Suggestion to simplify Tiny Core even more

[sky]

Hi,

I want to use TC for basic tasks and as VM-host to test many other operating systems like OpenBSD or Win7 without the risk to destroy my working system. It sounds paradox as a Linux user, but I don't want to know what my working system exactly does. And in TC I see the potential to become usable to users like me. TC is very simple. Whatever "frugal installation" means, I got it installed on a disk partition. But not all issues of the underlying kernel/shell are encapsulated. I had to lern, "sudo su; fluff&", "chown tc filecopied-from-another-linux" and "sudo su; editor&". It took some time to figure out that the FileMgr is a fluff and I didn't want to know it, because I'm satisfied with the packages bundled in this distribution. AND: It may be changed in the next TC release. Then I would stuck with shell commands "fluff" or "editor".

Compared to Lubuntu, every time I open a directory which needs root-permission, i get an error message, and have the possibility to open this folder as root. This is takes one click. I don't know the name of the File-Manager and the editor under Lubuntu. If I want to edit a file like menu.lst as non root, then I can it immediatly.

I hope I could present the perspective from a consumer not a do-it-yourselfer.

Best regards

Edit: Typo corrected

[sky]

After one day with Tiny Core I love it and so I give two other improvement suggestions:

1)
When I install packages via the AppBrowser, then it would be nice if it could decide its self which method (onboot, ondemand, download, download+load) is optimal for a stable working system. So that I only had to choose between the two options (downlad/install) and the AppBrowser preselects the best working method. An adavanced user who knows what he does could then change the selection manually.

2)
After I installed Tiny Core, I didn't have a browser. At first I was totally lost. I tried to search in the AppBrowser for packages which conatain the word "browser". That didn't help me. So either a short readme
"how to install a bowser" which explains the installation process with one default browser would be nice, or an assistant in the GUI (may be a install-web-browser button or something in the AppBrowser.

To describe my use case: I installed Tiny Core on a real PC not inside a VM inside Windows. So when I did boot Tiny Core I had no point to start without a browser which supports browsing the Tiny Core Wiki. A web browser was important, because essential answers like "how to store my eth0 settings persistent" I got after I luckily got Midori installed and could read in the Forum/Wiki. Before this it was e mess to configure after every boot the IP-Settings again.

Best regards

[Guy]

1. If you don't change the default in AppBrowser, which is OnBoot, everything will just work.

2. I would be interested in others' opinions, but I think most computer users would have heard of Firefox.

[vinnie]

I agree with guy, considers tinycore tries to keep as much light as possible.i
For firs post, i think lubuntu use gksu.

[MikeLockmoore]

I'm to blame for the name of Fluff.  

I named it before it was included in TinyCore. Originally, a different file manager application was going to be included in TinyCore Base.  "FileMgr" is just a generic name.

Maybe it would be good if there was an alias or symbolic link in TinyCore Base so the file manager could be started by either "filemgr" or "fluff".  That would be up to the Core Team.  Fluff's executable could even be named somthing other than "fluff" if it would make TC easier and more straightforward.  But I think "Fluff" should appear at least in the "About" window and help file. 

[combo3]

I kinda like the name 'Fluff' -- soft and light.

And it's no more cryptic about its purpose than: Dolphin, emelFM2, Konqueror, Midnight Commander, Nautilus, Thunar, Xfe , or Windows Explorer.


To answer the OP's question:

"What is a frugal install?"

A frugal install is basically copying the compressed contents of the CD image (bzImage and tinycore.gz) to the hard drive (or USB stick) and booting from there so that you don't need to keep using a (slower) CD-ROM drive.

[hiro]

windows explorer is actually not cryptic at all in my view. It's the best chosen name of your list