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Klaus Knopper, Creator of Knoppix Talks to DistroWatch

Posted by Hemos on from the good-things-small-packages dept.

An anonymous reader wrote to us about an interview with Klaus Knopper the author/creator of Knoppix. Knoppix is "a bootable CD with a collection of GNU/Linux software, automatic hardware detection, and support for many graphics cards, sound cards, SCSI and USB devices and other peripherals. KNOPPIX can be used as a Linux demo, educational CD, rescue system, or adapted and used as a platform for commercial software product demos. It is not necessary to install anything on a hard disk. "

6 of 201 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Does Knoppix have an NT reg editor? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    The problem lies in the insecurity of NT security, not the versatility of linux. Also, any secure computer shouldn't allow a user to boot from removable media. Furthermore, if a "hacker" can gain physical access to a computer then that is the security failure, not the software the system runs.

    The utility is not for "hackers", it can be quite useful for restoring a system when someone forgets the admin password. ...and it doesn't really matter whether the program is on Knoppix, it is small enough to fit on a floppy.

  2. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  3. An excellent idea! by ivanandre · · Score: 4, Insightful
    This distro sure borns as a "demo" distro, but ive used it extensively and it rocks! Some of its uses are:
    • Put on a friends computer and show him/her the power of Linux and free software without modyfing his computer!
    • Boot a PC and figure out if the hardware its supported
    • Secure server? (Who can write in the cd?)


    I think the best point is that is Debian-based... and the hardware detection and configuration is awesome! Sure the debian guys can learn a bit... Free Software does not means impossible software, Knoppix!
  4. Re:Hardware detection-a step up. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    I agree more distros should be doing this with one cavet. There should be the ability to stop and start the process so that you can decide when to let the automated process handle a piece of hardware, and when you should when it gets it wrong. Remember Windows install process sometimes "insisting" that a piece of hardware is this or that, and your fighting to change it's mind?

  5. Re:License by Ari+Rahikkala · · Score: 2, Insightful

    You know, I was going to comment on this with something like "Well, it's Linux and the software in it is the same we all use - Mozilla, xfree86, KDE, et friends, and its maker doesn't do tech support. What else would it be but free?"... Then I remembered that a better comment would be "Holy mother of God and her bastard son! You can get two gigabytes of really good, up-to-date, reliable software for free, with no strings attached, and it all works when you just pop in a CD! FOSS is something that doesn't need to be believed in, it's already proven itself..."

  6. In other news... by Fefe · · Score: 2, Insightful
    the GNU project was shut down, because everything they ever did was merely automating a few well known steps from computer science books.

    If you think doing it is so trivial, where is your live CD?

    It's always easy to talk down on the work of others. But it's not very convincing unless you have own work to show.