Puppy Linux Operating System

In this article, you will learn about the Puppy Linux operating system with its history, versions, distributions, and features.

What is Puppy Linux Operating System?

Puppy Linux is an OS and a family of lightweight Linux versions that mainly focus on usability and memory footprint. The whole system may be operated from RAM, with newer versions generally taking up around 600 MB (64-bit) or 300 MB (32-bit), allowing the boot media to be deleted after the operating system has started. There are applications like AbiWord, Gnumeric, and MPlayer included, and a selection of lightweight web browsers and a program for obtaining more packages. Barry Kauler and other community members designed the distribution before Kauler retired in 2013. Using the binary packages from other Linux distributions, the Woof may create a Puppy Linux distribution.

It is best suited for older computers, Netbooks, and systems with a minimum of 1GB of RAM. It is powered by the lightning-fast JWM and the Puppy Package Manager, which supports .rpm, .deb, and native PET packages.

• Puppy Linux shows the usefulness and flexibility of open-source tools and the continuity of the Linux OS.
• One of the main features of Puppy Linux is its capability to give a fast and reliable computing environment.
• We can pop Puppy Linux into the USB drive of any computer to directly boot into our last computing session, or we can do an inexpensive install on our system to boot from a CD or USB stick to save data without affecting the available operating system.
• Puppy Linux is exceptionally small yet quite feature-rich.
• Puppy can load into RAM and boot into a ramdisk, unlike live CD distros that need to keep pushing things off the CD. It means that every application initiates in an eye blink and instantly reacts to user input.
• Puppy Linux can boot off any USB memory device, flash card, internal hard drive, floppy disk, LS 120/124 SuperDisk, Zip disk, or CDROM.
• Also, it can utilize a multisession edited CD-RW/DVD-RW to store everything on the DVD/CD without using any hard drive at all.

History of Puppy Linux Operating System

Puppy Linux was designed and developed by Barry Kauler in response to a trend of other distributions becoming more stringent and demanding on system requirements over time. The puppy Linux version, emphasizing velocity, efficiency, and portability, began with "Boot disc HOWTO" and steadily added components file-by-file until Puppy Linux was ready. Puppy Linux began as a Vector Linux-based distribution before evolving into a completely independent distribution.

Versions of the Puppy Linux

There are various versions of the Puppy Linux OS. These versions are as follows:

Puppy Linux Version 0.1

Puppy 0.1 is the first version of Puppy Linux. It has no continuous support, no package management, or way to install programs.

Puppy Linux Version 1.0

Puppy 1.0 will operate smoothly on extremely old hardware, like a Pentium machine with at least 32 MB RAM. The USB key drive version may be preferable for newer computers. Puppy Linux may be used with Windows 9x/Windows Me.

Puppy Linux Version 2.0

The Mozilla-based SeaMonkey browser is part of Puppy Linux version 2.0's Internet package (mainly an e-mail client and web browser).

Puppy Linux Version 3.0

Slackware 12 is supported by Puppy 3.0. It includes practically all of the prerequisites required for Slackware package installation.

Puppy Linux Version 4.0

Puppy 4.0 is designed from the ground up using the T2 SDE and no longer includes native Slackware 12 compatibility to minimize space and provide newer package versions than those present in Puppy 3.

Puppy Linux Version 4.2.0 - 4.3.0

Puppy 4.2.0 - 4.3.0 includes user interface and backend updates, improved packages, language and character support, new in-house applications, and optimizations while keeping the ISO image size fewer than 100 MB.

Puppy Linux Version 5.0.0 - 5.7.0

Puppy 5.0.0 - 5.7.0 is based on the Woof project, which is intended to create a Puppy Linux system using packages from other Linux distributions. The Woof includes software and binary files from the repositories of Ubuntu, T2 SDE, Debian, Slackware, and Arch. It came with a limited version of the Midori browser for viewing help files and a selection of web browsers to install, such as Iron, SeaMonkey Internet Suite, Chromium, Firefox, and Opera.

Puppy Linux Version 6.0.5

Puppy Linux version 6.0.5 is based on the Ubuntu version 14.04 "Trusty Tahr" packages and offers binary compatibility with Ubuntu version 14.04 and access to the Ubuntu package repository. The woof-CE build method was forked from Barry Kauler's Woof when he announced his resignation from Puppy development late last year. It is based on the most recent testing branch, has all of the most recent woof-CE features, and is available in PAE and noPAE ISOs with the option to swap kernels.

Puppy Linux Version 6.3.2

It is created with Slackware packages instead of Ubuntu 14.04 "Trusty Tahr" packages. Although, it is very similar to its predecessor.

Puppy Linux Version 7.5

Puppy Linux version 7.5 is built with "Xenial Xerus" packages from Ubuntu 16.04 and is binary compatible with Ubuntu 16.04.

Puppy Linux Version 8.0

Puppy Linux version 8.0 is based on Ubuntu version 18.04.2. The "Bionic Beaver" packages are binary compatible with Ubuntu 18.04.2 and provide access to the Ubuntu package repositories. BionicPup is built using the woof-CE build system based on Barry Kauler's Woof. It is based on the most recent testing branch and includes all of the latest woof-CE features.

Puppy Linux Version 8.2.1

Puppy Linux version 8.2.1 is based on Raspberry Pi operating system packages and is compatible with the Raspberry Pi 0 to the Raspberry Pi 4. It still supports Debian/Ubuntu. The Puppy Linux version is incompatible with desktop computers or laptop computers.

