Ubuntu vs Macpup Opera

[HappinessNow]

Ubuntu vs Macpup Opera (http://macpup.org/); thoughts...

[ghindo]

Ubuntu vs Macpup Opera; thoughts...As far as I can tell the two distros have very different purposes.

[The Real Dave]

Enlightenment e17 is definately gorgeous, and its a quick little OS, just like the original Puppy. I dunno would I change to it as a main OS though, over Ubuntu, but I do keep a copy of Puppy on my flash drive for mobile usage :D

[Plumtreed]

Ubuntu is our main OS but we keep an old PC because of an accounting program that seems only able to run on Win98. That PC can handle Ubuntu but Puppy, especially the smaller compilations, go much faster.

Macpup Opera61 is the current choice but BrowserPup is also handy. Crunchbang goes really well and blends in better with the other household network computers running Ubuntu.

I think that 'speed' might be the only real reason why I would look at another OS. These puppies run in RAM so they do have an edge!

[Chilli Bob]

Puppy is a freakin awesome distro, but it has two issues that stop me using it full time. Firstly, you always run as root. There are andless debates on the forum as to whether this is a bad thing or not. I've never had a problem with it myself, but it just feels.... wrong?

Secondly the package management system is nowhere near as good as Ubuntu's. There is much less in the repositories, and the package manager is a bit of a pain. Sure it is easy to create your own packages from slackware, but who has the time.

I've tried Macpup Opera, but just can't develop a love for enlightgenment. I use Boxpup which it think has an excellent desktop environment. Oh, and I always replace Opera with Seamonkey, a much better choice I feel.

I always have a Puppy USB stick on my keyring nowdays. It's come in handy a few times now.

[HappinessNow]

I always have a Puppy USB stick on my keyring nowdays. It's come in handy a few times now.
I have to install Macpup Opera on my flash drive to keep it handy.

[TheNosh]

ubuntu and puppy serve very different purposes so comparing them makes little sense

however, when comparing it to other puppy distros i have a few comments.

i absolutely love opera, that is something i would not change.

however when it comes to e17, i like it ok and it looks promising, but i prefer Xfce. back when i used to use puppy every day i mostly used flexxxpup (http://flexxxpup.webs.com/) it also has wine, which i needed for a few programs that my school required. i had to change a few of the settings to my liking but that wasn't much of an issue (just start up noises and the rainbow background)

[HappinessNow]

ubuntu and puppy serve very different purposes so comparing them makes little sense

however, when comparing it to other puppy distros i have a few comments.

i absolutely love opera, that is something i would not change.

however when it comes to e17, i like it ok and it looks promising, but i prefer Xfce. back when i used to use puppy every day i mostly used flexxxpup (http://flexxxpup.webs.com/) it also has wine, which i needed for a few programs that my school required. i had to change a few of the settings to my liking but that wasn't much of an issue (just start up noises and the rainbow background)

I like both Opera and the environment that Macpup Opera uses, quite awesome combination...

[mystmaiden]

I've been wanting to check out Macpup Opera. I wiped one of my old computers and put puppy 4.2.1 on it and instantly became a puppy fan. Would I switch from Ubuntu for my main os, nah but now that I have one pup machine, I'll definitely have another. Looks like Macpup Opera is next.

mystmaiden

[Stan_1936]

...but BrowserPup is also handy....

Which is faster as a web browsing ONLY distribution(to be installed on a 7200 RPM HDD):

Browser Pup(BrowserLinux) 69MB ISO:
http://www.browserlinux.com/#UNetbootin

OR

Damn Small Linux 50 MB ISO:
http://www.damnsmalllinux.org/

[HappinessNow]

Which is faster as a web browsing ONLY distribution(to be installed on a 7200 RPM HDD):

Browser Pup(BrowserLinux) 69MB ISO:
http://www.browserlinux.com/#UNetbootin

OR

Damn Small Linux 50 MB ISO:
http://www.damnsmalllinux.org/Many versions of Puppy are faster and more efficient then Damn Small, but I suggest you try them both out and decide for yourself.

Post back with your results. ;)

[snowpine]

Which is faster as a web browsing ONLY distribution(to be installed on a 7200 RPM HDD):

Browser Pup(BrowserLinux) 69MB ISO:
http://www.browserlinux.com/#UNetbootin

OR

Damn Small Linux 50 MB ISO:
http://www.damnsmalllinux.org/

While it's definitely fast, it's hard to recommend DSL as a "browser distro" because it uses a very old version of Firefox (or Dillo), which might not be compatible with all websites and plugins.

Both of the distros you mention are actually faster as a Live CD; no reason to install to your HD.

[HappinessNow]

While it's definitely fast, it's hard to recommend DSL as a "browser distro" because it uses a very old version of Firefox (or Dillo), which might not be compatible with all websites and plugins.

