We use Libranet Linux at home (a commercial version of Debian--wonderful distro.) My family has gotten used to it and now are very disappointed in Windows.
However, their public school, like most, still uses Windows . . . NT or 2000 I think; I know it's not XP.) So when doing assignments, they struggle with moving their essays (OpenOffice.org) back and forth from home to school as RTF files, and other workarounds. I'm thinking of teaching them LaTeX, so they can just write using plain text (it would have many other advantages, but that's a topic for another message.)
Anyway, all the school computers are networked together. They seem to have CD drives, no floppies, and perhaps USB ports. So I guess Puppy would run. But does Puppy present any problems in a highly networked system like this? They (and I) would be in big trouble if Puppy "broke" anything. And does Puppy automatically find internet connections and networked printers in situations like this?
Anyone have any experience using Puppy in "covert" manner on public school computers?
Thanks.
--Chris
can I bring my Puppy to school?
you should probably ask the administrator(s) of the network for permission to run Puppy on a network
i wouldn't be surprised if they were reluctant to allow anything other than what is already installed and setup on their network
if Puppy has the appropriate drivers for the hardware, it could probably be able to connect to the network ... probably, all you would have to so is run the Ethernet/Network Wizard ... you might have problems with a network printer
i'm not sure i would want to allow Puppy on a network i was reponsible for ... Puppy runs as root and allows you to do anything ... it has powerful tools like netcat that could be used for hacking purposes ... many admins require an automatic screensaver to lock access to the machine ... Puppy does not have a lockable screensaver (it almost does)
Puppy probably wouldn't break anything, but i think the potential for it to be used as a powerful hacking tool is there
p.s. i like Libranet too
i wouldn't be surprised if they were reluctant to allow anything other than what is already installed and setup on their network
if Puppy has the appropriate drivers for the hardware, it could probably be able to connect to the network ... probably, all you would have to so is run the Ethernet/Network Wizard ... you might have problems with a network printer
i'm not sure i would want to allow Puppy on a network i was reponsible for ... Puppy runs as root and allows you to do anything ... it has powerful tools like netcat that could be used for hacking purposes ... many admins require an automatic screensaver to lock access to the machine ... Puppy does not have a lockable screensaver (it almost does)
Puppy probably wouldn't break anything, but i think the potential for it to be used as a powerful hacking tool is there
p.s. i like Libranet too
I regret to have to say I do not think Puppy is safe for such situations. It writes on hard drives by default! So it is only suitable for use on "expendable" computers -- computers that YOU are completely responsible for!
Most other LiveCDs, such as Knoppix, have a much more conservative philosophy, and would be more suitable for situations where minimizing risk was the highest priority...
Most other LiveCDs, such as Knoppix, have a much more conservative philosophy, and would be more suitable for situations where minimizing risk was the highest priority...
Yeah, I was afraid of that. The school is [b]very[/b] particular about its computers (as are most institutions, I suppose.)
I was hoping Puppy might enable my kids to have a functional linux system fully isolated from anything else on the computer. Guess not.
I have heard of Knoppix and will look into it.
Byt the way, as far as Puppy writing to hard drive, can't that be eliminated? I only just discovered Puppy tonight, but didn't I read about a way to have that pup001 "home-like" directory on the removable media? Either USB key or the "multisession" CD/DVD?
Thanks.
I was hoping Puppy might enable my kids to have a functional linux system fully isolated from anything else on the computer. Guess not.
I have heard of Knoppix and will look into it.
Byt the way, as far as Puppy writing to hard drive, can't that be eliminated? I only just discovered Puppy tonight, but didn't I read about a way to have that pup001 "home-like" directory on the removable media? Either USB key or the "multisession" CD/DVD?
Thanks.
No worry
At boot-time, you can tell (the standard) Puppy CD to wait for your instruction about where to save files (enter 3). Then if you prefer a USB stick, enter /dev/sda1 afterwards, when it asks you where to save files.
In multisession CD, of course you will use the CD rewriter for saving files.
Use network tools to view the Windows network (see the "neighborhood" items there).
Keeping modifications within your files means Puppy wont do anything to the rest of the network
As to getting the school to use Puppy and ease their problems, why don't you gift the chiefs with a Puppy miniCD? The first argument in favor of Puppy is relieving them of network maintenance burden - give each kid a Puppy CD and forget about maintaining all those malware-infested hard drives! (Eventually, the school can cook up its own Puppy CD version safe enough for everyone to use.)
In multisession CD, of course you will use the CD rewriter for saving files.
Use network tools to view the Windows network (see the "neighborhood" items there).
Keeping modifications within your files means Puppy wont do anything to the rest of the network
As to getting the school to use Puppy and ease their problems, why don't you gift the chiefs with a Puppy miniCD? The first argument in favor of Puppy is relieving them of network maintenance burden - give each kid a Puppy CD and forget about maintaining all those malware-infested hard drives! (Eventually, the school can cook up its own Puppy CD version safe enough for everyone to use.)
All software is always risky, in the sense that the unexpected or unintended is always possible. Mistakes happen, etc.
But Puppy adds some additional risk elements. One is that it actually writes on hard drives by default, even if you take no other action other than booting a CD. The other is that what it does when it boots, trying to automatically do the best thing (in it's opinion) is so complicated that a newbie cannot possibly be sure what it is going to happen. (I have been focusing on learning Puppy internals for over a month, and I am far from a complete understanding of the boot process. It will take weeks or months until I do thoroughly understand what it is trying to do, and in the meantime it is changing, in possibly radical ways... I don't think I will feel in control until I re-write the boot script, make it stop and wait for agreement or modification before each major action Puppy takes.)
For a great intro to the Wonderful World of Linux LiveCDs, check out
http://www.frozentech.com/content/livecd.php
But the simple bottom line so far, in my experience, is: Do not let the Puppy LiveCD autoboot -- be SURE each time you boot the CD that you choose option 3, not let it go ahead with the first default option (which it does after about ten seconds) -- if you hope it will just leave your hard drives etc completely alone. It is very hard to remember this EVERY time you boot or reboot! So don't leave the CD in the drive, except when the process has your total attention... (I am sure that it would be very simple to remaster the CD boot menu to change this default.)
But Puppy adds some additional risk elements. One is that it actually writes on hard drives by default, even if you take no other action other than booting a CD. The other is that what it does when it boots, trying to automatically do the best thing (in it's opinion) is so complicated that a newbie cannot possibly be sure what it is going to happen. (I have been focusing on learning Puppy internals for over a month, and I am far from a complete understanding of the boot process. It will take weeks or months until I do thoroughly understand what it is trying to do, and in the meantime it is changing, in possibly radical ways... I don't think I will feel in control until I re-write the boot script, make it stop and wait for agreement or modification before each major action Puppy takes.)
For a great intro to the Wonderful World of Linux LiveCDs, check out
http://www.frozentech.com/content/livecd.php
But the simple bottom line so far, in my experience, is: Do not let the Puppy LiveCD autoboot -- be SURE each time you boot the CD that you choose option 3, not let it go ahead with the first default option (which it does after about ten seconds) -- if you hope it will just leave your hard drives etc completely alone. It is very hard to remember this EVERY time you boot or reboot! So don't leave the CD in the drive, except when the process has your total attention... (I am sure that it would be very simple to remaster the CD boot menu to change this default.)
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Alucard_the_dex
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