Release SuperZaxxon v1.76

[FBnil]

@notaz: yes, I have noticed that doing an opkg update will update quite a few libraries. So, just in case the opkg repository dies, it is a good preservation idea.

Adding stuff means less free space on the internal memory. I have about 150MB free. Not sure if making the OS image bigger makes the chance of not fitting anymore ( if you have many bad blocks). Also more empty space: less dead blocks because the hardware has a bigger pool to write the data for all PND's we have.

Not sure if this is important to add things (it's quite perfect as it is imho; upgrading stuff might break things, like upgrading Python), lets ask others!

screen - potential users: 1
A newer version of screen would be nice. Although I always ssh, and then run screen on the remote system...
https://pyra-handheld.com/boards/threads/solved-screen-command-not-upgrading.83712/

tcl - potential users: 0
There are always things that "could" be important, for example, there is no automation, like: expect/tcl
However, PySolFC seems to have tcl

python - potential users: a few
Or a fresher version of Python: 2.7.3 (2014) v/s 2.7.16 (2019) but that could break stuff and is lots of compile and test work.
However, python, including lots of libs is already in wxPython. (2.7.10)

Operating led lights from userspace
I even have op_leds.c which, after compilation and a setuid, allows you to enable/disable your led lights from userspace. However, that can be "installed" by a separate package, and it's not "core" enough?



@Swordfish II Basically you need a script that rips out stuff (opkg remove), like the minimenu files if you only use the desktop? (actually, because minimenu eats less RAM than a full desktop, that actually would be the minimal image, less functional though)
Note that X is required for the initial configuration, like creating a username and home directory.
What do you usually remove after installing it fresh?

 

[ingoreis]

I would whish an Option with Gui where you can find out if you have one of the Few 1GB Storage 1GHZ Pandoras
..and when you have one then Partitionating the other 512MB as second Partition for using.

There are a few 1GB Storage 1GHZ Pandoras out there

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Another Whish is an Option to Activate NTFS Support on the Pandora.
With a little Command in the Terminal can every User activate it but most Users do not know that:

su
ln -s mount.ntfs-3g /sbin/mount.ntfs

After a Restart you have NTFS Support on your Pandora

Maybe you can simply add it on the First Start after Reflash?

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Somehow Swap Files did not work proberly on the Nand Partition here....maybe you can try that?
Because Minecraft and some other PNDs i think a Swap File on the Systempartition should be much faster than SD Cards or USB Sticks.

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Edit: aaaand a better Bluetooth Speaker support would be nice for me :-D

 

[PowerGod]

I don't remember if VIM and MC where included by default or I installed by myself, but seems pretty essential to me... those versions are pretty old and with basic functions, but can do their jobs.

 

[Swordfish II]

@notaz: yes, I have noticed that doing an opkg update will update quite a few libraries. So, just in case the opkg repository dies, it is a good preservation idea.

Adding stuff means less free space on the internal memory. I have about 150MB free. Not sure if making the OS image bigger makes the chance of not fitting anymore ( if you have many bad blocks). Also more empty space: less dead blocks because the hardware has a bigger pool to write the data for all PND's we have.

Not sure if this is important to add things (it's quite perfect as it is imho; upgrading stuff might break things, like upgrading Python), lets ask others!

screen - potential users: 1
A newer version of screen would be nice. Although I always ssh, and then run screen on the remote system...
https://pyra-handheld.com/boards/threads/solved-screen-command-not-upgrading.83712/

tcl - potential users: 0
There are always things that "could" be important, for example, there is no automation, like: expect/tcl
However, PySolFC seems to have tcl

python - potential users: a few
Or a fresher version of Python: 2.7.3 (2014) v/s 2.7.16 (2019) but that could break stuff and is lots of compile and test work.
However, python, including lots of libs is already in wxPython. (2.7.10)

Operating led lights from userspace
I even have op_leds.c which, after compilation and a setuid, allows you to enable/disable your led lights from userspace. However, that can be "installed" by a separate package, and it's not "core" enough?



