Klaus Knopper, Creator of Knoppix Talks to DistroWatch

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. "

Comments

Distribution...

[whiteranger99x]

If I may ask, what made you decide to base this distribution on Debian as opposed to something like Slackware, RedHat, or even a Build Your Own Linux Distribution?

In other words, was there any redeeming factors Debian had over any other distribution?

Autodetection

[CableModemSniper]

I love the way he says he designed the hardware autodetection. He just made a list of al the steps you do to setup a linux install's hardware and automated it and threw in some kudzu. Genius.

Hardware detection

[exhilaration]

I know someone mentionned the excellent hardware detection found in Knoppix, but I'd like to know why other distributions don't have this level of simplicity? I mean, Knoppix is literally plug and play - pop it into the CD, walk away, and BAM there's KDE on the screen.

WHY do I have to go through xf86config to get my distro up and running???? You gotta find your monitor's documentation, double-check what video card you have, look up how much memory, blah blah blah. Yet Knoppix does this AUTOMATICALLY???? (Or is that automagically?) Knoppix has been out for a while, their hardware detection should be implemented in every distribution!!

Re:Knoppix for installfests...

[Ed Avis]

If there were a DVD version of Knoppix with *every* free program you could possibly want to use installed - essentially Debian testing on a DVD - then maybe you could do without ordinary Linux distributions altogether. I'd certainly consider it, if I had a PC that was left on 24x7 and important things like mail and CVS on a central server.

Great use for Knoppix

[zer0vector]

I am taking a Computational Physics class, and the professor prefers to use Linux for its ease in compiling and running programs. Unfortunately the only computer lab available was filled with windows machines, so we just boot the Knoppix CDs everytime we start class. Its fast and very easy to set up.