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Re: An Old Dog Learns Some New Tricks With Puppy Linux 4
Posted by: Jack M. Germain 2008-08-07 07:56:29
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The latest release of Barry Kauler's Puppy Linux version 4.0has a lot to bark about. Installed directly on a hard drive, it lacks some of the bells and whistles found in more popular Linux desktop versions. But run it from a USB drive in RAM, and Puppy growls impressively. The ability to carry an entire operating system on a flash drive and run it with all my files and settings intact is a powerful lure. Running Puppy Linux in RAM from any computer is one of this distro's best features. And because the entire OS lives in at least 128 MB of RAM once booted, Puppy Linux is lightning fast.
Double tap on laptops touchpad...
Posted by: maggotspawn 2008-08-28 09:22:01 In reply to: Jack M. Germain
If you use Xvesa instaed of Xorg you can double tap on your laptop touchpad.
If you've read any of the responses to other Puppy reviews, then you are aware of the objections about running as root. You must be anticipating some negative feedback and I'll not disappoint you.
It's a concern when a review ignores what many believe to be a serious security issue. Not that there is only one point of view. You and not-a-few others obviously are totally comfy doing something that many security-conscious people believe is not reasonable.
Regardless of your position, in the context of internet use (and your references to Firefox) the security issue is big and deserves your attention.
It's a concern when a review ignores what many believe to be a serious security issue. Not that there is only one point of view. You and not-a-few others obviously are totally comfy doing something that many security-conscious people believe is not reasonable.
Regardless of your position, in the context of internet use (and your references to Firefox) the security issue is big and deserves your attention.
Sure, security is always a concern regardless of what platform or Linux distro is used. Puppy Linux does many things unconventionally so that mitigates the risk somewhat. Both the Seamonkey and Firefox browsers have add-ons that block numerous entryways for would be infiltrators. Perhaps the easiest way to make Puppy Linux more secure is to change the password for root access. This is easily done by opening a terminal and typing # passwd. Enter a new password -- and change it often -- and that concern is gone.
Nice, carefully worded response. I can't compete with your wordsmithing, but I do give my friends important information that you don't give to your readers.
Puppy is run as root by default. It's curious that the fact, unusual as it is, is not mentioned in the review. Evidently there will be no serious consideration of the consequences here.
There is no statement that you are running Puppy as the restricted user, "Spot", but reference to a password gives that impression. My understanding is that Spot was created for Puppy fans who have security concerns, but running as Spot is not the same as running as a restricted user in most distros. The review makes no recommendation to use Spot, and includes no description of how to use it or of the limitations.
There is no statement that users should reinstall browser addons at the beginning of each session. Are you suggesting that users should run from saved sessions, thereby defeating one of the security-related advantages of Puppy? Or is there a list of steps that you can recommend for a new user?
If there is a procedure that a new Puppy user can follow to avoid putting his system at risk when using the net, a risk that is greater than what is generally expected from a Linux distro, then your readers would benefit from a description.
Puppy may be a fine distro for some purposes. However, I would never give a Puppy CD to a friend without describing the special security concerns.
Puppy is run as root by default. It's curious that the fact, unusual as it is, is not mentioned in the review. Evidently there will be no serious consideration of the consequences here.
There is no statement that you are running Puppy as the restricted user, "Spot", but reference to a password gives that impression. My understanding is that Spot was created for Puppy fans who have security concerns, but running as Spot is not the same as running as a restricted user in most distros. The review makes no recommendation to use Spot, and includes no description of how to use it or of the limitations.
There is no statement that users should reinstall browser addons at the beginning of each session. Are you suggesting that users should run from saved sessions, thereby defeating one of the security-related advantages of Puppy? Or is there a list of steps that you can recommend for a new user?
If there is a procedure that a new Puppy user can follow to avoid putting his system at risk when using the net, a risk that is greater than what is generally expected from a Linux distro, then your readers would benefit from a description.
Puppy may be a fine distro for some purposes. However, I would never give a Puppy CD to a friend without describing the special security concerns.
