Specialized Knoppixes for Fun and Profit

An anonymous reader writes "The University of Puerto Rico High Performance Computing facility (HPCf) and the Puerto Rico Biomedical Research Infrastructure Network (BRIN-PR) are pleased to announce the release of bioknoppix. bioknoppix is a live CD linux, based on KNOPPIX, and specialized to include tools for bioinformatics. bioknoppix does not need to be installed on your computer, making it a perfect tool for workshops and demos. Some of the software included in the 0.3 release: EMBOSS 2.8.0, jemboss, artemis, clustal, Cn3D, ImageJ, BioPython, Rasmol, Bioperl, Bioconductor. For more information please see the bioknoppix home page." Reader Tussinator wrote in about a new release of ClusterKnoppix.

Comments

Hey!

[GoneGaryT]

Didn't you read that guy from DevX or wherever?? They could be putting TROJANS and BACKDOORS in that code!

Sheesh (tm)

Re:Hey!

[LostCluster]

Actually, having Knoppix around might actually slow the spread of worms. Afterall, you can't change the executable files on an already-finished CD, and therefore any exploit somebody manages to get running will be gone as soon as the system reboots.

Specialization

[firstadopter.com]

The specialization of Linux continues. Soon we'll have linux for people born in february, Linux for spider lovers, linux for travelers..

Re:Specialization

[heironymouscoward]

Live Knoppix CDs are about delivering applications with a 100% predictable and tested OS platform, not about specialization of Linux.

It is Knoppix plus layers, which remains Debian plus layers, which remains Linux plus layers.

Re:Specialization

[LostCluster]

Linux is Linux. It doesn't really change from use to use. What we're seeing is specialization of the packages that include Linux...

Re:Specialization

[temojen]

Well Actually, Linux for travellers might be handy...

A knoppix CD with email software (including MTA), AbiWord, gnumeric Mozilla FireFox and a GIS package, a complement of maps, and GPS and printer support (with autodetection for USB printers).

Just pop it in the drive at your local Web Cafe & plug in your GPS if you have one. Then go about printing custom maps with just those features you want marked, and at the scale you want.

It'd probably be distributed as a different CD for each country (or region of larger countries like Canada, Australia, and Russia) so the maps can fit on the CD.

On that note, does anyone know of an open source GIS package that is friendlier to the casual user (using it a few times a year) like ARCView? Last I tried to use it, GIS GRASS (5.3) was not at all intuitive, and the GRASS 5.7 development appears to be geared towards things other than usability.

I'd really like a GIS for tasks like travel maps, garden planning, etc, and GIS GRASS doesn't fit the bill (I'm sure it's fine for professional geologists & geographers who use it every day).

Re:Specialization

[timeOday]

At work we're putting each of our demos on a bootable CD (using knoppix) to prevent bit rot. Some of our older demos haven't been ported to newer versions of our framework, config files get changed for other projects, etc.

Also we mostly develop on Linux anyways (scientific stuff), but some of the people who do presentations aren't linux-savy or don't even have Linux on their laptops (can you imagine?!)

None of thinks of each demo disk as a specialized distro, it's just an all-in-one demo disk.

Ah, bootable application CDs

[heironymouscoward]

This is just a wonderful way of packaging certain types of application. To those who say "I don't want to reboot every time I want to play XYZ", consider this: virtual environments that can boot off a CD in a window inside your current Windows or Linux setup.

Perhaps not the future of software distribution, but a significant part of it, nonetheless.

It's alive?

[Anonymous Coward]

That was to be expected sooner or later, the linux kernel turning conscious. I for one welcome our new live CD linux overlords.

just what the doctor ordered

[freeJustin]

Wow, I'm a bioengineering major and I cant stress how useful this is, it like almost every computer in our lab has a different function due to software problems. After looking at the applications that are on the disc, I bet this well be big in schools. I wonder if they have considered doing this for other fields...

Going back in time?

[LostCluster]

I remember when in the days of Windows 3.1 and MS-DOS using specialized boot disks when running certain games to load only the system files that were needed for the game, no more and no less.

It seems like this is the concept that is coming back into style here. Optimize a boot-off-CD operating system to be sure that all the applications you need are installed properly, and as soon as you're booted you have everything all set up. It's great for assuring that you know everything that's running on the PC you're working with, and that there's no extra stuff lurking in the background... even if you've never met the PC before.

Re:Going back in time?

