News from the LiveCD World
DistroWatch is announcing a new release of Puppy Linux with some significant changes.
This new Puppy has major improvements in the underlying architecture as well as the applications, and some new applets created by Puppy enthusiasts. Finally we have embraced the XDG menu system, our new PET package management system is further refined. New applets are Pfind (file finder), and Grafburn (CD/DVD burner).
Blogbeebe reviews Knoppix 5.1, included are a few screenshots.
[Phoronix] brings screenshots of the soon to be released SLAX 6.0.0.
KateOS is joining the list of Linux distros which offer a GUI installer on a LiveCD.
DesktopLinux has some info on Mandriva’s LiveUSB offering.
Linux.com reviews the STUX live CD.
STUX is a Slackware/Knoppix-powered live CD with the Morphix-like ability to build a custom ISO. While the combination has high potential, this implementation leaves something to be desired. It’s worth the experience if you enjoy using new distributions, but if you’re looking to replace your current desktop OS, look elsewhere.
Linux Tech Daily reviews the latest Sabayon Linux LiveCD and takes the installer for a spin.
Phoronix has screenshots and a review of the Fedora LiveCD 7 Test 1 Preview
Linux.com has a review of the latest Elive LiveCD.
Elive is a live CD Linux distribution based on Debian that uses the Enlightenment window manager. Elive aims to provide an aesthetically pleasing environment with a full suite of desktop applications that runs efficiently on older systems. Its developers aren’t finished yet, but they’ve come a long way with Elive since the release of 0.3 more than a year ago. This CD shows how beautiful distributions can become without being bloated.
DesktopLinux is reporting that Scientific Linux has released LiveCDs and DVDs for version 5, which is pretty much a demo of RedHat 5 without the branding.
EFYtimes.com is reporting on a new project of Klaus Knopper to make Knoppix accessable to the blind.
It was my first meeting with the couple — Klaus and Adriane Knopper — at LinuxAsia 2007. I had already met Klaus Knopper, the creator of Knoppix, and was pretty much touched by his passion for developing Knoppix. This time he was accompanied by his wife Adriane Knopper who is visually handicapped and helps Klaus in developing Linux for the blind, Adriane Knoppix.
Lifehacker uses screenshots to show how to crack Windows passwords with a LiveCD.
DesktopLinux report that the new MEPIS 6.0 beta has LiveUSB support.
As for the USB key support, the MEPIS System Assistant reportedly can now install either the 32 or 64-bit version from a CD to a USB key. According to Woodford, “it will also reformat the key so it will be properly recognized on any machine that can boot from USB key. This should only be done with a high-speed key. Unfortunately the key is incompatible with MacTel firmware, so this will only work on a PC.”
NewsForge reviews the new FreeSBIE 2.0.
Last year the Italian FreeBSD user group, GUFI, rekindled the FreeSBIE project to develop a live CD based on the FreeBSD operating system. After more than four months of development, and an equal number of beta releases, the project released FreesBIE 2.0 this month. Codenamed Clint Eastwood, the live CD is based on the recent FreeBSD 6.2 release, and is an ideal platform to experience BSD and learn how things are done in BSD land.
A great example of how LiveCDs can be used, this programming book comes with an Ubuntu LiveCD with all the code examples and code editors installed and ready to use.
There’s a live CD included so you can boot up Ubuntu Linux and see all the projects – not only view and play with code snippets via the Bluefish programming editor (noticeably superior to the text editor I’ve been using to write my PHP), but also running the final applications off the disc.
Linux.com has a review of the Super Gamer 2 LiveDVD.
I was intrigued when I heard about SuperGamer, a beta live DVD based on PCLinuxOS. The DVD includes, in demo version for the most part, 3-D shooters America’s Army, Doom 3, Postal 2, Cube, Enemy Territory, Nexuiz, Quake 4, Soldier of Fortune, UFO: Alien Invasion, and Wesnoth. Unfortunately, my SuperGamer/PCLinuxOS experience was as bad a Linux experience as I can remember having.
LinuxQuestions.org has screenshots of PCLinuxOS 2007 Test 1. The theme looks great, and it looks like they changed almost every aspect of it since PCLinuxOS 0.93.
DistroWatch Weekly is packed full of LiveCD news today. First up is news of a gaming LiveDVD by Mandriva, along with a LiveCD showcasing a unique 3D desktop called Metisse. Below that is news of updates to Live versions of PCLinuxOS, gNewSense, Fedora Unity, BOSS GNU/Linux, and a new rescue LiveCD by the T2 project.
This weeks DistroWatch Weekly contains an interview with a developer of the FreeSBIE project.
FreeSBIE, the first-ever live CD based on FreeBSD, is a project that delivers a complete, desktop-oriented operating system that one can boot and use without installation, even on a computer which doesn’t have a functional hard disk.