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

Posted by timothy on from the dog-ate-my-homework-jokes dept.

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!"

42 of 277 comments (clear)

  1. Hmm..birthday present! by 7Ghent · · Score: 4, Funny

    Well, my girlfriend DID say she wanted a puppy.

    1. Re:Hmm..birthday present! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny
      PuppyLinux is not necessarily a good birthday present for your SO

      Wow. Thanks, Captain Obvious. You saved all two nerds with girlfriends from imminent failure.

  2. Not quite there yet... by winkydink · · Score: 3, Funny

    Early adopters of Puppy Linux have reported that they frequently need to take it out of the drive bay so it doesn't make a mess. Also, if they leave it alone for any legnth of time, it starts making whining noises and chewing up files.

    --

    "I'd rather be a lightning rod than a seismometer." -Ken Kesey

  3. Interesting, now for the next level... by kcb93x · · Score: 5, Interesting

    This is cool. I'll have to take a peek at it, but what would be really cool (mainly due to the size of modern distributions) would be a DVD +/- RW version of this, if Knoppix can compress ~2GB of software into a 650MB CD, think what we can do with 4.7GB of space...

    --
    There are 4 boxes to use in the defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, ammo. Use in that order. Starting now.
    1. Re:Interesting, now for the next level... by ErikTheRed · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Heck, dual-layer is pretty cheap now.

      --

      Help save the critically endangered Blue Iguana
    2. Re:Interesting, now for the next level... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      If Knoppix can compress ~2GB of software into a 650MB CD, think what we can do with 4.7GB of space...

      hmm.. *scratching head* ~14.4GB?
      or perhaps 2 chicks at the same time?

  4. I read a review on this distro by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    It's a real dog.

  5. Re:Puppy linux? by snuf23 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Yeah I guess it should be called:

    Mutlisession CDR Bootable/Saveable Linux

    --
    Sometimes my arms bend back.
  6. I can see it coming... by ErikTheRed · · Score: 3, Funny

    And if the recordable disk goes bad, you get the exact same feeling as when your new puppy craps on the carpet!

    --

    Help save the critically endangered Blue Iguana
    1. Re:I can see it coming... by damiam · · Score: 3, Interesting
      Wouldn't a simple USB keychain memory stick be so much easier and quicker? Not to mention reliable? Knoppix has done this for years...

      Yes, which is why USB sticks aren't news. This is novel and at least potentially somewhat useful (not everyone with a CD burner has an extra USB flash drive lying around).

      --
      It's hard to be religious when certain people are never incinerated by bolts of lightning.
  7. yeah, but by carambola5 · · Score: 5, Funny

    yeah, but does it run lin...

    oh, nevermind

    --
    IWARS.
    People, in general, disappoint me. Politicians even more so.
  8. DVD? RW? by Apreche · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Will this thing work with a CD-RW? How about a DVD? DVD-RW? If it only works with a CD-R that's sort of useless because the CD will eventually fill up, and its basically a one-time use deal.

    What would be extra cool is if you could combine this with something like the gentoo catalyst livecd making software. So not only could I save files on the RW disc but could also customize which software is on the disc to begin with. So if I wanted to get rid of X and save more space for files I could do so.

    --
    The GeekNights podcast is going strong. Listen!
    1. Re:DVD? RW? by timeOday · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I wonder if you can pop in a fresh CDR at shutdown and have it burn a copy of Puppy + the current state of all your files? The media cost of CDR itself is hardly a concern.

    2. Re:DVD? RW? by BlastM · · Score: 5, Informative
      Of course, the CD is going to fill up eventually, so what then? No problem, at shutdown Puppy will automatically ask you to insert a new blank CD and will place a fully working bootable Puppy on it, create a first data track, and off you go again.


      So yes, it burns a new one, once you need it.
  9. Its been done by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Linspire "Thriller" (membership req) LiveCDs have been able to do this for some time.

  10. Puppy huh by LittleGuernica · · Score: 3, Funny

    Finally I can send a K-9 unit to the rescue. This is a whole new "pedigree" of software indeed.