Both of the distros you mention are actually faster as a Live CD; no reason to install to your HD.Actually I think Macpup Opera is more vibrant and robust (faster) installed on the hard drive.

[thisllub]

I wonder if the anti-E17 people have ever used it to the most of its ability.

Run Command
Clients Menu
Keystrokes for all window sizing and placement
Window Remembers

and speed.

[HappinessNow]

I wonder if the anti-E17 people have ever used it to the most of its ability.

Run Command
Clients Menu
Keystrokes for all window sizing and placement
Window Remembers

and speed.There are anti-e17 people?

[TheNosh]

There are anti-e17 people?

there are a few out there i'm sure. however most of us that wouldn't use macpup opera because of it still like it, just not as much as other environments (at least thats how it is with me)

e17 looks great and will likely only get better, i'm just to lazy to get used to it right now. maybe in a month or two. for right now i prefer puppy with Xfce.

[HappinessNow]

there are a few out there i'm sure. however most of us that wouldn't use macpup opera because of it still like it, just not as much as other environments (at least thats how it is with me)

e17 looks great and will likely only get better, i'm just to lazy to get used to it right now. maybe in a month or two. for right now i prefer puppy with Xfce.
I have found e17 in Macpup Opera is so much easier to use and intuitive then Gnome, KDE or XFCE,...makes me wonder why they are so popular. Like you said most people are just too lazy to learn a new and better system, ashamed because it is one of the best I have seen.

[TheNosh]

I have found e17 in Macpup Opera is so much easier to use and intuitive then Gnome, KDE or XFCE,...makes me wonder why they are so popular. Like you said most people are just too lazy to learn a new and better system, ashamed because it is one of the best I have seen.

i have e17 on my ubuntu install, and i used it exclusively for about 2 days. i still find both gnome and xfce easier. this may change after using it longer, but it is very different. to each his own.

[Arup]

They definitely need to bring a x64 version as well.

[Stan_1936]

...the distros you mention are actually faster as a Live CD; no reason to install to your HD.

WHAT? Are you assuming that the system is really really really old? The HDD, in the system I am considering(leaning towards Browser Linux--Browser Pup), is less than a year old and has not been used very much.....it still has that "feels like new" thing about it.

EDIT: By the way, it's good taht you still visit here.

[snowpine]

WHAT? Are you assuming that the system is really really really old? The HDD, in the system I am considering(leaning towards Browser Linux--Browser Pup), is less than a year old and has not been used very much.....it still has that "feels like new" thing about it.

EDIT: By the way, it's good taht you still visit here.

Hi Stan, I'm not crazy! ;) Puppy, DSL, SliTaz, etc. are all designed to run as Live CDs. When you run in "live" mode, the entire OS is loaded into ram and is very, very fast. (As you know, ram is much faster than a hard drive.) It takes a bit longer to boot from CD, but once up and running, it's faster. This has been my personal experience; if your experience is different please share. :)

(edit) Of course, there is one big benefit from installing to HD--your documents, settings, etc. are automatically saved from session to session, instead of being lost when you power off. :)

[Stan_1936]

Hi Stan, I'm not crazy! ;) Puppy, DSL, SliTaz, etc. are all designed to run as Live CDs. When you run in "live" mode, the entire OS is loaded into ram and is very, very fast. (As you know, ram is much faster than a hard drive.) It takes a bit longer to boot from CD, but once up and running, it's faster. This has been my personal experience; if your experience is different please share. :)

(edit) Of course, there is one big benefit from installing to HD--your documents, settings, etc. are automatically saved from session to session, instead of being lost when you power off. :)

Will haev to give it a try.

With a browser only distro, this wion't be much of an issue.

[Chilli Bob]

(edit) Of course, there is one big benefit from installing to HD--your documents, settings, etc. are automatically saved from session to session, instead of being lost when you power off. :)


That's why I run it off a USB stick. It boots faster than a CD, and you save your documents and settings just like a HD install, but it's portable. The best of every world!

[HappinessNow]

That's why I run it off a USB stick. It boots faster than a CD, and you save your documents and settings just like a HD install, but it's portable. The best of every world!How many GB does your USB stick have?

[Metallion]

How many GB does your USB stick have?

I actually carry puppy around on a 128 mb stick. :) Unfortunately macpup opera is too large for it so I haven't tried it out yet.

Sure I can't save many documents on that but I could always plug in another HD or save it on the internal one.

[HappinessNow]

I actually carry puppy around on a 128 mb stick. :) Unfortunately macpup opera is too large for it so I haven't tried it out yet.

Sure I can't save many documents on that but I could always plug in another HD or save it on the internal one.Good Point.

[harry2006]

both follow different design/architecture goals....we cant do an apple-to-apple comparison between them...

