Quirky 7.0.2 released

Quirky Linux 7.0 was released on February 26, 2015. Please read the announcement here:
http://bkhome.org/news/201502/quirky-70-final-released.html

Quirky 7.0.1 is a bug-fix release, just over one week after 7.0. See announcement here:
http://bkhome.org/news/201503/quirky-701-released.html

Well, we have continued to find, and fix, bugs, but 7.0.2 is more than that, with some improvements and upgraded applications.

Summarizing the changes of 7.0.2, from 7.0.1:
1. Frugal install now faster bootup, faster saves.
2. SeaMonkey now version 2.33, significant bug-fixes.
3. Package upgrades: nss 3.17.4, sqlite 3.8.8.3
4. Internationalized: gfnrename, gmeasures (and bug-fix)
5. pupRadio: fixed preset radio stations.
6. GetFlash: fixed Adobe download URL change.
7. MoManager (internationalization tool): bug-fixes.
8. New semanticUI.ttf font added.
9. icu4c: icudt53l.dat data file size increased, fixes SM bug.

It is strongly recommended to read the announcement for Quirky 7.0, as it contains a link to install instructions. Or, here is the direct link to the install instructions:
http://distro.ibiblio.org/quirky/quirky6/amd64/april-7.0/install-quirky.htm

...the difference now, of course, is that we are up to version 7.0.2. So, to download 7.0.2, go here:
x86_64: http://distro.ibiblio.org/quirky/quirky6/amd64/april-7.0.2/
i686: http://distro.ibiblio.org/quirky/quirky6/x86/april-7.0.2/

There are faster mirrors, for example nluug in Europe:
x86_64: http://ftp.nluug.nl/os/Linux/distr/quirky/quirky6/amd64/april-7.0.2/
i686: http://ftp.nluug.nl/os/Linux/distr/quirky/quirky6/x86/april-7.0.2/

If you already have 7.0 installed, then an upgrade to 7.0.2 is available as a "Service Pack", a small PET package.
Read an explanation of Service Packs here:
http://distro.ibiblio.org/quirky/quirky6/amd64/april-7.0.2/upgrade-quirky.htm

Frugal installation
Puppy and Quirky users will know what a "frugal" installation is. For the uninitiated, it is a method whereby Quirky is installed into a folder in any partition. Whatever that partition is used for doesn't matter, that remains undisturbed. The partition can have any filesystem, Linux or DOS/Windows.

Anyway, Quirky is intended for conventional "full" installations, into a partition or entire drive, however, now a frugal install is supported, with some limitations.

Booting from the live-CD, you will see a "install" icon in middle of the screen, which will offer to do a frugal install.
Note, it is possible to do a frugal install by opening up the .iso file (and not have to burn and boot the live-CD), however there are some issues, and I will post instructions to this blog soon.

One important point: the live-CD and frugal install require a PC with at least 2GB RAM (though I have feedback that 1.5GB works).

Service Pack
If you already have 7.0 or 7.0.1 installed, as full installations, the Service Pack is a small download to upgrade to 7.0.2, as introduced above.

Note, however, that the Service Pack does not work for live-CD and frugal installations, not properly anyway.

What's next
Some more tweaks to the live-CD and frugal install.

The 'installquirky' script to be greatly expanded, GUI installs to drive or partition (it currently only has frugal).

For "win8" PCs, Quirky currently requires that "legacy boot" be enabled, which has limitations with some PCs.

It seems that some PCs do not like mixed legacy-boot and UEFI-boot, some do.

I did investigate UEFI-booting before, but put it on hold. I now intend to resurrect that, and hopefully the next release of Quirky will support UEFI-booting on win8 PCs.

In short, this will make it easier to dual-boot Windows and Quirky, and make it easier to install Quirky into a hard-drive partition.

Forum feedback
You are welcome to read other's feedback, and contribute, to the "Quirky 7.0.x" thread in the Puppy Forum, starting at page 16:
http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?p=834501#834501

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Comments

The Bones online repositories of T2 and woofQ have been updated, as use to build Quirky 7.0.2.

Read about Bones and how to download T2 and woofQ here:
http://bkhome.org/news/201501/t2-project-hosted-by-bones.html
http://bkhome.org/news/201501/woofq-hosted-by-bones.html

However, you must use my script to do it, as explained here:
http://distro.ibiblio.org/quirky/quirky6/amd64/april-7.0.2/frugal/install-frugal.htm

Here is the script:
http://distro.ibiblio.org/quirky/quirky6/amd64/april-7.0.2/frugal/installquirky.gz

That is, you download the Quirky .iso file. Then run the script, which has a nice GUI.

Ignore the previous two comments, the frugal installer is now (828KB):
http://distro.ibiblio.org/quirky/quirky6/amd64/april-7.0.2/frugal/install-quirky.amd64

This is a self-extracting archive, created with 'makeself':
http://www.megastep.org/makeself/

Just download 'install-quirky.amd64', set its execute flags, then click on it to run it.

What is different from the 'installquirky' script, is this is designed to run on just about any Linux distro. It has utilities bundled inside it, to make up for any lack in another distro.

Frugal install only for now, but I intend to make it a complete installer for Quirky, including downloading the .iso, or whatever file is appropriate.
Thus, the current scattered files and scripts and instructions will be replaced with just one application, with a nice GUI.

That's the plan anyway.

Tags: quirky, linux