    1. Re:Puppy huh by LittleGuernica · · Score: 3, Funny

      and I just have to make this one too.. "Honestly, My Linux distro ate my homework"

  11. nice! by ErichTheWebGuy · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I was just discussing this earlier about whether Knoppix could do just that. I suspect it will only be a matter of weeks or even days before we see a Knoppix version that can also do this.

    --
    bash: rtfm: command not found
    1. Re:nice! by qewl · · Score: 3, Funny

      Funny- it was I, the parent of your post, who submitted this article ;-)

      --

      (\_/)
      (O.o) This is Bunny. (> <)
  12. Re:hmmm by snuf23 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Shush! 640MB should be enough for anyone!

    --
    Sometimes my arms bend back.
  13. At last! by c0l0 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Finally an application for rewriteable optical media that truly makes sense. Another nice feature is this distribution is cached into system memory completely at runtime, so you're able to unmount and use your CD-RW-drive for other tasks while running this system as well.

    This project deserves to be watched closely in the future, I'm eager to see what it's gonna offer in the future.

    --
    :%s/Open Source/Free Software/g

    YTARY!
  14. Forensics? by Chrontius · · Score: 5, Funny

    I predict this becoming big with the tinfoil-hat crowd -- they'll burn one session with music and keep it in their discman until they need it; then they've got their bootable Linux, and a way to get data out of a secure...

    This is reading like the plot of Alias, isn't it?

    Who cares. This is cool enough that I'm going to keep a copy in my backpack.

  15. Encryption might be good. by un1xl0ser · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This is a great idea.. but it says "The files are saved on the CD as normal files, not encrypted or compressed."

    That's great for Windows compatability, but I'd prefer my files to be encrypted, even on a livecd.

    --
    v4sw6PU$hw6ln6pr4F$ck 4/6$ma3+6u7LNS$w2m4l7U$i2e4+7en6a2X h
  16. Uhh... by inertia187 · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm pretty sure that burning a puppy is illegal in most states. And I'm pretty sure that's doubly true for re-buring. Remember, Dead Puppies Aren't Much Fun.

    --
    A programmer is a machine for converting coffee into code.
  17. USB Key? by xtal · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Wouldn't using a flash USB key make a lot more sense? Or am I missing something here?

    --
    ..don't panic
    1. Re:USB Key? by Chrontius · · Score: 3, Informative

      Not everything will boot from USB.

    2. Re:USB Key? by Grey_14 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Also, 650MB of CD-R space is WAY cheaper than 650MB of USB Flash space.

    3. Re:USB Key? by pjr.cc · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Personally, i use RUNT, which (as far as i can tell) is the only truely useable usb bootable distro... and yes, im with you, i think having a bootable usb linux is much more usefull than a cd distro, if only cause of size.. The best part of runt is the fact it boots off the key using umsdos rather than various knoppix distro's that boot off the key and load into ram... the advantage of this is the filesystem on the key is "live"... i.e. anything you do on it, stays on it.. (its based on slackware 10 fyi) Runt's also not busybox based which fits one of the uses i have for it perfectly... a robot... an epia (or similar) based robot, booting off a usb key running native linux... (so much lower power req's than a hd or cdrom drive) OK, so a cd is 0.50c, and a 512m usb flash is only AU$90, buts its so much more usefull...

  18. I may be a bit out of date on cd-rs by imsabbel · · Score: 3, Insightful

    ...but isnt there a session overhead of about 20-25MB for every burn?
    Wouldnt that make even an empty cd fail be filled after a months, nevertheless rather full distro cd?

    Whats wrong with using an USB stick for such things?

    --
    HI O WISE PRINCE. WHT TOOK U SO DAM LONG?
    1. Re:I may be a bit out of date on cd-rs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      Actually its 28 mb for inital sessions, and 13mb for following sessions. http://www.mscience.com/faq67.html

  19. Re:Puppy linux? by AaronStJ · · Score: 4, Funny

    Could they have picked a gayer name?

    No, they could not have. This name is more sexually attracted to other names of the same gender than any other name.

