in the Repo were either difficult to find or --not working OOTB-- had to be reconstructed. The exception is xpad. It's one of those 'sticky-notes' I wanted, didn't know existed and having found didn't want to forget. Figured other might have similar desires and memory problems.

I'll cover safely trying out 'alien' pets and debs in another post.

@mikeslr

The downsides of adrvs & ydrvs is that they cannot be Unloaded without changing their names or moving them and rebooting.

You can overwrite them during a session though. I do this all the time with my adrv. When I want to save stuff, I run my Save2Adrv script (the new one I published) and it automatically overwrites the old one.

Thanks, amethyst, for the post. Good to know. But I probably wouldn't have included that info in the OP. It already suffered from my tendency to stuff too much information into one post.

Amethyst's new Save2Adrv script can be obtained here, https://www.forum.puppylinux.com/viewto ... 387#p87387.

If I'm not mistaken, after the new adrv overwrites the old adrv on Storage, the User will still have to run Menu>Exit>Restart Graphical Server for the running Puppy to re-catalog what then makes up its operating system in RAM.
See amethyst post following. Thanks, amethyst for the clarification.
For those waiting with baited breath for me to fill in the post I Reserved, it should be completed tomorrow.

mikeslr wrote: Tue Jun 06, 2023 12:59 am

Thanks, amethyst, for the post. Good to know. But I probably wouldn't have included that info in the OP. It already suffered from my tendency to stuff too much information into one post.

Amethyst's new Save2Adrv script can be obtained here, https://www.forum.puppylinux.com/viewto ... 387#p87387.

If I'm not mistaken, after the new adrv overwrites the old adrv on Storage, the User will still have to run Menu>Exit>Restart Graphical Server for the running Puppy to re-catalog what then makes up its operating system in RAM.

For those waiting with baited breath for me to fill in the post I Reserved, it should be completed tomorrow.

The new adrv will only come into play once you reboot. Remember that when the saving is done to the new adrv, files are only copied from the running system to produce the new adrv. The contents of the old adrv will still be mounted and unchanged (the contents are read-only afterall) at /initrd/pup_a. But it's convenient that one can overwrite the old adrv on the partition during the session.

menuentry "Puppy fossapup64 9.6" {
insmod ext2
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root 81ed23b8-82e5-4028-8796-42c32481adef
echo "Loading vmlinuz"
linux /vmlinuz nomodeset pmedia=atahd pdrv=81ed23b8-82e5-4028-8796-42c32481adef pfix=fsck,fsckp,trim TZ=CET-1CEST,M3.5.0,M10.5.0/3
if [ -e /local-initrd.gz ]; then
set local_rd=/local-initrd.gz

I need to put the nomodeset in the grub.cfg like overhere in F96-ce, othervise it crashes on "restart Xserver", but i cant find the right way to put it in BionicPup64-Revival?

can somebody help? where should the "nomodeset" go in the grub.cfg?

Im on a ideapad gaming 3 lenovo laptop - the F96-ce works with the "nomodeset" - so did Fossapup, and the former Bionicpup.

kindly Gnimm

Gnimmelf wrote:

can somebody help? where should the "nomodeset" go in the grub.cfg?

For sure it should be at the "linux ..." line, you did already try that ?
Perhaps add it as the last on that line:
linux /vmlinuz pmedia=atahd pdrv=81ed23b8-82e5-4028-8796-42c32481adef pfix=fsck,fsckp,trim TZ=CET-1CEST,M3.5.0,M10.5.0/3 nomodeset

it freezes at "loading kernel modules" .....
tried 3 different locaitions including yours - it usually does work?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

