Puppy Linux 5.2.5 First Impression

I've been trying a few different Linux distros via live boot from usb flash drives. Ubuntu 11.04 I really liked until it went buggy on me, it refused to launch Firefox. This is frequent problem with its Unity desktop. I had much better luck with Linux Mint 11 which is a very nice, easy to use distro. Another version of Linux that worked well live usb was Pinguy Mini, it has a nice desktop and was comfortable to use. Since the newer version of Ubuntu went buggy on me I tried the last release, version 10.10, and that one worked well. Which brings me to Puppy Linux.

It does not surprise me that Puppy has such a big following on the net. It has great support on the web. Puppy is one of the few Linux distributions that works well on older computers, and runs like the wind on newer computers.

Puppy can be fully installed on a computer, but its claim to fame is that it can run completely on the RAM of a computer. I had an old 256 mb flash drive that I installed Puppy on for a live boot. Yes, it fit on a 256 mb flash drive--and with room to spare. Which is why I feel such a "wow factor" regarding Puppy. It does a heck of a lot for such a tiny operating system.

After the initial honeymoon phase was over the reality kicked it. Having tried the new Ubuntu and Mint Linux versions, Puppy felt a bit clunky and awkward and sometimes just stubbornly irritating. Simple tasks in other operating systems, such as changing wallpaper, adding shortcuts to the desktop, these became herculean tasks that sent me searching the documentation and web forums for answers, and when I got them I was still shocked at how complex simple actions were. And there was the "no volume" problem. This was not as hard to fix, but it sent me searching for an answer, time I'd rather have spent enjoying Puppy Linux.

But let me cut it a bit of slack here. Again, the entire operating system fits easily on a 256 mb usb, or a regular 700 mb cd with plenty of room to spare. Lots of things built into the much heavier, bloated software systems that make things easier than Puppy also make them a slow moving pain in the rear. So there is a trade off. To be able to use a super fast operating system that loads in less than a minute on your computer, you will have to work a bit harder at getting everything working just right. But it can be done, and as mentioned--it has lots of support to help you along.

I removed some of the desktop shortcuts and moved the others around a bit to give me some room on the desktop. Right after Puppy boots up there seems to be shortcut icons all over the place. But other than that, I liked the placement of my battery and other indicators along the right and left bottom of the desktop. Other distributions have these things at the top right and top left which I'm not as crazy about. Once I got things where I wanted in Puppy, I was pleased with the way the desktop looked and worked.

Puppy's strength is also its weakness--being small. Without having all the bells and whistles of the other systems it takes more work to get it to work, but the trade off is that it will work fast for you once you get things figured out. It lacks the ability to use some Linux software programs, but it has a number of the important ones. You make the choice of browser you wish to use at start up. It has Firefox, Chromium, and Seamonkey among others. It comes with Abiword for word processing, but you can download OpenOffice or Libre Office. It doesn't give you the selection of software you would get with Ubuntu, but it has a modest selection to choose from.

My summary of Puppy Linux from my initial experience with it is that overall I'm really impressed with it. There are few operating systems that small that can do so much. It was a bit of work to get my wireless hooked up, as compared to Ubuntu and Mint, but I did get it hooked up and had no problem afterward. It saved my settings to the hard drive so I never had to fool with resetting the wireless or any other preferences, I just booted up from the usb and they were there. I should mention you can install the entire operating system on a usb--it should be a bit larger than my 256 mb flash drive--and you can take it with you wherever you go, with your settings and files, and use it on any computer than can boot from usb without touching that computer's hard drive.

Puppy Linux is a winner in my opinion. I've enjoyed using it as an additional operating system on my netbook. I think I will continue to use it as such. The thing is just fast, and after a bit of a learning curve, fun to use. It can save older computers, and offer respite to Windows users who are just short of going insane with Windows slowness, viruses, spyware, and the general pain in the rear daily irritations and frustrations. Just download the iso and burn it onto a cd using a program like Imageburner in Windows or Brasero in Linux, or use UNetbootin to make a usb flash drive into a live boot usb. Puppy is well worth taking for a spin.

More Linux

After having success with two flavors of Linux on my computers, I decided to try a few Live DVDs of Linux on my netbook, an Acer Aspire One KAV60 with 1 gig. of ram and 160 gig. hard drive. The first Live DVD I tried was Ubuntu 11.04 which loaded fairly quickly and was easy to get started on my netbook. In a matter of minutes I was able to connect the wireless and get onto the web.