@Swordfish II Basically you need a script that rips out stuff (opkg remove), like the minimenu files if you only use the desktop? (actually, because minimenu eats less RAM than a full desktop, that actually would be the minimal image, less functional though)
Note that X is required for the initial configuration, like creating a username and home directory.
What do you usually remove after installing it fresh?

Yes. I don't use mini menu at all along with a bunch of other "default" stuff in the menus. For instance there is an app for creating a Pandora card, mass file rename, etc etc.

There is just so much stuff. My debian installs are pretty sparse and start with a netinstall. WM, zip, pdf, videoplayer, file manager, text editor, web browser and that's about it aside from the usual stuff (sudo, nano, terminal). Quite a bit can't be opkg removed due to dependencies.

I could certainly come up with a list. IMO those are things that should be in the repo. Not shoved onto every install.

 

[levi]

VIM is standard I think. Midnight Commander is probably an extra install step, but I've never knowingly invoked mc on my Pandora. Personally, I far prefer working in vim over vi, the fact when you change a line it live edits the text is a big thing for me. Granted, the vim executable is about 10 times the size of the vi executable, but it's still under 4MB which is pretty tiny by today's standards.
[doublepost=1563758771,1563758306][/doublepost]

There is just so much stuff. My debian installs are pretty sparse and start with a netinstall. WM, zip, pdf, videoplayer, file manager, text editor, web browser and that's about it aside from the usual stuff (sudo, nano, terminal). Quite a bit can't be opkg removed due to dependencies.

SZ doesn't include zip, a pdf viewer, a videoplayer, or a web browser. It does include a WM, file manager and text editor but that's pretty small fry in comparison. To play videos or render pdfs and web pages you need to install a pnd file for each operation.

Just so were on the same page, I consider SZ to be pretty slim compared to most linuxes out there; even a default archlinux32 install takes a little over 4GB in my experience, while SZ fits everything inside 256MB.

 

[Swordfish II]

Here are some of the things that should be downloadable. Not in the install.

Bulk rename
Cpu speed
Gigolo
Pandora input tester
Run pnd application (should be hidden)
SD mass storage
Switch GUI
Risteretto
Application finder
Squeeze (the zip app you said it didn't come with but does)
Document viewer (the pdf programyou said didn't come with it but does)
Links (the web browser you said doesn't come with it but does.)
Cpu settings
Calibrate touch screen
Led settings
Lid close settings
Pandora nub configurator

Most of those i have never touched. Yet there are massive menus with all that stuff there. I hate huge menus. So cluttered.

 

[PowerGod]

Midnight Commander is probably an extra install step, but I've never knowingly invoked mc on my Pandora

I use it mostly while in SSH to a Pandora.

@Swordfish II : I'm not sure is some of those apps are linked too much to the system, but if it's a PND it should be downloaded at will.

 

[TrashyMG]

Most of those i have never touched. Yet there are massive menus with all that stuff there. I hate huge menus. So cluttered

And a good chunk of those I use occasionally, and I don't want to spend the extra step to install it through opkg via command line to use them at any given time. Feel free to uninstall these yourself.
[doublepost=1563794627,1563794212][/doublepost]

**** app you said it didn't come with but does

Well if you've been updating via network likely it's on there from a what ever original firmware you installed. It may not be in the current full flash of the firmware.

 

[ingoreis]

I am Satisfied with most preinstalled Software.
-Gigolo...i used it for mounting my Nas
-Nub Configurator...i must reset my Nubs often with it
-CpuSpeed...for Minecraft and othere Tests very important
-Ristretto...hey this little Viewer is realy okay for most
-Mousepad...is a MustHave for me

On the Opposite...there is a Tool named PNDStore...that can be removed because its not more working or simply replace it with PNDManager please.

I do miss a newer Pandora Optimized Mplayer Version with OmapFB Support and never was able to get it compiled with the OmapFB or DirectFB Options.

Hmm was there not a Guy who asked for a newer Samba Version?
A Samba Update would be nice too

 

[HelenF]

What's the situation with the f3 SD card checker? Looking at my Pandora, I'm not quite sure what happened here; but looks like maybe the one in the opkg repo was very old, and I compiled a new version and installed it to the NAND myself. (It's very small; potentially useful to a lot of people; and particularly helpful to have in the NAND, since the SD card being checked should preferably be empty.)

