zzz: modem handling

I am doing further work on my 'zzz' package, totally rethinking everything.

I have modified my /sbin/pup_event_backend_modprobe script so that now the 'option' module loads for my Optus E160E 3G modem, for both cases of plugged in at bootup, and hotplug. The particular problem I tackled was that the 'usb_storage' had made a prior claim on the USB 12d1:140c interface, but the 'option' module uses the same interface.

I have modified /usr/sbin/pupdial so that it ignores /dev/modem (for now). Instead, pupdial deletes it if it exists, so wvdialconf won't use it either.

I have removed the firmware tarballs 'Cdcacm', 'Hso', 'Nozomi', 'usbserial'.
These install scripts into /etc/init.d, however a fundamental problem is that USB devices are hot-pluggable, and it is not sufficient to have these scripts run only at bootup.
I will in future move any required detection of these devices into the 'pupdial' script.

Note, so that Woof can build a Puppy with any kernel PET, that may have these firmware tarballs, I have put code into /etc/rc.d/rc.sysinit (in my zzz pkg) that deletes them. This is a hack, for now.

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Pburn 3.3.0 issues

Pburn hangs
I am using Pburn to copy some audio CDs, in Quirky 1.4. Works great, except when I clicked the "Retrieve CD-text from disc or Internet" button, another window popped up, but then the application hung. In fact, I had to kill X to stop all the processes running.

Cannot make multiple copies
A usage detail. There doesn't seem to be any way to make multiple copies. After making a copy, there is a button that seems to be for that purpose, but it isn't. I only have one drive, so a temp storage is used. After making one copy, that temp storage is deleted, there is no way (or no way that is obvious) to make multiple copies from that same temp storage.

To make a second copy, I had to go through the entire process of copying off the original.

Do-nothing window
Although CD-copying works, there is something puzzling. Why does a little window appear top-left of screen:

...it doesn't seem to do anything.

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Quirky 1.4 released

Yes, this is an official public release! Short announcement:

The main purpose of releasing Quirky 1.4 is to test my experimental simplified module loading and interface configuration boot scripts (codename 'zzz').
This is supposed to improve the detection and setup of sound, analog modems and 3G modems, and maybe more peripherals. Note, this complements the considerable earlier and ongoing development by Richard Erwin.

1.4 differs from 1.3 in that it is built from the Wary5 PET packages, of which the main feature is Xorg 7.3. Also an older kernel is used, 2.6.31.14 and the live-CD includes the complete collection of analog modem drivers as used in Wary, plus SCSI drivers. Thus, 1.4 will behave almost the same as Wary except for the 'zzz' component.

There are some new features in Woof that are debuting here for testing. In particular, a "heavy duty" file downloader backend for the Puppy Package Manager and Video Upgrade Wizard (for now), which should fix any problems with downloading packages.

Something new in Wary that has not yet been officially released, so is also being debuted in 1.4, is support for developing BaCon BASIC programs.

Another thing inherited from Wary is the excellent multimedia support. For details on the applications in the as-yet-unreleased Wary, read my blog

Full announcement and release notes:
http://distro.ibiblio.org/pub/linux/distributions/quirky/quirky-1.4/release-Quirky-140.htm

Live-CD ISO file (123.7MB):
http://distro.ibiblio.org/pub/linux/distributions/quirky/quirky-1.4/qrky-140.iso
md5sum: 87ed57f47fd3f782f9897cc2d3a3bcee

'devx' C/C++/Vala/Genie/BaCon compiling support SFS file (100.2MB):
http://distro.ibiblio.org/pub/linux/distributions/quirky/quirky-1.4/qrky_devx_140.sfs
md5sum: 4adce6f0cda46d42309c1dba42871c26

What is Quirky all about? Read my Quirky intro:
http://bkhome.org/quirky/

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Quirky 1.4 coming soon

Real soon. Just to let you know.

Quirky 1.4 will be based upon the Wary5 PET packages, and in fact will seem identical in every respect to Wary5.

The only difference is the underlying 'zzz' package, which handles module loading and detection of 3G modems. The purpose of this Quirky will be to evaluate (and maybe debug) zzz -- for example:

1. does your sound come up unmuted at first boot?
2. does sound stay unmuted after a reboot?
3. network connection still work after a reboot?
4. analog modem detected and usable?
5. 3G modem detected and usable?

Apart from that it is the same as Wary5, even the same 2.6.31.14 kernel.

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Quirky 1.3 released

This is built from the "forked" Woof that I have been discussing recently, and is an opportunity to evaluate the changes in Puppy files and streamlined searching in the 'init' script.

Note that there have been some application upgrades since 1.2, but not much, as I have been working on Slackpup, Wary and Woof in the interim. I expect that most, maybe all, apps in Wary will work in Quirky.

1.3 is built with the 2.6.33.2 kernel and also has the commercial Nvidia Xorg driver. The .iso file is 111MB -- note, if I had built without the Nvidia driver it would have been 106MB.

Release announcement and release-notes:

http://distro.ibiblio.org/pub/linux/distributions/quirky/quirky-1.3/release-Quirky-130.htm

Download the live-CD (111.4MB):
http://distro.ibiblio.org/pub/linux/distributions/quirky/quirky-1.3/qrky-130.iso
Md5sum: 8fc6617b307f6e28c38cd0d162cb5dc3

Download the development .sfs (104.8MB):
http://distro.ibiblio.org/pub/linux/distributions/quirky/quirky-1.3/devx_130.sfs
Md5sum: 1ec9790e29e9f559206daa1888bf643e

I have not built a "retro" Quirky this time, as I am targeting Wary for that purpose.

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Quirky 1.3RC: frugal multiple save-files

'DaveS' reported in the Quirky 1.3RC feedback thread in the forum that when installed frugally and there is more than one save-file in the installation-directory, Quirky did not ask at bootup, just used one of them.

Yes, I was expecting some little issues to crop up with the new file searching code in the 'init' script.

Fixed it.

01micko mentioned a fix for the acx wireless driver, also there is a patch for the Network Wizard. However, these will have to wait for the next Quirky (or a bug-fix PET ... what does MS call those? ...got a mental block).
I am already uploading 1.3-final, will announce when ready.

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Quirky mirrors

Testing PPM in Quirky 1.3RC, there is feedback of some difficulties.

One problem is that there are not many mirrors of the Quirky PETs hosted at ibiblio.org, and the list of URLs provided in Woof and to the PPM (see /root/.packages/DISTRO_PET_REPOS) has some invalid entries for variable 'PET_REPOS'.

Hmmm, I can only find three Quirky mirrors of ibiblio.org. I have put these two into Woof/PPM:

http://ftp.nluug.nl/ftp/pub/os/Linux/distr/quirky/
ftp://ftp.oss.cc.gatech.edu/pub/linux/distributions/quirky/

Here is another, but it doesn't seem to udpate frequently:

ftp://sunsite.icm.edu.pl/pub/Linux/sunsite.unc.edu/distributions/quirky/

I will also have to fix puppylinux.com/download, which also has invalid URLs.

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Quirky 1.3RC: Pwallpaper broken

'gjuhasz' has reported this. Ah yes, we know about this -- in Wary and Slackpup I had gone back to Nathan's Wallpaper Setter, package 'wallpaper'. But, had not changed the package selection for Quirky.

Ok, done, the 1.3-final will have Nathan's Wallpaper Setter.

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