PuppyRus-A

PuppyRus-A is an open source and freely distributed operating system based on the Puppy Linux, Arch Linux and Porteus Linux distributions. It has been designed especially for use in Russian communities and features the lightweight Xfce desktop environment.

Available for download in two editions

While the distribution can be downloaded as Live CD ISO images that run on either 32-bit or 64-bit hardware platforms, it is distributed in two editions, a standard edition and a Fat edition that includes twice as much software.

Boot options

The boot menu is entirely translated in the Russian language, so if you’re not a Russian-speaking user, you should stop here and find another Puppy Linux based distribution to play with. Default boot options include the ability to start the live environment in RAM for computers with less than 256MB of RAM or machine with 512MB of RAM or higher.

In addition, you can boot an existing operating system from the first disk drive, start an existing Windows XP or Window Vista/7 OS, as well as to boot from a USB drive using the PLoP boot loader.

Traditional graphical desktop environment powered by Xfce

As mentioned, the default and only desktop environment is powered by Xfce, which provides users with a traditional graphical interface that is familiar and easy to use, comprised of a single panel located on the bottom edge of the screen, from where the user can launch applications, interact with opened programs and cycle between virtual workspaces.

Includes only lightweight and Xfce-specific apps

Default applications include the SpaceFM file manager, Leafpad text editor, GPicView image viewer, Xarchiver archive manager, Transmission BitTorrent client, Pidgin multi-protocol instant messenger, Chromium web browser, Skype VoIP client, DeaDBeeF audio player, Geany IDE and VLC Media Player.

Bottom line

Summing up, PuppyRus-A is a decent, fast and feature-rich distribution of Linux that can only be used by Russian-speaking users. It mixes the lightweight Xfce desktop environment with the minimal Puppy Linux operating system, and borrows some functionality from Arch Linux and Pardus Linux distributions.