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Open source desktop basics: Risk-free ways to get started, part 2

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.

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Knoppix Graphics Contest

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.

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Breathing Life Into Older Computers

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While this laptop might seem old and out-of-date now, it is small and light.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.

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Linux in Italian Schools, Part 5: Slackware in Sardinia

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.

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CAELinux: An Open Source LiveDVD for Computer Aided Engineering/Finite Element

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!

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Beyond The Big Three BSDs, BSD Alternatives

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.

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Interview with Barry Kauler, Puppy Linux

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.

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Taking Linux On The Road With Ubuntu – Linux To Go

Tom’s Hardware has a review of an interesting product, the Ubuntu H2. It’s a 3 GB USB microdrive that comes with a bootable DVD to install Ubuntu onto it, for the purpose of booting Ubuntu off the USB device.

Once Linux is ready to go, you need to make the computer boot from the H2 Micro USB Drive. Usually computers will either boot from a CD/DVD, a floppy disc or the system hard drive. However, as we want to use the Ubuntu H2 as a portable operating system, we need to get the system to boot from USB.