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Zen Linux 1.0 Released

Posted by timothy on from the live-and-standard dept.

jbltgz writes "Zen Linux 1.0 was just released today. Zen Linux is a bootable LiveCD distribution. More than that it is a 100% compatible Debian installer. It boasts easy remastering for creating your own personalized versions. Most configuration is done automatically upon boot and requires no user interaction, things 'just work.' Zen Linux currently comes in three flavors Core, Gnome, and KDE. Zen Linux is built on the latest Debian unstable repositories and is 100% Debian compatible. You can expect frequent up to date maintenence releases for all supported flavors."

48 comments

  1. ust work! by Youssef+Adnan · · Score: 1

    Wouldn't things better "just work" instead of "ust working"? I thought things stopped "ust working" long ago!

    1. Re:ust work! by squiggleslash · · Score: 1

      I suspect the problem was that the spell checker didn't "just work"... ;-)

      --
      You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
    2. Re:ust work! by Leroy_Brown242 · · Score: 2, Funny

      It's just a bandwidth conservation thing. They drop letters to save a bit here and ther.

      Hey, it adds up. :)

      --
      Pretty Pictures!
    3. Re:ust work! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I ish ore ings ould ust ork

    4. Re:ust work! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I also wish more kings would oust pork. But I fail to see a connection with the OP.

  2. Oh boy by Reducer2001 · · Score: 3, Funny
    things "'ust work.'

    The jokes are just writing themselves today.

    --
    When you get to hell -- tell 'em Itchy sent ya!
    1. Re:Oh boy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You mean the okes are ust writing themselves today.

  3. I don't get it by reynaert · · Score: 2, Insightful
    It seems every other day a new live-cd is announced, and I don't get it. What's so interesting about them?

    I can see a few uses: it's nice to check out a distribution before installing it, to check if your hardware is supported, as a technology demo or to fix some borked system. So it makes sense there would exist a few different ones for each task. But it doesn't seem to be things you'd use regularly. So why are there so damn many?

    1. Re:I don't get it by jbltgz · · Score: 1

      Zen Linux is a particularly easy way to create your own custom livecd, the remastering process is incredibly simple, and it's 100% debian compatible. Give it a shot I think you will like it ;-)

    2. Re:I don't get it by torpor · · Score: 3, Insightful

      It seems every other day a new live-cd is announced, and I don't get it. What's so interesting about them?

      In terms of 'what it should mean to us geeks', I think that it means you can now treat your average PC like an average Playstation or XBox, same level of ease-of-use, same degree of utter simplicity: put it in, turn it on, it works, predictably, the same way every time.. only with all the stuff you really, really need to get work done, on one CD, leaving disks and removable media/personal storage devices in the consumer realm where they belong ..

      I believe that the Live-CD'athons we're seeing these days are more a reflection of how easy it is to roll your own linux box, and of how many people are consequently coming to understand that, and jump on the band-wagon. Never under-estimate the 'oh, look what I can do' factor of Linux, either .. its pretty much just a dog and pony show. Anyone can make their own Live-CD, truth be known, or distro too ..

      And it seems, the days of the crufty OS are over. A user-made/configured LiveCD is a god-send for anyone wanting to use their computer to get work done, and not have to maintain the tyrrany of a disk-based OS/App-base install.

      if Microsoft don't start giving folks easy ways to move C:\WINDOWS\ off to a bootable CD, and start playing in this particular arena of 'user-built OS for the job they intend', they're going to miss an interesting technological development. Maybe there is already a way to take a user-created system+apps install in Windows, and put it on a CD, I don't know .. haven't used Microsoft products in years ... but I can say fairly comfortably that Linux Live-CD's are a reliable way to get a very stable system running, tailored to your computing environment.

      It seems that the 'Read Only OS Image Days of Stability' are upon us, fairly and squarely .. roll on '-ro' flag, ho ho ..

      --
      ; -- the corruption of government starts with its secrets. a truly free people keep no secrets. --
    3. Re:I don't get it by zunilama · · Score: 1

      A livecd especially knoppix style is quite useful and a full featured substaintially honed install. I haven't tried Zen Linux yet but the writing is in the sand. Pick up a Knoppix livecd and witness the magic before your eyes.