Ubuntu was appealing right away, with the nice desktop environment, programs aligned vertically along the left side of the computer. The Unity desktop used by Ubuntu in the 11.04 version has taken a lot of flack based upon feedback I've seen on message boards across the web. Unity was first used by Ubuntu in their netbook edition of the software. Speaking as a netbook user--I love it. It looks great and leaves me plenty of real estate on my monitor. Everything worked for me "out of the box" which wins favor with me right away.

Next I tried the SimplyMepis live DVD. This is the software I loaded onto my desktop computer, and I love it there, but my netbook was having none of it. It was a monstrosity to load onto my netbook, taking forever, then my touch pad was very slow to respond to commands while running Mepis, and right away I got a crash handler window, which is something I don't want to see when trying new software. And I could not get my wireless to connect. This software worked perfectly well on my desktop, and it felt very comfortable to me there, but was completely the opposite on my netbook. I love Mepis, but only on my desktop computer.

Finally I ran the Fuduntu live DVD. Yes I know that name sounds wacky, it is named so because it is supposed to be a cross between Fedora and Ubuntu Linux. Overall Fuduntu felt quite similar to the Ubuntu software. It loaded rather easily, felt somewhat intuitive, and no hiccups with my hardware or with connecting the wireless to the web. I must say the desktop is a rather "Plain Jane" gray that doesn't terribly impress as far as appearance. But the program feels very solid, and desktop uses its space well. I like the 'docky' pinned programs at the bottom of the screen. I also like the way it monitors power use at the right hand top of the desktop. Overall it is impressive, works well--it does what is says it will, run netbook computers.

I think I was very lucky in my first two choices for Linux. Installing SimplyMepis on my desktop computer has worked very well and has proven stable in about two months of use. Joli OS Linux software built upon Ubuntu has proven to be a solid operating system for my netbook with the occasional reboot needed when it starts to run slow or get temperamental. I love the way Joli OS handles programs as apps, it seems perfectly suited to a netbook and feels much different than Windows, which I think is a good thing.

I'm pleased with the two flavors of Linux I've chosen, but there are so many versions available that it is understandable that people have their favorites and some versions work better for one thing, and some work better for other things.

It doesn't surprise me that Ubuntu is so successful, with an estimated 50% of Linux computers running that version. I liked it so much myself that I may get a bootable flash drive with Ubuntu to have on hand and to occasionally run on my netbook.

My suggestion for anyone considering Linux is to first get a Live CD/DVD of the Linux you want to try and run that first on your computer to make sure it works with your computer system before installing it. And if you really need Windows you should consider a dual-boot that allows you to keep Windows on your computer while also having Linux on it. With Joli OS it was downloadable as a "Windows Program" meaning it installs like, and can be removed like a Windows Program IF, big if, you choose to use the dual-boot and keep Windows on your computer, allowing you the choice of using Joli OS or Windows at startup, and the ability to easily remove Joli OS if you don't like it.

Everyone seems to have their favorite flavor of Linux. People who are tech savvy seem to prefer certain versions, and those without a tech background just want something that is easy to use, that looks nice, has a good selection of programs for everyday use, and doesn't require 'tweaking' to get it to function. I consider myself in the latter category. And I am pleased to say that Linux has become easy enough for even me to install and use it. Give it a try. Taking a test drive with a Live Linux CD/DVD. It will not cost you anything but the few minutes of trying it out. And in case you don't know, Linux is fast, safe, and free.

 (Note that as mentioned I'm not a tech savvy person, I'm just sharing my views based upon my own experiences as a novice user of Linux. Get all the information you need, which is easily done on the net, to make your decision about Linux and the best version of Linux for you.)

