Puppy Linux Lets You Run From, Save To The Same CD

qewl writes "Now there's a live CD that can actually save data back onto its own disk! How does it work? The PC boots with a multi-session CD inserted in the CD-burner drive -- thus, Puppy Linux automatically knows which drive is the CD-burner, in case you have more than one CD/DVD drive. Then you use Puppy in the normal way. At shutdown, all the changed files in your home directory are saved back to CD. That's it. Next time you boot, all the personal files are restored!"

Comments

Linux on a puppy?

[Anonymous Coward]

I thought someone might have modded Muffy the Daggit from Battlestar Galactica.

Re:DVD? RW?

[drinkypoo]

How about using a DVD? Note that this is the same link from the story submission:

Why should I use a CD-R, why not a CD-RW or DVD disk?

I do not recommend a CD-RW simply because it isn't necessary. A CD-R is "write-once", but in multi-session mode, tracks can be written one after the other, up to 99 tracks or the CD becomes full.

You could use a DVD-R, however I would discourage you. Puppy has a mechanism for keeping track of deleted files, and this may become unwieldy if a very large number of deleted files have to be kept track of. This mechanism works on a per-CD or per-DVD basis, and is going to be more manageable with the smaller number of files on the CD. Also, it could take years before you fill-up a DVD, and in the meantime, unless you leave it permanently in the drive, there is the increased risk of it being scratched.

Note however, this is tentative advice -- it may turn out in practice that a DVD-R is a good way to go.

With that pasted, it must still be noted that a normal CDR holds only 700MB. A normal DVD holds what, 4500MB? 4400? I'm honestly not sure. Anyway, if you're using this on a broadband connection it would be trivial to fill up that whole 700MB in a single session of downloading even 100% legitimate content; game demos, for example. If you have the DVD, might as well use it. Anyway you can install whatever software you want if you have enough disc space. You could install your own gnu toolchain for example, a DVD would have plenty of space. Then you could build whatever you liked, provided your ramdisk were sufficient.