Puppy Linux Version 9.5

Puppy Linux version 9.5 is based on Ubuntu "Focal Fossa" 20.04 (64-bit) packages and has binary compatibility with Ubuntu version 20.04. It has access to the Ubuntu repository. In FossaPup64, JWM is the default window manager. Puppy Linux has also abandoned support for 32-bit (x86) PCs in this edition because Ubuntu has also dropped 32-bit support.

Package and Distribution Management of Puppy Linux OS

The package manager for Puppy Linux is known as Puppy Package Manager. By default, it installs packages in PET format. However, it supports packages from other distributions and may convert packages from other distributions to PET files using third-party tools. Puppy Package Manager may also reduce a package's software bloat to minimize disk space.

User Interface of Puppy Linux

JWM is the default window manager in most Puppy editions. Puppy's PetGet package management system also allows you to access the IceWM desktop, Fluxbox, and Enlightenment packages. Puplets are some derivative distributions. They include window managers other than JWM.

The Puppy Linux package is uncompressed into a RAM space known as the "ramdisk" when the operating system boots. The system must have at least 128 MB of RAM for all of Puppy to load into the ramdisk. Although, it may run on a PC with only 48 MB of RAM since part of the system may be retained on the hard drive or, less efficiently, on the CD.

It is entirely full-featured whether started as a live system or from a "frugal" installation for a system that runs solely on ramdisk. Although, it also supports the "full" installation approach, enabling Puppy OS to run off a hard drive partition without a ramdisk. For this Puppy OS, several programs were picked that met various constraints. Several wizards lead the user through a range of basic chores because one of the distribution's goals is to be very simple to set up.

Puppy OS Distribution

Puppy Unleashed was used to make Puppy ISO images in the early versions of Puppy Linux. It comprises over 500 packages combined based on the user's requirements. However, Woof replaced it in later versions, beginning with Puppy Linux version 5.0. It is a sophisticated tool for installing Puppy. You must have Internet connectivity and some knowledge of Linux to use it.

By specifying the name of the Linux distribution, it may obtain binary source packages from another Linux distribution and transform them into Puppy Linux packages. It is integrated with a simple version control called Bones in early versions, whereas Fossil version control is utilized in later releases of woof.

Puppy also includes a remastering tool that creates a "snapshot" of the latest system and allows the user to construct a live CD from it and another remastering tool that can delete installed components. Puppy Linux operating system uses the T2 SDE builds scripts to create the base binary packages.

Features of the Puppy Linux Operating System

There are various features of Puppy Linux. Some features of Puppy Linux are as follows:

1. It is about 100MB in size.
2. Puppy Linux enables users to install more programs as necessary rather than being restricted to what is currently installed.
3. Puppy Linux's interface has several themes, and altering the desktop's appearance is straightforward.
4. It may operate on both 32-bit and 64-bit systems.
5. It has a persistence option, which enables you to keep your files and settings.
6. Puppy Linux is a full operating system grouped with a set of applications compatible with normal use operations. It can be utilized as a rescue disk which is a demonstration system that did not alter the previous installation, to use modern applications on legacy systems, or as a system accommodation with a missing or blank hard drive.
7. The compact size of Puppy permits it to boot using a media that the system can support. It can operate as the live USB for many flash devices or other mediums of USB, LS-120/124 SuperDisk, a Zip drive, an SD card, an internal hard disk drive, a CD, from a floppy boot disk, and PXE that can chainload the information from other storage media. Also, it has been ported to ARM and can execute on an individual board system like Raspberry Pi.
8. This operating system offers built-in tools that can be used to establish bootable USB drives, remaster any new live CD, or establish new Puppy CDs using different packages. Also, it uses an advanced write-caching system with the aim of life extension of live USB flash drives.
9. The operating system contains the ability to utilize a general persistent updating platform on a write-once multisession DVD/CD that doesn't need a rewritable disc. It is a special aspect that fixes it apart from many other distributions of Linux. None provide the same feature, while other distros provide live CD editions of their OSes.
10. The bootloader of Puppy doesn't mount hard drives or join the network automatically. It ensures that a virus or even unknown software would not disrupt the contents of these kinds of devices.
11. Puppy Linux features a session that is saved on turn-off. Any configuration and file changed or made in a session would otherwise disappear because Puppy Linux executes in RAM fundamentally. If the disc drive provides its support for burning and if "multisession" was utilized to establish the booted CD, this aspect allows the user to either store the contents to any writable storage media or specify the file system to a similar CD having Puppy.
12. Also, it is possible to store every file on an external USB stick, hard drive, or floppy disk rather than the root file system. Also, Puppy can be installed on a hard disk.

Official variants of Puppy Linux

There are several variants available due to the corresponding ease with which the remaster tool and the Woof tool can be used to create Puppy Linux variants. Puppy Linux variants are called puplets. Barry Kauler developed two new distros in a similar Puppy Linux family, Wary and Quirky, after he reduced his association with the Puppy Project.

• Quirky: A less stable and embedded distribution with every file added in initramfs created into the kernel. It includes easy module loading management, but less drivers are added. It is used for development purposes.
• Wary: A variant of Puppy Linux targeted users having old hardware. Wary utilizes an earlier Linux kernel having the new applications and LTS support.
• Racy: A Puppy variant optimized for new PCs.
• Easy: A variant of Puppy where the init script is fully rewritten and utilizes originally designed application containers apart from the conventional package management.