    4. Re:I don't get it by CliffH · · Score: 1

      YOu actually can with windows. Do a search for BartPE. It makes life a bit easier for Windows based troubleshooting. I always keep a Knoppix CD for the really tough jobs and a BartPE CD handy for virus and spyware scans. It makes life much simpler. :)

      --
      sigs are like a box of chocolates, they all suck remove the underscores to email me
    5. Re:I don't get it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Because we can carry it to the bathroom, to the mall, or to the hell. We like it because live distros are like the bible -of linux of course- for the cristian people... we carry it to show to the other world the greatfull and wonder of our beliefs.

  4. Zen Linux Rocks by jbltgz · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Zen Linux HD install is the quickest way to get a fully functional Debian system up and running I've found...

  5. Looks cool... by agraupe · · Score: 1

    I like the idea of easy remastering, and it looks very easy to use. The only addition that I would like to see is a simple GUI to the zen tool (which, according to the FAQ, configures such things as wifi). Could this possibly be the new Knoppix? It solves some of the problems that I have with knoppix (namely remastering difficulties).

    1. Re:Looks cool... by jbltgz · · Score: 1

      The zen utility is a very simple command-line tool that allows you to configure wifi. I don't think a GUI is really necessary ;-)

    2. Re:Looks cool... by agraupe · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Hey, I'm a gentoo user. I, and most other linux users, could use it with absolutely no problem. People who are coming from Windows are often frightened by the terminal. We should let them use a simple GUI. It could be programmed in less than a day with GLADE/GTK+, and would use system() to execute the proper command. The question should be, why don't we?, not why should we?

    3. Re:Looks cool... by rnd() · · Score: 1

      Mod the parent up. I've been wondering that myself too. In fact, it could probably be done even more quickly using mono and gtk#.

      --

      Amazing magic tricks

    4. Re:Looks cool... by KermitJunior · · Score: 1

      http://ibuild.livecd.net

      GUI remastering

      --
      There is a Universal Life Value Check it
  6. "Zen"? by BoxedFlame · · Score: 1

    What is it with this obsession with putting "zen" on everything? When do we get Catholic Linux? Sunni Linux? Bahai Linux?

    1. Re:"Zen"? by jbltgz · · Score: 1

      I'm working on a Zen Linux remaster dubbed "Hindu Linux" complete with polytheistic wallpaper, it should be ready in about a week ;-)

    2. Re:"Zen"? by hey! · · Score: 1

      Well, if IBM can own "Rational"...

      --
      Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
    3. Re:"Zen"? by randallpowell · · Score: 1

      My girlfriend wants to make her own LiveCD called Pagan Linux and I wouldn't mind making one either called Buddha's Linux or Generic Rescue LiveCD.

  7. *ahem* by Phleg · · Score: 1

    ...things "'ust work.'

    Except, unfortunately, the spell-checker :(

    --
    No comment.
    1. Re:*ahem* by jbltgz · · Score: 2, Insightful

      my bad!

  8. Arg. by BigZaphod · · Score: 1

    I was hoping this was a Xen Linux live cd. That'd be fun to play with. But it doesn't appear to be.

    --
    Hexy - a strategy game for iPhone/iPod Touch
    1. Re:Arg. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      hrrm good idea. time for a -remaster

    2. Re:Arg. by DownloadTHIS · · Score: 1

      Xen Linux? You mean like open source of Half-Life enemies?

  9. from my Zen calendar by nekoniku · · Score: 1

    I have a Zen-themed calendar at work; a quotation from a few days ago seemed apropos to /.: "People with opinions just go around bothering one another."

    --
    "It's a wonderful idea. But it doesn't work." -- Tad Danielewski
    1. Re:from my Zen calendar by n54 · · Score: 1

      "People with opinions just go around bothering one another."

      That's a beautiful opinon ;)

      (made it into a koan if it wasn't already)

      --
      this comment is provided "as is" and without any express or implied legibility or congruity [...]
  10. The servers will die by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The author of the Live CD didn't make torrents. There are only two download mirrors, one on the site itself and the other on Subterranian.net

    If someone would be kind enough to start a torrent before his server explodes (and subterranian erupts)...