A Quick Thought About The NIV 2011

I understand that last month the Southern Baptist Convention requested that LifeWay remove the NIV 2011 Bible from their stores based upon the gender inclusive language in the updated New International Version Bible.
  Here is my response:

Years ago I too was critical of the TNIV, and they deserved much of it, doing dumb things like translation "God the Father" as "Parent". Zondervan 'got their clock cleaned' over that translation. They took a more cautious approach, in my view, with the NIV 2011. I really like the 2011 NIV, it is easy to read in many passages. The question boils down to gender. Do I think the many masculine nouns and pronouns referring to men/males in the original bible manuscripts also includes females? Of course. Then common sense compels me to consider whether the text should reflect that. I believe it should. It took me awhile to get my mind around that, but I really want my daughter and other Millennials to become bible readers. It is more likely they will do so if a translation is inclusive of them. We don't use masculine pronouns much in normal English today. We don't say "he" to reflect "they" or "them". We have several good literal bible translations already. The NIV has always aimed at broad appeal to a wide spectrum of age groups and individuals. It took me awhile to get there, but I think Zondervan/Biblica is correct to use gender neutral language in the NIV bible when all Christians, male and female, are being addressed by the text.
KBD

The Bible Truth

It is hard to talk about the Bible without igniting controversy. Some people think every single word must be taken literally, and others think that the Bible is a book of fables. It seems there are always extremes on any subject.

I was considering this subject recently and asked myself: Does everything in the Bible need to be taken literally if you are a Christian?


What I mean by that is this-- would it matter if the story of the Flood in the Bible was not a historic event, but rather a story used to express truth or teach wisdom? And what about Adam and Eve, if that too was a story meant to teach humanity about the existence of sin and the importance of following God's directions, would that somehow lessen the Bible?


I tend to believe both the Flood story and the story of Adam and Eve are true stories, meaning actual events, but my faith in God does not rest upon these stories being literal rather than figurative. If these stories were instead used as types to teach us truths about ourselves and God--my faith would not be undone.

Jesus often used stories, parables, to teach people truths. We don't know if He was always telling of factual events, or of stories meant merely to teach. For instance, He may have known someone who lost a lamb and left the other sheep to go search for the lost one, but our understanding of that story does not rely upon whether or not it was a historical event.

To be sure there is history in the Bible. There are historic events and actual people told about in the Bible. Yet there are also areas of symbolism and imagery used to teach truths and captivate the mind of the reader. For instance, the entire Book of Revelation is filled with symbolism and imagery. It would be stretching credibility to expect every symbolic instance to represent historic events, rather, prophecy speaks mostly of the future, and/or as a vehicle for teaching, and does so in symbols and imagery.

Understand that what I'm saying is not to denigrate the Bible. The word of God has many detractors and I am not one. Indeed, I believe it is like no book ever written. The New Testament alone is built upon more than 5,000 historic manuscripts, no other ancient document that I'm aware of can boast of such support. The Bible is a powerful book, filled with beauty and lovely imagery and history and prophecy and teaching and wisdom and more. There is no book like it.

I think there are two basic approaches when it comes to the Bible: Either you believe it is God's word, or you don't. If you believe it is God's word, then you have to discover what that means.

Some people treat the Bible like a Science Text Book; others treat it as a Secret Code Book that only they have the "cheat sheet" for. I think in both of those cases they are mistreating God's word.

Perhaps the biggest issue for Bible believers is discernment. How do we approach the Bible? Do we treat it as a "Fact Book", a sort of reference book of humanity? Or do we treat it as merely a book of interesting stories to teach us?

This is what I believe: I think the Bible, when referring to people and places as if they were real should be accepted at face value. Yet we should also accept that it is possible that some things that have been taken too literally could rather be stories to educate and teach us about ourselves and God. I'm not saying they are, but rather that they could fit into this category. This is ground we must tread lightly on. Remember that just a few decades ago many Christians believed the world was only a few thousand years old based upon Bible genealogies. Only the most die-hard Bible literalists believe that today. Geologists tell us that there was no world-wide Flood. Perhaps someday they will be proven wrong, but even if somehow they are right, for me it does not lessen the importance of the Flood story. It could be a story type meant to express the early state of human depravity on earth. The Greeks also had stories of early depravity of humanity, and nearly every early culture on earth had some version of the Flood story. It is possible that this story is much bigger than the Flood it speaks of.

My great concern for fellow Christians is two-fold, first that if some Bible story that they have taken literally does not line up with historic or scientific fact and they find their literal approach to the Bible has failed, that they will then be damaged regarding their faith in God. Secondly, I have concerns that some Christians will turn their backs on Reason, Logic, Science, and Fact in order to uphold pet theories and literal Biblical interpretations.

