Puppy Linux 5.2
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Puppy Linux - an easy linux for newbies
Not sure if Linux is for you? - Got an old PC you are thinking of dumping? - Why not save it and use the free software and operating system that is Linux.
This is a taster of Linux for the beginner that can be run directly from a CD, no need to install to a hard drive. And did you know that the Android OS is based on Linux? No, neither did I.
This is a taster of Linux for the beginner that can be run directly from a CD, no need to install to a hard drive. And did you know that the Android OS is based on Linux? No, neither did I.
Why use Puppy Linux?
If you are looking for simplicity, ease of use, and do not need all the 'bells and whistles' that other distributions of Linux offer, then Puppy Linux could be for you.There are plenty of other 'lite' distros around but I have not tried all of them personally, so this lens is just about Puppy Linux.
In the time I have been running Puppy Linux, I have never known the PC freeze up, crash or restart unexpectedly. Indeed, Linux generally is now used by many organisations to run website hosting as well as desktop applications.
It can even be run on low specification machines without any trouble. This is the Compaq iPaq I use as a Linux machine for web browsing and emails. Found it on ebay for the grand sum of 8GBP!
Puppy Linux Features
FREE to download and use, no fussy registration or activation processes to worry about. Use on more than one PC without licensing problems.Runs in the computers memory, which means, if you want to, you can eject the CD and Puppy Linux will carry on working.
Can be installed to hard drive, USB pen drive and Compact Flash (CF) cards.
Easy to update packages from a simple intuitive package manager application.
The control panel on the right is from the latest version - Lucid Puppy 5.2.5.
The buttons are:-
Add/Remove programs
Assess installed pets - checks dependencies
Boot Diskette - Create bootable disk
Boot Flash - Create bootable USB drive
Puppy Universal Installer - install Puppy to media
Quickpet - Install common Puppy pets quickly
Remaster Puppy - Build a snapshot of the installation
Run Program/Run Install from command line
What's included?
There is a very large range of software that can be added after the main installation, Web Browsers, email, office packages compatible with MS Office, drawing and photo editing suites, CD/DVD recording, there is something for everyone, and the best part is, it's all FREE!Software is available in packages called 'pets', yep, that's really what they are called - in keeping with the puppy theme!
Again, no licences to mess about with and no awkward registration processes to go through, it just simply works.
Where can I get Puppy Linux?
The easiest way to get Puppy Linux is by a quick search on Google that will take you to the Puppy Linux website.You will then need to download it as a CD/DVD image (iso) file, or alternatively, buy a ready made CD/DVD for a small fee. The latter option is fine if you do not feel comfortable about burning a download to CD/DVD.
Getting Started With Puppy
Once you have your Puppy Linux CD ready for use, insert it into the CD/DVD drive and restart your computer.Watch your start up screen carefully and get ready to press the key(s) necessary to enter the BIOS setup.
Make sure BIOS is set to boot from CD first. Save your settings and allow the PC to continue booting.
Allow all the scripts to finish running, then after the xserver (windowing system) starts, you will be presented with a panel in which you can select the language and country settings. Click the OK button to confirm the settings. The xserver will restart and the screen will go blank for a second as it does so. The desktop will now be ready for you to explore.
Why no login screen?
This is a feature of Puppy Linux, since it is meant to be a 'single user' version of Linux than a multi user system. It is possible to set up multiple users if you do not want anyone to alter any PC settings.There is a version of Puppy Linux that will allow the addition of mutiple users and that is version 4.2.1, which was released in 2009.
Love the clock and calendar on the desktop!
How does it compare to other Linux distributions?
A long time ago, I tried SuSE Linux 6.0, and compared to todays Linux distributions it was difficult to install. You had to know almost exactly every piece of hardware that was in your PC, and trying to get the xserver (windowing system) running correctly could be a real pain if you had selected the wrong graphics card! It was even rumoured to cause damage to your monitor, no LCD screens at the time, just the old fashioned CRT tubes.Thankfully, todays modern distributions do not cause such problems, even the more, shall we say 'fuller versions' of Linux such as Ubuntu can detect most hardware easily.
More Puppy Linux Information and Downloads...
- Puppy Linux Website
- This is the main Puppy Linux website where you can also find different versions of Puppy Linux. ALL FREE!
The latest version - Lucid Puppy 5.2.8 was released in August of this year.
Try it now! - Linux for Children
- Good old Linux! - now there is a version for CHILDREN called Qimo. Go and read this lens about it here.
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Readers comments and constructive suggestions are welcome.
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computer_repair
Aug 28, 2011 @ 11:21 pm | delete
- I find using Linux (Ubuntu for me) with an SSD drive on a old computer seems to make the computer feel like a new one.
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AbigailsCrafts
Jun 2, 2011 @ 9:35 am | delete
- Nice lens - my laptop is not *too* old so I'm pretty good with Ubuntu at the moment, but my friend has an old laptop that is crawwwwllllingggg under Windows and wants to try a linux distro. I may just link her to this lens for an intro to Puppy ;)
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anatallon
Jun 2, 2011 @ 1:13 pm | delete
- Thanks for your comments - your friend should have no problem trying this distro and can just run it from a CD/DVD.
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May 30, 2011 @ 5:56 am | delete
- I love the lens, well done! I've used Puppy Linux before, installed it on my netbook. It's a great OS, very snappy and fast, but the thing I hated about the distro is its irregular updates. Yes, they do update, only once a month or in two months. Still recommend this distro for Linux beginners and for users that have old computers.
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anatallon
May 31, 2011 @ 1:21 am | delete
- Thank you - also find Puppy useful for testing self built PCs, without having to install any full system OS.
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by anatallon
Gained Cert Comp & Maths(Open) in 2008 with the Open University.
Interested in programming and computers in general.
Budding article writer!
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