[bmsleight]

This is just what Morphix allows you to do. It basically takes away the hard work of re-mastering a Knoppix CD.

Morphix is modular, and can be adapted with less effort

The base, the Knoppix part contains the kernel, kernel modules, hardware detection, etc. This base is left untouched. You can either a change a mainmod or add lots of minimodules.

The are four basic images to start off with. So making you own LiveCD is much easier.

It even possible to save you files, configuration and setting to the Morphix CD you using, ready for next boot up.

Did I mention the GUI installer ...

Brendan

plurals

[the eighth grader]

shouldn't that be "knoppices"?

KnoppMyth is cool

[maharg]

http://mysettopbox.tv/knoppmyth.html

Bioinfomatics Monoculture

[Mr. Darl McBride]

This kind of bioinformatics monoculture can only mean bioinformatics security problems ahead.

As more and more bioinformatics parties switch to a single biostandard distribution, this leaves bioroom for bioinformatics worms to biospread unchecked.

It's bioestimated that it would take only three biodays for a bioworm to biospread itself enough to bioDDoS an bioinnocent biostandar with as biomany as three biodozen biomachines, bioleaving biotelnet biosomewhat biolaggy.

LiveCDs in the enterprise?

[Pantheraleo2k3]

Think about this. You make a custom liveCD, debug it, then deploy it on your Linux boxen. The boxes don't need HDDs, you could store user data on a network server. Even if a luser tries as hard as they can to mess it up, it's all fixed with a reboot. You could make different liveCDs for different departments with the proper apps installed (e.g. OpenOffice, payroll, accounting, sales, CRM, etc)

Anyone ever consider this?

Knoppix remastering made easy.

[khasim]

http://www.knoppix.net/docs/index.php/KnoppixRemas teringHowto

Build it the way you want and burn it!

Don't forget to grab an inexpensive USB memory toy and you have it all!

Re:uhm

[LostCluster]

The idea that these distros represent, however, could be very useful to gamers however. Games could come on a bootable CD at which point the game designer has complete control over the OS environment.

Mod parent up.

[khasim]

With Knoppix, as long as you can boot the CD, you have all the applications you need, pre-installed, pre-configured, pre-tested, pre-EVERYTHING.

It's all about the apps.

(and a rock solid OS to run the apps on)

how about knoppix recovery/security cdroms?

[walterbyrd]

How about a knoppix without all the openoffice stuff, that is specifically designed to recover data from crashed PCs? There is a "super-recovery" live cdrom, but it's pretty old.

Or, how about a knoppix which searches a pc and a network for security vunerabilities? I think phlak linux is supposed to be sort of like that. But phlak linux doesn't work very well.

I would suggest that, by default, such versions boot to command line. If any gui, it should be lightweight, like fluxbox or something. I'm talking about something for pros.

What's the difference?

[teamhasnoi]

The strange thing with Live CDs is that we've effectively moved to really big floppies. What's the difference between an booting an Apple II and a Knoppix PC? Hardware notwithstanding, you can store a similar amount of software on each, that do similar things (word processing, graphics, games, ect.). The Apple even boots faster.

So where is the advance in technology?

Re:What's the difference?

[someguy456]

The strange thing about cars is that we've effectively moved to really good carriages. What's the difference between riding in a horse-drawn carriage and a new car? Speed notwithstanding, you can get to about the same places on each, and go through the same landscapes. The carriage is even more comfortable.

So, where is the advance in technology?

Bio...

[sw155kn1f3]

> BioPython, Rasmol, Bioperl, Bioconductor. For more information please see the bioknoppix home page.

Yes, but can you build biowulf cluster of these ?

Linux for Travel

[core plexus]

I agree, and have been trying to do just that. ArcExplorer (free) comes in a Linux/Java version, but it is not easy to get going for the average user. I've put together some GIS data and related materials on a CD, mostly for sale to prospectors, rockhounds, and other mineral exploration, and there might be another problem: just the data alone takes from 150MB to >600MB.

I'd love to work with others on this. I have tons of ideas relating to it.

-cp-

It's already here

[pherris]

Number of Linux Distributions Surpasses Number of Users

Getting to be a crowded market:

[dan dan the dna man]

Bio-Linux
BioBrew
DNALinux

I'm a developer for one of the above projects. Competition is interesting.

It's Knoppixe

[Anonymous Coward]

Sorry to put you down. But my vote, as native german speaker, goes to "Knoppixe".
The "e" is pronounced as a schwa vovel. Plus the "K" is not silent!