 

[Swordfish II]

And a good chunk of those I use occasionally, and I don't want to spend the extra step to install it through opkg via command line to use them at any given time. Feel free to uninstall these yourself.

The problem with distros these days.

"I OCCASIONALLY use these so everyone gets them."

Which is fine if there is a minimal install. Nope I gotta guess what these packages are and hope there aren't meta packages tied into things I don't want to get rid of.

 

[TrashyMG]

@Swordfish II , Well if Notaz is willing to entertain a Minimal install image, then perhaps... but how Minimal is minimal, your minimal may be different than others.

And while many of those on your list are Occasionally for me, some are used every time I use the Pandora.

 

[ZXDunny]

To be honest, an option during setup to remove all that crap off the task bar would be nice. Or even better, decide what to have on there.

 

[levi]

Most of the things you listed are short scripts so a few kiB at absolute maximum. From one standpoint therefore they are still quite minimal, though it's absolutely fair to say they ship with a .desktop file so pollute the menu, and I can see how that's less than ideal.

It's not something that's ever really bothered me, even on one of my bigger computers I have a fully populated right click menu on openbox that mostly points at things I've never installed, and I've never spent enough time trying to prune it to figure it out. I still use it to lauch new terminals and just skip over stuff I know isn't there.

 

[ptitSeb]

I don't think any of this discussion (about what package to install or not by default) really fit in the "last update of SuperZaxxon" (it look more like a discussion of what SuperZaxxon should look like from the beggining).

For that last update, an updated bash version would be nice.

 

[Swordfish II]

@Swordfish II , Well if Notaz is willing to entertain a Minimal install image, then perhaps... but how Minimal is minimal, your minimal may be different than others.

And while many of those on your list are Occasionally for me, some are used every time I use the Pandora.

I have gone with minimal as a command prompt and nothing else. But to me minimal is a DE and all hardware functioning, also the PNDmanager. Then nothing else.

Just seems strange to me that some of these are included while stuff like a usable web browser isn't. Or the PNDmanager...isn't.

All this is kinda moot, as I can simply run my own build on the Pyra, but the Pandora had some pretty unique hacks to make it all work.

 

[levi]

python - potential users: a few
Or a fresher version of Python: 2.7.3 (2014) v/s 2.7.16 (2019) but that could break stuff and is lots of compile and test work.
However, python, including lots of libs is already in wxPython. (2.7.10)

I tend to think python security updates should be upgraded by default when possible. I think python2 support is officially ending this year, so 2.7.16 might be the last update from python-dot-org. And in the projects I maintain, I've not seen a python2 break for many years now.

 

[notaz]

I don't think any of this discussion (about what package to install or not by default) really fit in the "last update of SuperZaxxon" (it look more like a discussion of what SuperZaxxon should look like from the beggining).

Right, there is no chance I can put an extra fulltime job's worth of time (like it was in the old days) for reworking the whole OS. Only things that don't consume tons of time can be done (unless somebody wants to provide patches).

So far the only feasible things I saw are:

• mount.ntfs symlink
• screen update
• bash update -> to which version? High risk of breaking some scripts
• python update -> also risky, potential trouble with tons of depending python-* packages. But if somebody can convince me it's just security updates I can give it a try

For including extra stuff like mc - I think running "opkg install" once is not a huge burden.

On the Opposite...there is a Tool named PNDStore...that can be removed

Not seeing that one here, I think it was removed already

I would whish an Option with Gui where you can find out if you have one of the Few 1GB Storage 1GHZ Pandoras
..and when you have one then Partitionating the other 512MB as second Partition for using.

There are a few 1GB Storage 1GHZ Pandoras out there

There is no need for partitioning, it just uses the extra space automatically. If you run "df -h" on one of those pandoras you'll see lots of extra free space (900MB or so for total partition size, that's how you can easily recognize such unit). I don't remember when this was added but it works with last released fullflash for sure.

 

[ptitSeb]

For Bash, I would have liked some 4+ (so latest stable), but yes, there is a risk of breaking scripts I guess.

 

[Swordfish II]

How about CUPS then?

There are print dialog and print manager items in the Pandora but CUPs is not included.