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Hello folks,
I have never really been a fan of linux tried it a few times, but overall found it a pain havving different boot loader and different type of formating a disk etc.
I just read in a computer mag that there is a version called puppy linux just a small download of 110mb that is mainly meant to be run from a live cd. It seems it loads everything into the computer memory and is fast and easy to use.
Going to give it a try when my download speed gets back to normal (as capped due to peak hours now)
Anyone tried Puppy Linux and is it possible to get a computer virus this way? (it does say that you can actually save things to the live cd if it is not finalised, and to the hard drive.) If its possible to save wouldn't it follow on that you could get a virus too?
anyone tried puppy?
thanks
Joe
joe
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I've been running Linux for quite some time on my Internet machine. I'll never go back to Windows. It takes some time to get used to though. It's way different. Some folks get tired of sudo this & sudo that
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I just popped a Puppy 4 Live Cd into the drive and booted off of it. Now I'm on the forum (via the live cd and Puppy Linux) to answer your question. Puppy works very well and I'd forgotten how fast it is, even from a live cd. To answer you virus question, it is always possible to get a virus, but, because of the way Linux is designed to work, you internet safety is far greater with Linux than with Windows. After I first started using Linux, I went bug collecting to prove to myself that it was indeed as safe as I had heard. Well, I've collected quite a few nasties, but I haven't been infected with a virus, Trojan, or other malware. In the meantime, my Windows machine is quite happy doing the things Windows does very well, because I don't even have to download those Window's Updates which can sometimes be the source of some PC problems. However, I would suggest that you save any downloads to a Usb drive rather than trying to save them to the live cd.
JBlatz
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Hi Joe,
I run Ubuntu Linux as well as Windows. Each has its own hard driver. Ubuntu can also be run as a Live CD with internet access (on wired connections). If you have experience in Windows, Ubuntu is pretty easy to pick-up at a beginner's level. Using the Ubuntu Live CD, it's possible to access your Windows drive. Ubuntu also formats disks in Windows formats if you wish.
Regards,
Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2026
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Joe, Puppy works. I've run it from a CD, and from a solid state USB flash drive. Performance from the flash drive is better, and Puppy creates an ext3 file system on the flash drive to store your information session-to-session. Just pull out the USB drive and walk away - plug it in to any other computer, boot from it, and continue your work. Do your homework (you know, read the manual  ), then get busy. Solid, secure, and efficient. Oren.
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"If its possible to save wouldn't it follow on that you could get a virus too?"
You don't have to 'save' to get them anymore. I've seen them in a couple of ads that are on the side or top of a lot of websites. Some servers do not scan the ads..
You are far less likely to get one on a Linux system, especially if you keep it separate from windows. That is part of the reason why people like separate drives for separate OS. Puppy is small enough to keep on a USB thumb drive. The rest will depend on what you want to download and save in Linux. If you are going to save files to a drive windows has access too, there is always a chance you will get infected in Windows when you activate the file. Be mindful of what drive you are saving to.
I think you'll find using Linux makes you more mindful of how you are using the computer. This makes you pay attention better, which in and of itself helps prevent infections.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
Make your sound your own!
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There are no known viruses in the wild that affect Linux however if you duel boot yes you could bring one home to the windows side of things. The administrative user in Linux is called "ROOT" thus the term rootkit. Hidden files that get in and act as root. The thing is the only way to get any nasties into Linux is to install them yourself unknowingly.They can't just get in becasuse they need a user name and password to install. If you follow the Linux convention you'll never get nasties and that is "download programs ONLY from the Linux repositories. Do not download from anywhere else. Secondly if you have a network you do have to run a firewall to protect your shared files
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Thanks for replies. Well I have managed to get on the web without any problems using Puppy and Ubuntu live cd's.
I have also installed Express gate ( a quick way to access the web based on linux) that is a feature of my Asus motherboard. It boots in a short time at computer startup, I have set it up to stay at the Express gate screen for 3 secs, giving me the time to decide to use it or not before it moves onto the windows startup screen.
A bit of a gimmicky thing maybe, but then I love gimmicks.
Joe
joe
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Asus brews up their own versions of special-purpose Linux software. That "Express" package is offered on several of their computers for those times when the user just wants to go on-line fast and safe. Puppy on a USB flash drive would be a superior choice because it stores data on it's own ext3 file system - very organized, never any need to de-frag.
Google's new proposed operating system is based on Linux - they are working with open-source programmers, and once the O/S is complete, they'll make the source-code public so it's tweakable by it's users. Software "by the people, for the people", so to speak...
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Doesn't publicly available OS code make it easier for hackers to get deep inside a machine?
Just something I have thought about for a while.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
Make your sound your own!
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I think the goal of a majority of hackers is to topple Bill Gates and Microsoft and they look at open source as anti monopoly/ capitalist.
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Quote:
Doesn't publicly available OS code make it easier for hackers to get deep inside a machine?
Just something I have thought about for a while.
That has bothered me, too. Here is the story, pieced together from various Linux enthusiasts:
Open-source software is designed by "hackers", thousands(maybe millions?) of them, monitoring and upgrading the system as they are able. These "hackers" take great pride in a bullet-proof computing environment, and really work at not being "hacked". A point of honour, if you will. And they don't mind sharing their cool tricks, so other hackers can admire their genius. Somehow, it all ends up being a community effort... weird, I know.
Proprietary software is developed by paid programmers who have little personal interest in the ultimate success or failure of the system - as long as their little portion of the job is done as requested, and the paycheques keep rolling in. There is a relative lack of big-picture thinking. Gaps and loopholes occur - security suffers.
Guess who lives happily ever after...?... 
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Quote:
Asus brews up their own versions of special-purpose Linux software. That "Express" package is offered on several of their computers for those times when the user just wants to go on-line fast and safe. Puppy on a USB flash drive would be a superior choice because it stores data on it's own ext3 file system - very organized, never any need to de-frag.
Google's new proposed operating system is based on Linux - they are working with open-source programmers, and once the O/S is complete, they'll make the source-code public so it's tweakable by it's users. Software "by the people, for the people", so to speak...
Well I have inserted a usb flash into one of the 2 usb ports at front of the computer, but as it lists 4 or 5 different kinds of flash drive in the bios I am not sure which one I should select that will pick the front usb port?
Anyone have any pointers in the right direction?
Thanks
Joe
joe
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