Damn Small Linux plus pendrive equals portable paradise

Today is apparently unofficial “Review a LiveCD” day, as Linux.com adds a favorable review of Damn Small Linux to the list.

I recently acquired a 256MB USB pendrive that I use for storing personal documents and work-related stuff. As a Linux fan who wanted to make the most of his new toy, I went looking for the simplest, smallest distro I could find that could boot from a pendrive. I found Debian-based Damn Small Linux, whose long list of bundled applications fits into a meager 50MB. The more I use it, the more I like it.

DSL Linux: Small distro that packs a big punch

IBM Developerworks has an overview of Damn Small Linux. Unfortunately, the author keeps referring to it as “DSL Linux”, which, I think, expands to Damn Small Linux Linux. But besides that minor annoyance, the article has quite a good summary of the packages on the DSL LiveCD, and a few tips for using it.

Need a teeny-tiny, business-card-sized, open source operating system that squeezes a lot of software into a little space? Take a look at DSL Linux®. This quick review shows you how to use the miniscule OS, highlights the on-board applications, details how to load and start it, and explains how to save between sessions when using a bootable CD.