Slashdot Mirror
Giant List Of Linux-based Live CDs
nick58b writes "After searching the Internet and not being able to find a list of all available Linux Live CDs, I decided to create one. In its current form, it attempts to makes finding a Live CD easy. There are nearly 100 Live CD distributions listed so far, with functions ranging from clustering to home entertainment, and ISO image sizes from 5 to 702 Megabytes."
I'd guess it's partly because a lot of the stuff on the second and thirds CDs is less frequently used. If all most people want is KDE, OpenOffice, and Mozilla, and Knoppix can fit them all on one CD, why bother with a DVD at all?
I've often wondered about this as well. Considering the elevated requirements of most software packages and games written for the current top OS, you'd think that the person buying it would have a DVD drive. It sounds like a reasonable assumption for the companies to make.
SCREW THE ADS! http://adblock.mozdev.org/ Proud user of teh Fox of Fire - Registered Linux User #289618
MEPIS is an installer disc that boots live. It puts up a nice install with yawn inspiring ease.
I have yet to understand why the kludge that is the Knoppix install is regarded so highly.
Someone set us up the bomb, so shine we are!
This might be a stupid question, but has anyone put out a live cd for a playstation 2 or xbox? I would love to run some form of *nix on my console, as it's probably the fastest computer I own.
Awesome job with the compilation of a large list of Live Linux distros. However, I think you're missing out on a primary function: porn. I mean, c'mon, having a live CD means no history to keep on hard disk!
Ive found damnsmall linux {damnsmalllinux.org} to be really handy, and mostly bug- less. Which considering there are very few people working on it, speaks well for live cds, and knoppix hacks.
Leave natural selection to work its magic.
I've tried dyne:bolic or here for my xbox. It works, but the version I tried was sadly slow. Seems like 32MB RAM isn't what this distro calls a good time. And of course: It requires your xbox to chipped and ready.
Anyone know if any of these distros have wifi support out of the box? I tried knoppix (3.2? It wasn't the latest by any means) on a wifi equipped sony laptop but it didn't see the network.
I really want to hijack my wife's laptop as it's by FAR the fastest thing in the house, to do distcc compiles for my EPIA box - which is pretty slow at compiling. I could plug it into the network, but I'd much rather do it by wifi.
Rubbish. Live CD's represent a solution to a problem which has plagued this industry for years. (*cough*Microsoft*cough*)
... and its good for there to be a thriving 'cottage industry' around building these LiveCD images.
... on the order of a local 'FreeNet' or what-have-you ...
...
It is *GOOD* to have so many to choose from
I would like to see a live Boot CD build system which allows you to customize the payload *easily* (easier than it is to actually 'install' something on a local dedicated machine, individually, and administer it, anyway) and use the Read-Only aspect of the Operating System/Applications binaries to full advantage in securing a productive machine and network.
Imagine: you have 20 PC's, all booting from a Live CD which is configured to give all users the tools they need, and can then join the remaining no longer OS-centric hard disks all together in a large, local, p2p network filesystem.
New "graphics" guy comes onboard - give him the "GIMP CD Toolkit" CD, point him in the direction of any machine he wants, and away he goes. No more local PC administration. New 'sales' guy comes onboard, give him the "Office CD Toolkit" and away he goes. All the disks can then be joined together over p2p, and nobody ever has to worry about where their files are stored, or which PC to use, or what the security of an individual node is going to be if someone gets access to it - since a node would be OS-less, and the filesystem dedicated to the p2p fileshare, which would presumably be secure
I can see that Live Boot CD's are a solution to so many problems... as long as they get easier and easier to make, build, and use
; -- the corruption of government starts with its secrets. a truly free people keep no secrets. --
To answer the 'why more distro' trolls, hundreds of LiveCDs does not mean thousands of Knoppix/Gnoppix clones.
It means hundreds of applications, each specialized for a particular niche, each provided in an ultimately convenient format: plug and play.
It's a lot like console computing: plug in a cartridge and play. It's so different from the "traditional" computing model where software is carefully installed into an environment...
I've always believed that the need to install software was one of the biggest handicaps with delivering software to a global public.
LiveCDs eliminate this problem. We are coming back to the 1980's when home computers booted clean and software came on cartridges. Robust, stable, cheap. Look at some of the advantages from the home user's point of view:
- no installation
- total separation of data (on some kind of memory stick?) and code
- unstable system? reboot it!
- many people can share the same hardware with no interference
- you can use any available box to run the software
Conclusion: LiveCDs are not some esoteric hack. They represent a fundamental change in the home computer paradigm, and will open the door to a huge new public that still faces computers with trepidation (and after that Windows XP virus disaster that wiped their snapshots for the third time), and some trauma.
If I was a computer manufacturer, I'd be looking at designs optimized for this way of working:
- small, silent case
- optimised for game playing
- large amount of RAM (2Gb+)
- no hard disk
- easy-access USB memory sticks
- very fast CDROM/DVDRW
- no diskette
- network, TV out, 5.1 sound, etc.