Science can never disprove the existence of God. It is possible that historic documents, archeology, science, geology, or some fact coming to light might bring into question some Biblical stories regarding literal interpretation. This is why I think the wise Christian will allow for the possibility that some stories and events in the Bible were meant more for enlightenment about ourselves and God rather than to be used as an historic reference. We should not hinge our faith in God upon a strict literal interpretation of every Biblical story and event.

The Bible is, I believe, the word of God revealed and spoken unto men who then wrote down those words. God is a Teacher. One of the main things Christ did on earth was to teach. He used many stories as examples of how to behave or not to behave, and to reveal truths to us about God. I believe God's word, first written on scrolls and parchment, later printed in Book format, and now even in digital format, is powerful, important, and the revealed word of God to us. It is meant to teach us, guide us, and reveal God and His will for our lives.

To my fellow Christians, I would encourage you to treat God's word with the respect it deserves, but not to hinge your belief in God upon a few stories that may be historic fact, or might rather be included in the Bible to teach us about ourselves and God as the first priority, instead of the historical record. Let your faith rest solidly upon God in the Person of Jesus. Read the Bible for enlightenment and truth. And whether or not there was an Ark filled with animals, or whether an actual Eve gave Adam that forbidden apple, first of all see the truth revealed in the story, let that be your focus. These events may very well have occurred, and I am inclined to take them literally, but even if they are stories merely meant to teach us, they are precious to me. At the end of all things my faith relies not upon an Ark, but in the Person Jesus Christ who died for my sins, and rose again, proving that there is more than this life beyond the grave for those who will trust in Him. And I hope you will find that truth, and if you have found it, that you will hold to it and never let it go.
Blessings.
KBD

Joli OS

After a good experience with SimplyMepis Linux on my Desktop, I decided to find a Linux Distribution that would work well with my Netbook. Not every Linux Distribution works well on every computer, and even more so when it comes to Netbooks.
     What appealed to me about Joli OS Linux, also known as Jolicloud, was that I could download and launch it like any Windows program, and if I did not like it, the program could be removed like any other Windows program. You have the option to use Jolicloud as a dual-boot program, meaning that when you start your computer you have the option of running Windows or Joli OS. This allows you access to files and programs you may need still need in Windows, and yet gives you the option of running a much faster, safer, and to me, more enjoyable operating system in Joli OS.
     Jolicloud has made computing on my Netbook fun again. Windows XP had slowed my computer to a crawl, taking forever to load pages and launch programs. Jolicloud's desktop looks more like a phone with apps than a typical desktop. You can personalize the desktop to show just your favorite programs and sites. It comes with some of the most useful apps, like Facebook, Google Docs, Twitter, and the Chromium web browser.
     There is access to other useful apps like OpenOffice Writer, Abiword, and Dropbox which can be synced with Joli OS to back up files. Other programs on my Jolicloud desktop include Gmail, Pandora, Last.fm, E-sword live, Chess.com, and Angry Birds among others. You can add and remove apps according to your tastes.
     I've found Joli OS to be very stable and relatively problem free on my Aspire One Netbook. The only issue I've had with it is the need to clean out the cache and just give the program a fresh start when it starts to feel a bit sluggish or buggy, which is rare. The "magic buttons" to renew Joli OS are control-shift-f10 which will straighten up most issues with the program.
     I think if I came across someone brand new to computing I would not hesitate to start them with Jolicloud. Indeed I might insist on it when I consider all the headaches and security issues with Windows. Jolicloud is simply faster, easier to use, and more stable than Windows in my experience.
     Many people likely use their computer for email, social networks, some word processing, and surfing the net. Jolicloud handles all of that very well. There are some programs on Windows that are hard to do without for serious computing, but in most instances you can find good alternatives in Linux.
     For speed, stability, security, ease of use, and the fact that it is completely free--you can't go wrong using Jolicloud. There really is nothing to lose by trying it out, and much to be gained. Give it a shot and you might just find that computing is fun again.
http://www.jolicloud.com/download