#
set default=0
set timeout=0

set menu_color_normal='yellow/blue'
set menu_color_highlight='black/cyan'

if [ $grub_platform = 'efi' ]; then
loadfont /boot/grub/fonts/DejaVuSansMono18.pf2
set gfxmode=auto
terminal_output gfxterm
fi

menuentry "Puppy bionicpup64 8.0" {
insmod f2fs
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root 9d9448eb-0e92-40d0-aa3e-3a5b8e423baf
echo "Loading vmlinuz"
linux /pups/bionicpup64/vmlinuz nomodeset net.ifnames=0 pmedia=usbhd pdrv=lin864fae8c psubdir=/pups/bionicpup64 pfix=fsck,fsckp TZ=CET-1CEST,M3.5.0,M10.5.0/3
if [ -e /pups/bionicpup64/local-initrd.gz ]; then
set local_rd=/pups/bionicpup64/local-initrd.gz
else
set local_rd=
fi
if [ -e /pups/bionicpup64/ucode.cpio ]; then
set ucode_rd=/pups/bionicpup64/ucode.cpio
echo "Loading ucode.cpio and initrd.gz"
else
set ucode_rd=
echo "Loading initrd.gz"
fi
initrd $ucode_rd /pups/bionicpup64/initrd.gz $local_rd
}
if [ $grub_platform = 'efi' ]; then
menuentry "System BIOS setup" {
fwsetup
}
fi
menuentry "Shutdown computer" {
halt
}
menuentry "Reboot computer" {
reboot
}

Gnimmelf wrote:

tried 3 different locaitions including yours - it usually does work?

Yes, I did many times, nomodeset should work from the "linux .." line (where kernel options must be specified), so obviously something else is wrong.

fredx181 wrote: Tue Jun 06, 2023 5:25 pm

Gnimmelf wrote:

tried 3 different locaitions including yours - it usually does work?

Yes, I did many times, nomodeset should work from the "linux .." line (where kernel options must be specified), so obviously something else is wrong.

if i boot up without the "nomodeset" bionic crashes the second time a restart x server is needed - i tried to solve without restart x-server- going to save after first setup -
but then i goes to some kernel panic - delaying boot for 60 seconds, and wont boot after that?

kindly Gnimm

Hi Gnimmelf. Thanks for trying Revival and reporting the problem. And thanks, fred for suggesting a possible solution.

Could be that the kernel from here, https://www.forum.puppylinux.com/viewto ... 202#p85640 just doesn't play well with your ideapad gaming 3 lenovo laptop.

@ozsouth, has anyone else reported a similar problem?

Gnimmelf, since you've already downloaded the ISO and have F96-ce deployed, I have no better idea than to swap the vmlinuz and zdrv from F96-ce for those which were in Revival's ISO. That is move Revival's vmlinuz and zdrv_bionicpup64_8.0.sfs out of the way* and copy F96-ce's vmlinuz and zdrv_fossapup64_9.6.sfs into the location vacated; then rename zdrv_fossapup64_9.6.sfs to zdrv_bionicpup64_8.0.sfs. One of the suggested grub.cfg listings should work.

-=-=-=-=-
* hopefully awaiting the solution to the problem.

@mikeslr - haven't had any adverse reports on 6.2.9pre - but older pc MAY be better with 5.10 or non-preempt kernels. Interesting project.
BTW, I've made a minimal fossa64 - 199.6mb. see: viewtopic.php?p=91044#p91044

mikeslr wrote: Tue Jun 06, 2023 11:27 pm

Hi Gnimmelf. Thanks for trying Revival and reporting the problem. And thanks, fred for suggesting a possible solution.

Could be that the kernel from here, https://www.forum.puppylinux.com/viewto ... 202#p85640 just doesn't play well with your ideapad gaming 3 lenovo laptop.

@ozsouth, has anyone else reported a similar problem?

Gnimmelf, since you've already downloaded the ISO and have F96-ce deployed, I have no better idea than to swap the vmlinuz and zdrv from F96-ce for those which were in Revival's ISO. That is move Revival's vmlinuz and zdrv_bionicpup64_8.0.sfs out of the way* and copy F96-ce's vmlinuz and zdrv_fossapup64_9.6.sfs into the location vacated; then rename zdrv_fossapup64_9.6.sfs to zdrv_bionicpup64_8.0.sfs. One of the suggested grub.cfg listings should work.

