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fig os: chained or joined?

Sat Jul 30, 2016 10:12 pm

for flrn, the basic structure of fig os is this:

* puppy iso is downloaded
* refracta iso is downloaded
* isos are opened
* PUPPY ISOLINUX (.bin, and config) is used
* however, it could have used the refracta isolinux (which it borrows some config lines from and adds to the puppy isolinux config)

* puppy sfs is modified
* refracta /live squashfs (this is the same as sfs) is modified

* iso puts puppy stuff on / of iso, which is how puppy does it anyway
* iso puts the relevant refracta stuff in /live which is where refracta keeps that stuff anyway

* finally, the stuff in / is mostly just puppy stuff. bootloader, config, that stuff doesnt make it from refracta
* that stuff from refracta isnt used, it isnt part of the "hybrid" design

* however, it would be just as easy to use the isolinux stuff from refracta INSTEAD of from puppy.

one reason for using the puppy config was to reuse the puppy boot screen without redoing the configs. one reason to switch to the refracta isolinux instead (and then borrow a few lines from the puppy config) would be to do a png bootscreen like refracta has-- puppy often uses a 16-color (256 color?) lss file, editable with mtpaint.

but to directly answer flrn, the two distros share a single isolinux config. the isolinux config (but not the bootloader) is merged from the two.

with a 32-bit bootloader, you can use this to make a live cd that will boot into a full 32-bit os or a full 64-bit version of the same os, but for example to do that with refracta 32 and refracta 64, youd need to have one with squashfs files in /live and one in /live64, or something like that.

so far ive only tried the 32+64 idea out on a 32-bit puppy and 64-bit refracta, but fig os is 32-bit puppy and 32-bit refracta.

the arrangement would not work if the 64-bit machine could not even load the 32-bit bootloader, but most 64-bit intel/amd machines will. i believe the 32+64 arrangement (with 32-bit bootloader) even works on the 64-bit mode of qemu-- as it should, really.

Re: fig os: chained or joined?

Sat Jul 30, 2016 10:53 pm

That's similar to the arrangement on a mult-boot usb made with refracta2usb. One bootloader and isolinux (renamed to syslinux) directory, and then one directory for each live OS, each with its own name, and each containing either a live subdirectory or the iso file itself, if you set it up to use the findiso boot option.

I never thought about 32 vs. 64 bit for the bootloader. The first live OS added to the usb is where the bootloader and isolinux files come from, and I always do that on my main box, which is 64-bit. Additional systems get added without touching the boot files. I can add a 32-bit system to that usb stick and it will boot on a 32-bit machine.

Renaming the /live directory in your case should not matter. You just need to edit the paths in the boot menu entry to match the location.

Re: fig os: chained or joined?

Sun Jul 31, 2016 8:15 am

1.0 switches from puppy tahr 6.0.2. on the puppy side to "librepup" (based on 6.0.2.) on the refracta side its still the latest jessie-- this version uses better compression for the sfs files:
http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?p=916090#916090
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