| My Puppy Linux Wishlist |
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Wednesday, March 2nd, 2011 07:38:02 GMT |
| Journal |
Here's a list of what I want in my custom version of Puppy Linux.
Things that I still need to find (or figure out how to install) are bold.
Things that I've found, or figured out how to install or do, which were formerly bold, are italicized.
I might add to this list in the future. (Updated 3/20/2011 around 7:43 PM. Probably won't add much from now on, though, since I'd rather create things that are more polished and organized, and these updates make this post even messier-looking than it was to begin with).
(Haven't even tried that yet - I've had a pretty unproductive day overall, wasn't even on my computer that much).
(Edit, 3/20/2011, 7:31 PM. LHMP works great!)
I still need to check out Emacs. However, Emacs seems like a pretty big software package, like over 70 MB (if I recall correctly). At that size, it will have to be pretty amazing for me to stick with it.
The problems I had were hopefully just temporary glitches - maybe the Skype server (?) itself was down, or something. (It took forever to log in, and numerous of my calls to the sound test service failed before one finally got picked up.)
Both when sequencing or just playing MIDIs, I would like to be able to use SoundFonts.
I was very pleased to find that at least two audio players available via Lucid Puppy 5.2's Puppy Package Manager can play SPCs - the DeaDBeeF player, and Audacious. They can also handle MP3s, among other many formats - but I couldn't get them to play MIDIs.
However, Wikipedia says that Audacious can play MIDIs, so, maybe with effort I'll be able to figure out how to make it play MIDIs.
So, if I ever need really fancy graphics for something, it will probably be easiest for me to just customize a recent Puppy.
However, ideally, I'd like to be able to keep using Astrolog 5.40. I like it, it's familiar, I'm comfortable with it. I hope it's as nice in Linux as it is in Windows. In Windows, it has a nice interface with menus. Astrolog opens in Wine, but it doesn't seem to be reading the default preferences file, and the font makes the text a bit hard to read.
(At least, that's the case in BrunoPup 2.0, which is what I'm using at the moment. I can't remember which other Puppy I tested it in, maybe Lucid Puppy 5.2. Astrolog 5.40 in Wine in the other Puppy had the same problems, if I recall correctly.)
In 2009 or 2010, I had a heck of a time trying to get the Swiss Ephemeris to work with anything in Windows - PHP, Perl, Python, and I would have tried C, the language the Swiss Ephemeris software uses (unless I'm mistaken) - but I couldn't even figure out how to get a C compiler installed.
Things were also complicated by the fact that I only had a 10 GB hard drive, at least on that computer. (Meanwhile, my other computer, which I was avoiding using - which is now my current computer since the old one broke - has a hard drive which frequently overheats, which is why I was avoiding using it). Plus, I was too preoccupied with other things to have the patience to keep struggling with trying to make it work, and also rather depressed.
So, I never got it to work, and whatever free astrology software I might have written if I had been able to get it work still doesn't exist, and perhaps never will.
I wonder how differently my life might have gone had I been rich, or at least had enough money.
If you'd like to encourage me to write free astrology software, or any other kind of software, or even if you would just like to help me feel less depressed, you're welcome to send me donations and/or software requests.
I hate the "Move" option - that could lead to catastrophic data loss. You could accidentally move something from your hard drive into Puppy that you thought was only being copied - then, if you don't save your Puppy session, that file would be gone forever.
I wonder if it would be possible to make software that will dim, or otherwise change, all obnoxiously bright colors on your screen, but leave non-obnoxious colors alone? Well, probably. In fact, maybe some already exists somewhere. I must find it! Or maybe write it!
Of course, it would be nice to know how to put permanent shortcuts on the desktop (even though in the end I might use side panels instead).
(HPNA is a fast internet connection that goes through your phone line, somehow without interfering with voice calls. I don't know how fast it is exactly, but, fast enough to use Second Life).
By the way, here's the USB wireless internet adapter I use with Puppy Linux: SMC Networks SMC SMCWUSB-G IEEE 802.11b/g USB 2.0 EZ Connect 2.4GHz Wireless Adapter
I found it in the process of looking up the adapters listed on the following helpful web page: List: Linux Compatible USB Wireless Adapter (WUSB) I actually got a different adapter than the SMC-brand adapter actually mentioned on that page, but, that page was helpful to me, so I'm linking to it.
Every version of Puppy Linux I've used has had no trouble detecting and using that adapter. I prefer having a USB device for wireless internet access rather than a wireless PCI card inside my computer, because I prefer being able to physically disconnect my computer from the internet, rather than having to adjust some software settings and just trust that my computer really is disconnected from the internet.
I tried that adapter with Live CDs (or DVDs) of Linux Mint (Linux Mint 10, I think) and Ubuntu (probably Ubuntu 10.10), but unfortunately kept getting disconnected from the internet every couple of minutes. I couldn't reconnect unless I physically unplugged the adapter and plugged it in again - whereupon the internet connection simply died again a couple minutes later.
Or else, versions of those that run less glitchily in Wine. I want Notepad++ to not freeze up and crash when I use a different text editor to save a document that I also am working on in Notepad++, and I want NoteTab Light to not flicker every few seconds as I type.
More RAM for my computer isn't going to happen, though, because even if I could afford to buy any, I'd be afraid to install it, and reluctant to even have someone else install it. So, the only way for me to get more RAM is by getting a whole new computer - which I also can't afford to do.
Software
File Title (Edit, 3/20/2011: Use Page Title As File Name + Change Unusual Chars To Dashes, Greasemonkey), Web Developer, Firebug, CHM Reader, EPUBReader.
I'm also interested in seeing if it's easier to get started writing astrology software in Linux than it is in Windows.
Other things
top bottom of the screen, (Edit, 3/20/2011, 7:36 PM. Tried having the taskbar at the top of the screen; it was nostalgic and reminded me of my old Macintosh, but, I think most wallpapers look better with the taskbar at the bottom.) which will display the time and optionally the date in whatever format I want, volume controller, firewall and network connection status, remaining RAM/personal storage space, and additional desktops. It needs to be capable of having AutoHotkey taskbar icons added to it when I run a Windows AHK script .exe using Wine. I know that's possible - Puppy Studio 3.3's taskbar does all that. I just don't know how to install all that from scratch. (Edit, 3/20/2011. 7:38 PM. Now I do. Puppy Studio 3.3 uses IceWM for its taskbar.)
Stuff I'd like to have but probably can't
Again, donations and/or requests for open source, public domain software are welcome.