-=-=-=-=-
* hopefully awaiting the solution to the problem.

will try that asap

kindly Gnimm

mikeslr wrote: Tue Jun 06, 2023 11:27 pm

Gnimmelf, since you've already downloaded the ISO and have F96-ce deployed, I have no better idea than to swap the vmlinuz and zdrv from F96-ce for those which were in Revival's ISO. That is move Revival's vmlinuz and zdrv_bionicpup64_8.0.sfs out of the way* and copy F96-ce's vmlinuz and zdrv_fossapup64_9.6.sfs into the location vacated; then rename zdrv_fossapup64_9.6.sfs to zdrv_bionicpup64_8.0.sfs. One of the suggested grub.cfg listings should work.

-=-=-=-=-
* hopefully awaiting the solution to the problem.

so - i tried the suggested - without "nomodeset" bionic crashes on restart X second time.....

with the "nomodeset" it freezes on "loading kernel modules" ?

so maybe its my pc? - funny though that old fossa, bionic and f96-ce with "nomodeset" runs without problems.....?

i will stay on F96-ce for now - could have been fun to try out bionic revival though!

kindly Gnimm

@mikeslr

This is truly a labour of love and really impressive.

Not only providing applications but the thorough details in the steps taken

It might be a large download but I look at it as 'bang for your buck'

Kudos to you

@mikeslr thanks for a very nice .iso. On my old fanless miniPC, (fitPC3 pro) with 4G of RAM, I notice it is slower with vivaldi running youtube than stock BP64. On stock BP64, I start with 500M of RAM use and with BP-Rev, I start over 1G of RAM. One problem I had BP64 where move command in the jwmrc-personal file crashes the PC, this does NOT happen on BP-Rev! I am wondering if I can modify BP64 so I can move an app with keyboard shortcut without crashing... This iso is very good for a general use on PCs with more power than I have...

gychang "One problem I had BP64 where move command in the jwmrc-personal file crashes the PC, this does NOT happen on BP-Rev! I am wondering if I can modify BP64 so I can move an app with keyboard shortcut without crashing..."

The only thing I can think might make the difference is that I updated radky's JWMDesk to version 3.5.4.

mikeslr wrote: Sat Jun 10, 2023 11:36 pm

gychang "One problem I had BP64 where move command in the jwmrc-personal file crashes the PC, this does NOT happen on BP-Rev! I am wondering if I can modify BP64 so I can move an app with keyboard shortcut without crashing..."

The only thing I can think might make the difference is that I updated radky's JWMDesk to version 3.5.4.

@mikeslr where can I find the JWMDesk v 3.5.4?

Sorry, gychang. I usually only keep the latest version of frequently desired applications on my hard-drive (saves having to find download link & then download). A recent post revealed that radky had published version 3.6 which I downloaded, installed into BP-rev, deleting my stored copy of 3.5.4. You can obtain the 3.6 version here, https://www.smokey01.com/radky/

Don't know how I missed the post about 3.6 or it would have been in BP-rev.

P.S. In retrospect, I should have provided LibreOffice as a 215 Mb SFS in BP-rev's repo rather than including it in the base.sfs. I almost never use Abiword. But while trying to keep track of what I was doing while remastering I used it. At some point rather than crashing --it's well know characteristic-- it just refused to save changes. Tried of that nonsense, LibreOffice was immediately built in.

mikeslr wrote: Sun Jun 11, 2023 2:10 pm

You can obtain the 3.6 version here, https://www.smokey01.com/radky/

Don't know how I missed the post about 3.6 or it would have been in BP-rev.

Installing the pet file seems to have cured my problem of crashing with move funciton in the jwmrc-personal file but after a reboot, the problem persisted... Even after removing using built-in app remover, the problem persisted. Will try to play around it more...., thanks for the pet file anyway.