Software Packages: PuppyLinux

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Software Packages

Software packages allow the easy installation of applications (AKA apps, programs etc.). Examples of applications include an accounts package or a CAD program.

Puppy Linux like most versions of Linux come with a lot of built in programs. The easiest way to add more is either a self installing file such as a PET, or by using a package manger such as PPM.

Precautions

Most software comes with a SoftwareDisclaimer disclaimer, usually stating something along the lines of:

Absolutely no warranty given or implied, so use any software package entirely at your own risk.

system backup: always have multiple copies of your current operating system before installing any package to it

official software packages are available via the ppm Puppy Package Manager:

using the start menu: Menu > Setup > Puppy Package Manager

using the command-line interface:

ppm

un-official software packages are available from repositories such as: murga-linux.com

there are three main software package types, identified by their file extension:

.txz (intended for full and frugal installations)

.pet (intended for full and installationfrugal frugal installations; supersedes .pup which is now obsolete)

.sfs (intended for frugal or LiveDVD installations)

software package names that contain a suffix denote the environment in which the package was compiling compiled (built). This provides some indication of whether or not a certain package is compatible with one's operating system, but one will not know of compatibility for sure unless the package is actually installed.

Some .rpm and .deb packages will install, but often they are built for other linux operating systems and assume that the system has all files it needs, but which may not be on your system. Sometimes installing the missing files will get a program going.

Prerequisite packages

Some packages are dependent on other packages being install, hence these are called dependencies. Sometimes a particular versions of a specific package is required. Even one .pet from one puppy version might have missing dependencies if used with another puppy version.

Common dependencies:

+bzip2,+e2fsprogs,+grep,+tar,+wget,+xz

Partition space

since the installation of any software package involves occupying partition space, the installation will fail if there is not sufficient, free space on the target installation partition

sometimes installing PET and TXZ packages to frugal Puppy installations requires the amount of free space inside the personal storage file to be at least 3 times the size of the package

Download location

one needs to know to which location a software package has been downloaded to

if a Web browser is used for downloading, then it would need to be manually configured to the user's preference

Installing TXZ software packages

acquire (download) the relevant TXZ software package file, e.g. qt, wine

then, after downloading has finished, single-left-click on it

then, choose one of the following options:

install into the existing filesystem

extract and place the software package directory anywhere (and outside any personal save file)

Installing PET software packages

acquire (download) the relevant pets PET software package file

then, after downloading has finished, single-left-click on it, e.g. ffmpeg, pidgin

to reverse the process, i.e. to un-install PET software packages, go to the uninstalling un-installing page.

Installing PET packages within frugal Puppy installations

the software installation is only retained (or permanent) when it is installed after the creation of a personal storage save file. The software may be installed before the existence of a save file but the installation will be lost when shutting down or re-booting. A save file is created during the procedure of re-booting or shutting down for the very first time following a new, frugal Puppy installation.

requires sufficient free space inside an already existing save file (the save file may need to be re-sized larger)

after downloading a PET software package, single-left-click on it for automatic installation

Installing PET packages within full Puppy installations

no personal storage save files are involved

download a PET software package; then single-left-click on it for automatic installation.

Installing SFS software packages

download and place the squashfs SFS software package at /mnt/home (e.g. JavaRuntimeEnvironment jre, libreoffice, then

either (A) follow the instructions at (requires re-booting): Menu > System > BootManager

or, (B) follow the instructions at (does not require re-booting): Menu > Setup > SFSLoad SFS-Load

Identifying missing dependencies:

When a package is installed via the puppy Package Manager, sometimes at the end of the installation the manager will check for required dependencies and let you know what is missing,

Also, via Menu>setup>check dependencies installed pkg, you can choose from a list, any program you have tried to install and clicking the check dependencies button will check for what is missing.

If none of these are successful a more involved way is to use menu>filesystem>pfind file finder, to do a search through your computer to find the executable file that initiates the program. Navigate to that directory and open a terminal. (right click in the directory and select window>terminal here, to get a terminal, relative to that directory) then type ./ and the name of the executable file. If all goes well the program will try to start, and results of each step will show in the terminal. When it gets to a missing dependency it will stop and let you know what it could not find, eg: libxyz.so.0 . There may also be a path to where it should be, or some information which may help you do an internet search for the missing file. It may be in a .rpm or .deb from other linux system repositories, or it may be part of another package. Install it. Then ./ and the program executable again. If it was successful it will run the installation and pass onto other steps. If it comes up again, that was not the right file or it got installed in the wrong place. Uninstall it so as to not clog your system with junk. Use the puppy package manager uninstall button to locate and uninstall it. Then try again. some programs have few missing dependencies, and other a lot. Perseverance is the key. One happy moment will hopefully occur, when you have all of them installed the program will open and run. (go celebrate)