    --
    Stupid like a fox!
  20. Re:DVD? RW? Read the FAQ! by splante · · Score: 5, Informative
    Read the FAQ

    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.

  21. Good for data recovery and such by Arthropod · · Score: 4, Insightful
    Anytime you need to get info off a messed-up pc that can't transmit to a useful network location, and doesn't have USB-ms drivers on it, but that has a cd-rw, this sucker would be a godsend. I've booted up on a knoppix cd more than once with the idea of writing files to a cd using knoppix. Though I suppose it would work just as well to boot into something that can load itself completely into memory, and free up the drive.


    Anyhow, even if some of that is available, it might just plain be convenient. I like the idea, anyway

    1. Re:Good for data recovery and such by Quino · · Score: 3, Informative

      Puppy linux does load completely into RAM, freeing up your burner, btw.

      It only asks for the CD that it booted from during shutdown to burn the changes.

      I've been running it for kicks for the last couple of hours, and I'm very impressed! It's of course minimalist, but very functional (with Gxine and Firefox installed, I'm even streaming music).

      If you're going to give it a try, keep in mind that, for me, it ran significantly better after the first reboot (and burn of session). Not sure why that would be ....

  22. dogs & cats by brer_rabbit · · Score: 4, Funny

    since you can only have 99 tracks the CD, wouldn't "Eleven Cats" would be a more fitting name? Or "99 bottles of Linux"?

  23. Linux Live CDs now required to surf the Net! by usurper_ii · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Pretty funny for all the "everything will be connected, even your toaster," crowd out there ... it now seem that because of the ever increasing spyware/malware/viruses, etc., pretty soon we will have to boot up a live Linux CD to use the Internet.

    I would use Ubunto, which is the first live Linux I have gotten my hands on, but it wouldn't pick up my modem correctly (probably a win modem thing). Other than that, and the fact that it wouldn't play MP3s without a plugin, I loved Ubunto. Linux is way close to "getting there."

    But after I wasted three days getting some powerful trojan crap off my computer not too long ago (yes, on an XP system), running from a CD and having a read only hard drive while connected to the Net seems like a pretty good idea, to me!

    Usurper_ii

    --
    Ron Paul
  24. Internet Cafes by headkase · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Wouldn't using a live CD as your OS as an internet cafe owner save you megabucks on the hard drives you didn't have to buy? Not to mention no spyware dangers, or no users mucking up the configuration of the machines? And as a customer, simply rebooting when your done would clear all sensitive information.

    --
    Shh.
    1. Re:Internet Cafes by saitoh · · Score: 3, Informative

      While not entirely unrecomendable, there is the problem that people who go into inet cafes generally only know about Windows and how to use Windows and part of your business model is having a place where people can come and "easily" use the systems, even to the point of it being painfully easy and intuitive. This can be argued endlessly, but if your ever doing something like this, its something to consider.

      As for the solution for windows users to prevent the altering of a configuration:
      www.symantec.com/goback/

      My university uses it to lock down the general student labs. In 3 years, I've seen it work well.

      --
      We don't need an "overrated" so much as we need a "you completely missed the parent's point, dumbass..."
  25. Yup. by sootman · · Score: 4, Funny

    They don't come
    when you call.
    They don't chase
    squirrels at all.

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  26. load "kernel32.sys" ,8,1 by saboola · · Score: 3, Funny

    Yeah, but does it run Windows?

  27. And its going to Everest! by luckytroll · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I have archtected Puppy Linux in a laptop on an expedition to Mt. Everest - the Flash/CDROM combination will enable the laptops to work above 18000ft, where a lot of hard disks "pop" out.

  28. Torrent by gamepro · · Score: 4, Informative

    I know I know, TF is infamous for the curropt LG3D file. Sorry about that, it was an accident. Heres a torrent for the puppy-1.0.0alpha-firefox-multisession.iso it's tested and works, pretty cool too. You have to be a member to DL the .torrent file, but we don't care who acesses the tracker. If someone wants to mirror the .torrent they are more the welcome to. heres the link for members http://www.titaniumforums.com/torrent/software/ind ex.php