Macpup - Puppy on steroids

Updated: June 8, 2009

Puppy Linux is a 100MB Jack of all trades Linux distribution, mainly used as a light, fast live CD distro. It's one of the more popular small distributions. I've reviewed Puppy twice already, loving it better each time.

One of the things that makes Puppy so unique is the large number of sub-versions created by enthusiasts, each featuring a slightly different set of programs and themes. These remastered distros are known as Puplets. Deciding which one to try can be hard. Like choosing a favorite toy in a very big store.

Teaser

Going through the almost endless repository of Puplets, I came across a little doggie called Macpup Foxy. It intrigued me, so I downloaded it and tried it - and very much liked it. So today, we're going to have a short review; nothing major. Call this a Puppy sequel, if you will.

Macpup is a relatively big download, a whole of 200MB, more than twice the official Puppy release. This means it packs additional programs you won't find in the standard issue.

Let's take a peek at this handsome digital canine.

Macpup has good looks

Macpup looks well. It is not a Mac by any means, but it has a proper zoom-in dock and sports serene black and blue colors. For a blazing fast live CD that can run on antique hardware, this definitely means something.

Desktop

Dock

Applications

Macpup also has a handsome arsenal of programs. First, you have the Firefox browser:

Firefox

One of the most important bits that makes Macpup so appealing is the rich multimedia section. We've already seen that Puppy has no quarrels with Flash, MP3 or Windows video codecs. Now, you have additional programs that make this little beast into a powerful media center.

There's the excellent VLC player, for starters, sporting a Windows Media Player 11 skin.

VLC

You also have Pburn, capable of burning Blue-ray discs.

Pburn

Then, there's Audacity and Ripoff, solid tools for audio processing.

Audacity

Ripoff

Macpup also ships with Java installed:

Java

If you require image manipulation, there's the GIMP suite:

GIMP

Other

Even on shutdown, Macpup does not disappoint:

Shutdown

Conclusion

Puppy is more than just a distro. It's a whole family of colorful editions, each catering its own special, unique motto. If the official release cannot satisfy your needs, one of the Puplets surely will. The possibilities are endless, limited only by your time and bandwidth.

Exploring the world of Linux live CD experience has never been more fun. Download your favorite Puppy and start playing. Macpup is definitely one of the finer breeds out there, but who knows what you might find?

Enjoy.