Can Puppy Linux get large?

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mathnerd
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Joined: Tue 07 May 2013, 16:21

Can Puppy Linux get large?

#1 Post by mathnerd »

Hi everyone!

Like any computer geek, I'm always thinking about ways to squeeze a little more performance out of my machine. I got to thinking about whether there might be a Linux distribution that runs entirely in RAM, did some googling, and that's how I landed here. My rationale is that I have a ton of RAM, and most of what I do is more cpu or gpu intensive then memory intensive; I could probably spare a few Gigs for the operating system

Best I can tell though, puppy linux is designed to provide a very barebones OS for people with older hardware. So I'm wondering:

1) if I wanted my OS to run in RAM, but still install all my stuff: a variety of programming languages, IDEs, media, etc. Basically whatever I want could I for example have most of the filesystem in RAM, but have say ~/ and /usr/bin reside on the hard disk?

2) At that point would there be a performance advantage?

jamesbond
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#2 Post by jamesbond »

If you have big iron, you may want to run 64-bit puppies. Watch for Fatdog64, LightHouse64, Shahor and Sensei64.
Fatdog64 forum links: [url=http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=117546]Latest version[/url] | [url=https://cutt.ly/ke8sn5H]Contributed packages[/url] | [url=https://cutt.ly/se8scrb]ISO builder[/url]

musher0
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#3 Post by musher0 »

Hello.

Your Puppy can get as large as you need.

One of my Puppies, with OpenOffice installed, got to 2,8 Gb.

musher0
Last edited by musher0 on Fri 10 May 2013, 18:07, edited 1 time in total.
musher0
~~~~~~~~~~
"You want it darker? We kill the flame." (L. Cohen)

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8-bit
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#4 Post by 8-bit »

I am running Lucid 5.20 with a Pupsave file that is 3.2 gigs in size with 1.1 gig free.
The fun part is that the pupsave file size indicator on the task bar is showing orange in color which I assume is a caution color.
I have never had any problems other than noticing that with all the installed stuff, Puppy does seem to run a bit slower.

I have never tired doing a full install though.
And backing up is just a matter of having a backup of my pupsave file.

The only thing I wonder about is if one can have a pupsave file that is greater than the installed memory.

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Karl Godt
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#5 Post by Karl Godt »

8-bit wrote: The only thing I wonder about is if one can have a pupsave file that is greater than the installed memory.
Of course .. as long as you don't run every binary several times at the same time .. Puppy has 1500-2000 binaries in /usr/bin
and a script like

Code: Select all

for bin in `ls -1 /usr/bin/*`; do $bin & ;done
would show if it is possible XD , though many binaries would need options and arguments and exit immediately therefore .

rmcellig
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#6 Post by rmcellig »

I have a 10GB save file for my pup 528 install. No problems so far.

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Hotdog
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#7 Post by Hotdog »

Mathnerd,

Welcome to the forum and the world of Puppy Linux!

I came to Puppy after using Fedora then CentOS. So far there is not anything that I have missed. My installation is Puppy 5.2.8 in a hard drive install. Some of the programs that I use frequently in Puppy are: Libre Office, GIMP, Rosegarden, Kino, Cinelerra, Audacity, Qsynth, MuseScore, VLC, Blender and a few more. Some of these would qualify as demanding and heavy use. These perform fine on a 1.3Ghz processor with 1.5Gb memory.

These forums are rich in experiences and how-it's-done. You will also find a lot of friendly this-is-what-worked-for-me. So, jump in where ever you like.
Last edited by Hotdog on Sun 12 May 2013, 01:37, edited 1 time in total.
[i]Puppy 5.2.8.7, Full Install[/i]

rmcellig
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#8 Post by rmcellig »

So Hotdog,

A full install of PUP 5.2.8m works well for you? I was thinking of doing the same thing. There is so much talk about how great a frugal install is and I would tend to agree but there is also the option of a full install and seeing from the heavy demands you place on your computer, that a full install is working just fine.

I'm like you in that I have tried and continue to try various distros but I always, always come back to puppy. :)

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Hotdog
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#9 Post by Hotdog »

Rmcellig,

Puppy 5.2.8 is my 'everyday' machine. Fedora updated too frequently and CentOS was a bit behind the curve on multimedia. Puppy 5.2.8 gives me a 'just right' feeling. Frugal installs are fine. But, when I tried Puppy on a live CD I couldn't wait to make it permanent. Really that is one of the great features of Puppy, it is flexible enough that we can each make it work the way we want it to and still be able to share methods and how-to's with the rest of the community.

The cadre of developers here have taken Puppy in several different directions including a multimedia specialty. So, we have a decent range of Puppy flavors to choose from should our needs or wants change. But, it would still be our Puppy, familiar and dependable. So far 5.2.8 is doing a great job for me.
[i]Puppy 5.2.8.7, Full Install[/i]

rmcellig
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#10 Post by rmcellig »

Thanks Hotdog!

Now of I can only find a way to get puppy working on my old Mac G4, that would be great!!

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