Puppy Linux

Overview

Puppy Linux is a family of lightweight, open source, free Linux distributions that focuses on ease of use, low memory usage, and portability, created by Barry Kauler in 2003. It is designed to run from RAM, has a small footprint (usually 300-600 MB), can be booted on a USB drive, CD/DVD, or hard disk, and supports old hardware (such as devices with only 512 MB RAM). Puppy Linux includes daily applications (such as AbiWord, Gnumeric, MPlayer, lightweight browsers) and a unique PET package management system that supports Debian and Slackware packages. It uses JWM (Joe's Window Manager) or IceWM as the default desktop environment, provides an intuitive graphical interface, and is suitable for beginners and users of old devices. The latest releases include BookwormPup64 10.0.6 (based on Debian 12 Bookworm) and FossaPup64 9.5 (based on Ubuntu 20.04 Focal Fossa).

History and Development

• Origin:
  • June 2003: Barry Kauler created Puppy Linux, based on Vector Linux, inspired by "Boot disk HOWTO", aiming to provide a lightweight and efficient operating system.
  • Goal: To address the increasingly stringent hardware requirements of other distributions (such as Red Hat, Ubuntu), and maintain a low memory footprint.
• Development History:
  • Puppy 0.1 (2003): No UnionFS, no package manager, support for old devices with 32 MB RAM.
  • Puppy 1.0 (2004): Support for USB boot and Windows 9x/Me compatibility, introduction of basic persistence.
  • Puppy 2.0 (2006): Uses SeaMonkey as a browser and mail client.
  • Puppy 3.0 (2007): Compatible with Slackware 12, adds dependency support.
  • Puppy 4.0 (2008): Built from scratch, uses T2 SDE, reduces Slackware dependencies, and keeps the ISO size under 100 MB.
  • Puppy 5.0 (2010): Introduces the Woof-CE build system and supports building from other distributions (such as Ubuntu, Debian).
  • Puppy 8.2.1 (2021): Supports Raspberry Pi, based on Raspbian.
  • FossaPup64 9.5 (2020): Based on Ubuntu 20.04, JWM desktop, abandons 32-bit support.
  • BookwormPup64 10.0.6 (2024): Based on Debian 12, supports the latest hardware.
  • X post says "BookwormPup64 10.0.6 provides the latest updates, suitable for beginners."
  • 2013: Barry Kauler quits development, the community takes over, and Woof-CE is open source.
• Community and support:
  • Maintained by the Puppy Linux community, hosted on puppylinux.com, GitHub and forum.puppylinux.com.
  • User feedback says "Puppy Linux's community is very friendly and suitable for beginners."
• Open source license:
  • The core code is GPL v3, and some firmware is non-free software.

Main Features

Puppy Linux is lightweight, portable and easy to use, suitable for old hardware and mobile scenarios. Here are its main features:

1. Lightweight design
   • Takes up 300-600 MB, runs in RAM, and starts quickly.
   • Minimum hardware requirements: 512 MB RAM, Intel Celeron.
2. Portability and persistence
   • Supports USB, CD/DVD or hard disk boot, ISO is a hybrid image (hybrid ISO).
   • Optional persistence (pupsave file or partition) to save settings and files.
   • No trace after closing, suitable for security scenarios.
3. Pre-installed tools
   • AbiWord, Gnumeric: lightweight document and spreadsheet processing.
   • MPlayer, Pmusic: media playback.
   • FFConvert, pBurn: media conversion and disc burning.
4. JWM/IceWM desktop environment
   • Default JWM, lightweight and intuitive, supports theme customization.
5. Woof-CE build system
   • Build Puppy distribution from Ubuntu, Debian, Slackware, etc.
   • Support puplets (community customized versions, such as Puppy Arcade, MacPup).

Advantages and limitations

Advantages

• Lightweight:
  • Only 512 MB RAM is required, suitable for old devices.
  • X post said "Puppy Linux is suitable for repairing old hardware, USB boot is super fast."
• Portability:
  • USB/CD boot, no installation required, support persistence.
• Ease of use:
  • Intuitive JWM interface, suitable for beginners.
• Community support:
  • Active forum (forum.puppylinux.com) provides Chinese support.
• Flexibility:
  • Support Debian/Ubuntu/Slackware packages to expand the software ecosystem.

Limitations

• Limited functionality:
  • Non-mainstream distribution, lacks Deepin's beautiful interface or AlmaLinux's enterprise features.
• Hardware compatibility:
  • Some new hardware (such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth) require manual firmware.
• Learning curve:
  • PET package management and pupsave configuration are not friendly to novices.
  • Solution: Refer to forums and documents (puppylinux.com).
• Security:
  • Runs as root by default, which may be risky.

Summary

Puppy Linux is a lightweight, open source, free Linux distribution family with low memory usage (300-600 MB), portability (USB/CD boot) and ease of use (JWM/IceWM interface) as the core, suitable for old hardware and mobile scenarios. It is built with Woof-CE, supports Debian, Ubuntu, Slackware packages, and provides tools such as AbiWord, Gnumeric, MPlayer, etc. Puppy Linux is suitable for old hardware and portable scenarios.