My Leap Into Linux

I toyed with the idea of trying Linux several times in the past, but it wasn't until my desktop died of a virus that I decided to revive my desktop with Linux instead of reinstalling Windows XP.
     I had heard of Ubuntu, and searching the net I came across SimplyMepis. I tried both Ubuntu and  SimplyMepis and decided upon SimplyMepis. Both Linus flavors worked well with my desktop, but I liked SimplyMepis better, it both looked better, and felt better to a Linux novice like myself, and it had great support on the net.
     The Live CD for Ubuntu and the Live DVD for SimplyMepis were the starting point for me. I wanted to make sure either or both would work with my drivers, especially my HP Printer. Both Linux distributions worked well.
     What helped seal the deal for me with SimplyMepis was its easy installation. I found an easy, step-by-step guide for installing Mepis and kept that information handy on my netbook while I went through the surprisingly simple process of a full installation. I had decided that the desktop was beyond repair, so in about 5 easy steps I had Mepis working on my desktop--no more Live DVD to fool with.
     Here I will note that my main computer is my netbook; it has taken over the vast majority of work from my desktop. So now I had to decide what to do with my "new" up and running desktop. For sure it would still be used to charge my mp3 players, and I would like to get my music collection onto the machine. This brought me to my first hiccups with Linux.
     My mp3 players charged fine on the desktop, but I soon discovered I was missing codecs that I needed to play mp3 files and and wma files that I loaded onto my computer. It was here that SimplyMepis' synaptic package manager saved me. I learned computing on Windows 98 and am not overly confident about running a command line. Once I knew some of the things I needed, like GStreamer. I merely put that into the synaptic package manager, hit search, and the available files appeared. Merely clicking on the files and hitting apply added them to the operating system.
     Other programs would be added in the same way, such as Abiword word processor, and some multimedia programs such as Banshee, Guayadeque, Asunder, and RipperX. Wanting to use my desktop as a music player, I focused mainly on programs to help me in that regard. SimplyMepis comes with the Amarok music player, which to me, was not impressive, it was very unintuitive to my tastes. So I tried Banshee, and found it quite easy to use, and with all the codecs installed it would play my music, whether in mp3, wma, or ogg vorbis format. By the way, I've become a fan of ogg vorbis as it sounds great from a ripped cd. I used Asunder to rip most of my cds. I had a few cds that I had downloaded the music, then burned the files for a back up. These seemed to work better with the tags I added in RipperX than in Asunder, so I used both programs depending upon the music I ripped. Along with the Banshee player I also downloaded the Guayadeque player. I hate its name, which I don't even try to pronounce, but I like its Smart Play feature which has done a great job automatically creating a play list from just a song or two, much like the Pandora Internet radio player.
     So I'm more than 30 days into my experience using Linux, specifically SimplyMepis. I'm loving it, and am reminded about what I hated so much about Microsoft Windows, namely MS Windows slowing my machine down to a crawl, with the anti-virus and other software that sucked up the system resources on my computer. Viruses and spyware were a constant threat, and it was a virus that eventually killed my machine. For this reason alone Linux is well worth considering--Linux is nowhere near as vulnerable and susceptible to viruses as MS Windows.
    Linux has given me my computer back. I've been so impressed with it that I installed another Linux operating system on my netbook, which I will post about later. Plugging my computer into my RCA Stereo has given me access to all of my music files, which I can listen to in any way I want, customizing playlists in Banshee, or listening to specific albums and songs using "search" in Guayadeque player, or simply using that player to "smart play" my music. I can also Listen to Pandora or Last.fm radio using an Internet browser.
     SimplyMepis has lived up to its name. It is a fully functioning computer operating system that is easy to install and use. It comes with Firefox for the Internet, and the LibreOffice program for word processing. Using the synaptic package manager other programs can be easily added to the system. My recommendations to improve SimplyMepis would be to go with Banshee instead of Amarok as a music player, and to make it easier to find the codecs for mp3 and wma music playing. But for those less interested in music SimplyMepis is good to go from the start.
     I'm greatly encouraged by the fact that a Linux novice like myself can download, install, and with no extra no-how run SimplyMepis. My hope is that other Windows users will give Linux a shot. I have a dual-boot setup for my netbook which runs Joli OS and Windows XP so I'm not completely weaned off of Windows, yet I find that I use Windows less and less and am mostly gritting my teeth when I have to go there.
     I think with a bit of patience, some realistic expectations, and a hunger to learn new things--one can't go wrong with Linux. Yet even with little patience, and wanting something to work "out of the box", those who try SimplyMepis will find that it works and works well.
  More later about Joli OS Linux...