[HappinessNow]

both follow different design/architecture goals....we cant do an apple-to-apple comparison between them...No Apple to Apple comparision, simply a Linux to Linux comparison. :P

[mystmaiden]

I downloaded and burned MacPup and checked it out. I didn't like enlightenment at all, it felt so strange to me to have the toolbar crammed into the small space in the middle of the desktop... I'll stick with the latest official version instead. No slur intended toward the MacPup folks, its just a matter of taste for me

mystmaiden

[HappinessNow]

I downloaded and burned MacPup and checked it out. I didn't like enlightenment at all, it felt so strange to me to have the toolbar crammed into the small space in the middle of the desktop... I'll stick with the latest official version instead. No slur intended toward the MacPup folks, its just a matter of taste for me

mystmaiden
You can move the toolbar anywhere you want, e17 is fully customizable:P

[Chilli Bob]

How many GB does your USB stick have?

One is 1 GB, one 2 GB, and one 8 GB. 1 GB is plenty, I just grab the closest stick when a new Puppy comes out I want to try.

The 8 GB one is that big because it has 6 GB of music on it. I made it because my Ubuntu is set up on EXT4, and I couldn't listen to music on my hard drive when using puppy. I believe there is a patch out, or coming soon, to let Puppy read EXT4.

[sertse]

this is the most bizarre crossover I've seen.

[Chilli Bob]

I think you can do an apple to apple comparison between Puppy and Ubuntu. Both are designed to be as easy as possible for people new to Linux. For example, when my parents wanted to learn about computers for the first time (both in their early 60s), I gave them a dual boot windows/ubuntu, and they both took to ubuntu with an ease that they never developed for windows. (When they replaced their Lexmark printer with a HP, they havn't used windows since :)).

Now a friend of theirs (approx 65 years old) who has never used a computer in his life wants to learn a bit, preferably using an old PII they got for free. My solution is to send them up a Puppy CD and instruct them over the phone to do a HD install (wiping win98 ). As they live 5 hours drive away, I want to make it as simple as possible to provide telephone support and instruction. (standard) Puppy is SOOOO easy in this regard. All the apps have launchers on the desktop, the wizards are nice and chatty, and network setup is the easiest of any distro I've tried.

Plus it will run fine on an old PII. :P

[Chilli Bob]

this is the most bizarre crossover I've seen.

??????????????????

[HappinessNow]

I think you can do an apple to apple comparison between Puppy and Ubuntu. Both are designed to be as easy as possible for people new to Linux. For example, when my parents wanted to learn about computers for the first time (both in their early 60s), I gave them a dual boot windows/ubuntu, and they both took to ubuntu with an ease that they never developed for windows. (When they replaced their Lexmark printer with a HP, they havn't used windows since :)).

Now a friend of theirs (approx 65 years old) who has never used a computer in his life wants to learn a bit, preferably using an old PII they got for free. My solution is to send them up a Puppy CD and instruct them over the phone to do a HD install (wiping win98 ). As they live 5 hours drive away, I want to make it as simple as possible to provide telephone support and instruction. (standard) Puppy is SOOOO easy in this regard. All the apps have launchers on the desktop, the wizards are nice and chatty, and network setup is the easiest of any distro I've tried.

Plus it will run fine on an old PII. :PI also installed Macpup Opera for a couple 73 and 70 with no prior computer experience and they love it. On their own they navigated their way to games and are having the time of their life. They also use this computer to watch their movie collections and listen to music.

I see both Ubuntu and Macpup Opera very, very similar in many respects, with one exception, while Ubuntu was built on the back of Debian, Puppy was built from scratch from the ground up and in that respect is much more stable then Ubuntu.

[HappinessNow]

ubuntu and puppy serve very different purposes so comparing them makes little sense

however, when comparing it to other puppy distros i have a few comments.

i absolutely love opera, that is something i would not change.

however when it comes to e17, i like it ok and it looks promising, but i prefer Xfce. back when i used to use puppy every day i mostly used flexxxpup (http://flexxxpup.webs.com/) it also has wine, which i needed for a few programs that my school required. i had to change a few of the settings to my liking but that wasn't much of an issue (just start up noises and the rainbow background)



I downloaded and burned MacPup and checked it out. I didn't like enlightenment at all, it felt so strange to me to have the toolbar crammed into the small space in the middle of the desktop... I'll stick with the latest official version instead. No slur intended toward the MacPup folks, its just a matter of taste for me

mystmaidenFor both TheNosh and mystmaiden:

There is an option on the exit menu to switch back to jwm, if required.http://macpup.org/

[Plumtreed]

I use Macpup Opera from a CD, could be a DVD, and the 'save' is done to the internal hard disk. The choice of doing this is presented when you close after your first boot-up. Subsequent boot-ups find this 'file' and, on 'logout' automatically saves your changes etc to a small corner of your hard disk.

This allows you to operate in ram on slower systems and effectively speeds things up considerably. This of course can be done with most, if not all, Puppy variants provided you don't try to cross over to different versions.

I have to commend you people and your tolerance in bringing 'computing' to the elderly!:-({|=