News from the LiveCD World
Nothickmanuals.info has a How To published on remastering PCLinuxOS. Thanks to Lxer.com for the link.
When the system is installed and you have rebooted your computer, you are ready to customise PCLinuxOS. As with any Linux distribution, you can customise virtually every aspect of PCLinuxOS, and your options are limited only by your imagination and level of expertise.
Here are some more links on remastering LiveCDs.
All about Linux has a review of Damn Small Linux. Includes some ideas of how and where to use DSL.
All aspects of configuration, which includes wireless network, mouse, keyboard, printer setup and most other services can be achieved via the DSL (Control) Panel.
SearchOpenSource.com has an intro to Knoppix and LiveCDs aimed at the business PC user. The article explains what a LiveCD is and what it can do in an accurate and understandable way.
It’s easy to take Linux for a test drive. Some Linux versions have been tailored to run from a CD. You just put the CD into the drive, reboot your machine, and Linux will be up and running. No installation is required; nothing will have to be written to your hard disk. When you’re done, take out the CD and reboot your PC again, and you’re back in Windows.
Knoppix, the most well known LiveCD, is holding a contest for new graphics to include in future releases. A great way for anyone to promote their name. I’m sure I’ll be looking at it lots, and everyone I demo Knoppix to will also see it.
You send us a graphics package for inclusion in Knoppix, and, if the package is accepted for a Knoppix release, we promote your website or business via a link that you can place on the desktop wallpaper (see below) in return.
ASE Labs is currently being slashdotted for bringing us an article on reviving an old computer by installing Damn Small Linux. There is good information in this article, including what to do if the computer doesn’t have a CD drive.
While this laptop might seem old and out-of-date now, it is small and light. I needed something I could easily carry around, so I figured I would see what I could salvage out of this dinosaur. Windows would have a hard time running on this low-spec laptop, but there are many distributions of Linux that will work exceptionally well. The one we’ll be using today is Damn Small Linux.
I just stumbled upon this from the Wikipedia page on QEMU, it’s a combination of Qemu-Saver for Windows and GamesKnoppix to provide a LiveDVD screensaver. Cool stuff.
this time with a bonus. A screensaver based on QEMU; leave your Windows box alone for a couple of minutes and it virtual-boots Linux, all the way to ‘xsnow’.
Henry The Adequate has a humorous review of the new Damn Small Linux 2.0 release.
Now this is a bit of a problem. How do I put the CD in before starting the computer?
OSDir has screenshots of Visopsys 0.6 Preview. Visopsys is an open source operating system, not based on Linux or anything else. It is available as a downloadable LiveCD.
PC Advisor has a writeup on the Freedom Toaster. Hopefully they make their way to the US.
DSL 2.0 was released yesterday. Check out the many updates in the changelog, then go download the ISO. As usual, it’s smaller than 50 MB.
Damn Small Linux 2.0 and SimplyMEPIS 3.4-1 RC1 both have new screenshots up at OSDir.
LinuxPR has a press release detailing the current status of SimplyMEPIS, and the plans for the final version.
When Ff 1.5 goes final, SM 3.4-1 will also go final.
Sometimes Linux LiveCDs configure hardware better than traditional installed distros.
Given this information about the new Digiweb conditions, Giancarlo had, to use his own words, “the insane idea to test the new modem and connection with a Knoppix Live CD”. Knoppix indeed did connect to the Internet all by itself, so then it was only a matter of finding and copying the correct configuration parameters into the proper Slackware files.
DistroWatch’s featured distribution of the week this week is the Gentoo-based RR4 Linux LiveDVD. For those who like cutting edge software, it comes with the beta graphical Gentoo installer, and the stuff below:
The latest version of RR4 Linux has kernel 2.6.14, X.Org 7.0 from CVS, KDE 3.4.3, GNOME 2.12.1, and Firefox 1.5rc
Linux Today brings news of a LiveDVD focused on engineering. Based on PCLinuxOS 9.
one solution already exists and it’s called CAELinux: an open source LiveDVD distribution dedicated to professionnal computer-aided engineering & finite element simulations. Now, you need just to insert the CAELinux LiveDVD in your computer to turn it into a professionnal CAE workstation in five minutes: no installation required, no licence fees!
November’s issue of Linux Pro Magazine has quite a bit of info about Knoppix, including an interview with the creator Klaus Knopper (online in pdf form), and an article written by Klaus where he gives tips on how to perform tasks such as installing programs, burning CDs, and writing to NTFS partitions (currently not online). It even comes with the Knoppix 4.0.2 DVD.
DesktopLinux.com is reporting that the new 3.5 RC1 release of KDE is now available on a LiveCD. Test it out without messing up your current system.
The DragonFly BSD LiveCD got a mention in this article over at Server Watch.
DragonFly BSD is provided as a Live CD and will boot into a fully functional DragonFly BSD system. Unlike pure Live CD products, however, it can also install DragonFly BSD.
And page 2 has even more information on BSD LiveCDs, including introductions to Frenzy, FreeSBIE, and GuLIC-BSD.
The Frenzy Live CD is similar to Knoppix and LiveCD.
DistroWatch has an interview with the founder and lead developer of Puppy Linux. A good read, it provides some information into how they pack so much good software into a 60MB LiveCD.
Although Puppy Linux is a relatively new arrival on the Linux distribution scene, its popularity has skyrocketed over the past few months. Barry Kauler, the founder and lead developer of this minimalist, yet feature-rich operating system was kind enough to answer a few questions about the beginnings of Puppy and other topics of interest.
OSDir has screenshots of Damn Small Linux 2.0 RC2.