Editing Puppy Linux (section)

== Features ==
Puppy Linux is a complete operating system bundled with a collection of applications suited to general use tasks. It can be used as a [[rescue disk]],<ref>{{cite web | url = http://lifehacker.com/307542/taking-puppy-linux-for-a-walk | title = Taking Puppy Linux for a Walk| date = 5 October 2007}}</ref> a demonstration system that leaves the previous installation unaltered, as an accommodation for a system with a blank or missing hard drive, or for using modern software on legacy computers.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.wikihow.com/Revive-an-old-PC-with-Linux | title = Reviving old computer}}</ref>

Puppy's compact size allows it to boot from any media that the computer can support. It can function as a [[live USB]] for [[USB flash drive|flash devices]] or other [[USB]] mediums, a [[live CD|CD]], an internal [[hard disk drive]], an [[SD card]], a [[Zip drive]] or LS-120/240 [[SuperDisk]], through [[Preboot Execution Environment|PXE]], and through a floppy [[boot disk]] that chainloads the data from other storage media. It has also been ported to ARM and can run on a single-board computer such as the [[Raspberry Pi]].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://puppylinux.org/wikka/ARM | title = ARM | publisher = PuppyLinux | date = May 29, 2013 | access-date = August 12, 2013 | archive-date = June 15, 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130615121644/http://puppylinux.org/wikka/arm }}</ref>

Puppy Linux features built-in tools which can be used to create bootable USB drives, create new Puppy CDs, or remaster a new live CD with different packages.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.puppylinux.org/manuals/puppy-40/english/make-your-own-puppy-cd | title = Make your own Puppy-CD | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081013135129/http://www.puppylinux.org/manuals/puppy-40/english/make-your-own-puppy-cd | archive-date = October 13, 2008 | access-date = August 19, 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://puppylinux.org/wikka/Remastering | title = Remastering | website = Puppy Linux Wiki | access-date = August 19, 2016 | archive-date = August 2, 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160802120602/http://puppylinux.org/wikka/remastering }}</ref> It also uses a sophisticated write-caching system with the purpose of extending the life of live USB flash drives.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://barryk.org/puppylinux/development/howpuppyworks.html | title = How Puppy Works | date = September 9, 2006 | last = Kauler | first = Barry | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160819184554/http://barryk.org/puppylinux/development/howpuppyworks.html | archive-date = August 19, 2016 | url-status = live | access-date = August 19, 2016}}</ref>

Puppy Linux includes the ability to use a normal persistent updating environment on a write-once multisession CD/DVD that does not require a rewritable disc; this is a unique feature that sets it apart from other Linux distributions.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://puppylinux.com/multi-puppy.htm | title = Puppy Multisession DVD/CD | access-date = 2008-10-26 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081012191059/http://www.puppylinux.com/multi-puppy.htm | archive-date = 2008-10-12 }}</ref> While other distributions offer [[live CD]] versions of their operating systems, none offer a similar feature.

Puppy's bootloader does not mount hard drives or connect to the network automatically. This ensures that a bug or even unknowingly incompatible software won't corrupt the contents of such devices.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://freespace.sourceforge.net/guidod/howto/autofs.html | title=AutoFS | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100814191611/http://freespace.sourceforge.net/guidod/howto/autofs.html | archive-date=2010-08-14 }}</ref>{{better source needed|date=August 2016}}

Puppy Linux offers a session save on shutdown. Since Puppy Linux fundamentally runs in RAM, any files and configurations made or changed in a session would disappear otherwise. This feature enables the user to either save the contents to a writable storage medium, or write the file system to the same CD containing Puppy, if "multisession" was used to create the booted CD and if the disc drive supports burning. This applies to CD-Rs, CD-RWs, and DVDs.

It is also possible to save all files to an external hard drive, USB stick, or even a floppy disk instead of the root file system. Puppy can also be installed to a hard disk.<ref name="Eckstein08Ju10">{{cite web|url=http://www.kmeckstein.com/linux/and-they-call-it-puppy-love/ |title=And they call it Puppy Love… |access-date=9 July 2010 |last=Eckstein |first=Keith |date=July 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100711131239/http://www.kmeckstein.com/linux/and-they-call-it-puppy-love/ |archive-date=July 11, 2010 }}</ref>