And then distribute it with a pack of 20 or so interesting Linux LiveCDs including Mythtv.
Ceci n'est pas une signature
What I think would be really interesting would be multiple LiveCD distros on one CD! Imagine, you use the boot loader to choose between Gnoppix or Knoppix, bioinformatic or educational, vanilla or chocolate.
And, honestly, DVDs aren't at all expensive. On rebate, I bought a whole slew of DVD-R from OfficeMax (Depot?) for $5 per 25. Yeah, they're low quality, but for linux distros, the junkable ones are what you want to use.
www.eissq.com/BandP.html Ball and Plate System. Amuse your friends. Crush your enemies.
try pressing the pause key
Be wary of any facts that confirm your opinion.
Is there a LiveCD that will boot on an "OldWorld" PowerBook 3400c without the use of an OS 9 install?
It would need sound support, and network support...
once the last mile is crossed we will have arrived.
P.S. knoppix boots faster than alot of XP installs that alone might be enough.
-*The above statement is printed entirely on recycled electrons*-
By the way, there are other ways of trying this. On a pc long time forgotten pc on a dark corner of a computer lab or cibercafe, for example. Or just unplug the HDD. You know how to un/plug them, or got them on extraible racks, don't you?
great list! but which of these allows installation into a file partition on a windows box - to use seriously, and dont require the CDor a partitioning of the disc (the usual way) - i ask, because I believe Mandrake used to allow for this...and its a great noninvasive way of putting Linux on friends system... partitioning being a no-go and liveCD's being severely speed limited (though great for test driving! - cant wait to see new Knoppix now that the nForce chipset is much better supported in the kernel!)
In less than two hours, I was up and running, recording TV.
Much credit and thanks due to the KnoppixMyth guys for the easy install!!
BTW - Myth TV PVR Box Specs:
I'd love to see a release that focused on the power management as well as WiFi, etc
also, I don't want to store my settings on a USB key chain.. that costs $$ to buy! :) Set me up to store my settings on an FTP server!!!! Accessible from anywhere in the world! Security (via username and password) built it.
joe sixpack at work could try out distro X and then take it home and keep trying it.
also, it's time for a common preferences format (XML anyone)? so that I can set prefs in Knoppix and then reboot and point my Slax distro at the same home dir.
Agile Artisans
try damnsmalllinux at damnsmalllinux.org - 50 mb and it is possible to install it to hd. got it working on an ibm thinkpad 600 233mhz and 128mb ram or so. runs perfectly from hd.
So, if , for example your bootable ISO would be 700MB, then your UDF would be 4GB - pretty good, huh? This case is good when you take some existing LiveCD image and slightly modify it (1) to mount UDF and (2) to know what is there.
Or if your ISO would be 2GB, then your UDF would be 2.7 GB accordingly. This case is good if you build your own LiveCD image and your "root" partition must be big enough already (by some reason).
UDF is important also in situations when you want to save something back on DVD (if you have DVD-/+RW hardware).
And of course I should mention another limitation of ISO: filenames. They must be short, they should not have any strange characters, and the path in the filestructure must be not too deep. With ISO we have to use some dirty hacks to work around. With UDF you don't have such limitations.
Do you know if Catalyst has any plans to work with UDF?
Less is more !
So I have this very nice high end box, running, oh let's say one of those Linux type OS's, with VMware.
In theory, I ought to be able to store all these ISOs on one of the rather large disk drives, then mount the file as a drive, and boot the live CD in VMware.
It follows that I ought to be able to make a pick list of all the live cds and run several side-by-side as a demo to friends of what's available without all that booting/rebooting that's hard on the hardware.
At the end of the demo, I could give them a CD of the OS they liked best.
Anyone have any thoughts on this?
----------
I don't know. I created a version, have it on my home server (which is why I am not linking it here) and I have people downloading it all the time. I would link to my mirror, but it disappeared a while ago. (anyone have 200 MB of space and a big pipe?) It is a bootable Quake MegaTF server. Not Q3, the old-school version. It is text only, because it just has the server on it. I have been meaning to include a light-gui, and the clients as well, but haven't gotten around to it. But I know more than 5 people have downloaded my ISO, and I am not even on any of these lists. But I have been in contact with people who have used it, and have had LAN parties with it.
My beliefs do not require that you agree with them.
80 minute cds are about 10-15 cents each and store 700M. That gives 46-70 megs per penny. 4X blank DVD-Rs are 61-81 cents each and store 4485M. That is 56-73 megs per penny.
Time wise, DVD 1X burning is equivalent to CD 9.2X burning, I THINK. Which means the 16X burners coming out now burn data at a cd-recorder equivalent speed of 147.2X. Thus it not only saves money, but also burning time (And also labelling time and physical cubic space.)
My facts may be incorrect in this paragraph, but NOT the last one. A 4X burner can be had, shipped, for under $100.
-Clio
Karma: Bad (mostly from not giving a fuck)
Blog: http://clintjcl.wordpress.com