    1. Re:The servers will die by jbltgz · · Score: 1

      yes if someone would like to start a torrent that would be great ;-)

    2. Re:The servers will die by X0563511 · · Score: 1

      The subterranian mirror just died. I just contacted the author, he should be putting up a torrent.

      You can still download from his site, but only if you are content to download an ISO at ~10kps

      --
      For large sets, this will be our guide even unto death, for the LORD will work for each type of data it is applied to...
    3. Re:The servers will die by X0563511 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Torrents are now up at his download page. Enjoy.

      --
      For large sets, this will be our guide even unto death, for the LORD will work for each type of data it is applied to...
  11. Joy by Linux_ho · · Score: 2, Funny

    live CD distros
    like all the stars in the sky
    beauty in numbers

    --
    include $sig;
    1;
  12. try one that... by zogger · · Score: 1

    ...will load and run entirely in RAM. Really fun, wicked fast, even on an old clunker as long as you have enough ram. And the ability to roll your own application-specific distro is a plus 1 bonus. Get what you want, not what a consortium wants. Want a utility tools specific distro? Make one easy, installed and up in minutes. Want a media heavy distro? Ya got that. Want an office appllications distro, there ya go. Want a simple joe surfer and chat one, there ya go. Games mostly, there ya go. Spiffy and safer on the net as well.

  13. But the important question is... by F�an�ro · · Score: 1

    Sounds great! But is it also 100% Debian compatible?

    1. Re:But the important question is... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This actually is a good question. For it to be truly 100% Debian GNU/Linux compatbile it also has to work on all the processor architectures that Debian supports, not just let you use all of Debian's x86 packages. I read the site and they make no mention of compatibility with anything besides x86. AS a matter of fact they didn't even specify x86, but I guess that's implied. While i'm on the subject matter, does anyone know of any live cd distros that will work well on a Mac or perhaps a Sun workstation? You get a cookie if you find one for systems using Alpha processors.

    2. Re:But the important question is... by X0563511 · · Score: 1

      Can those systems boot from CD Media? I have never tried and I don't have access to them to find out.

      --
      For large sets, this will be our guide even unto death, for the LORD will work for each type of data it is applied to...
  14. More info needed! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    There should be more info about what comes in Zen Linux. Is it a good distro for new users? Also, screenshots of the installation process and of other features of Zen would be nice to look at.

  15. raid on root by kayen_telva · · Score: 1

    does it allow painfree install of raid on root like SuSe 9.2 Pro does ? I dont see anything on the site about it.

  16. Installation by Bob_Robertson · · Score: 1

    Indeed, that is my hope with ZenLinux. Knoppix is wonderful as a demonstrator, but as an installer it is hampered by its dependencies on Heir Knopper's genius for hardware detection. Many too many non-Debian-standard dependencies.

    Yes, I know Knoppix recently added a "Debian pure install" option, but again it's an option. So many bells and whistles gets confusing.

    According to postings on the ZenLinux site, recovery and rescue applications have been requested, and the "Zen" master is thinking about adding them to a "security" version. This kind of thing is far more useful to me than games. I may like games, but I NEED a working system.

    Bob-

    --
    The Ludwig von Mises Institute. The reasoning individuals economics
  17. The servers did die by Bob_Robertson · · Score: 1

    Slashdotting a torrent is a GoodThing(tm). Just makes more for everyone.

    Apparently there were many requests for torrent support. "Zen" politely answered even my hurried suggestion to that effect.

    Bob-

    --
    The Ludwig von Mises Institute. The reasoning individuals economics
    1. Re:The servers did die by Bloater · · Score: 1

      Shame the KDE download rate is virtually non-existent... Come on you guys!

  18. Saving bits? by some+guy+I+know · · Score: 2, Funny
    They drop letters to save a bit here and ther.
    Don't you mean "save a byte here and ther."?
    --
    Those who sacrifice security to condemn liberty deserve to repeat history or something. - Benjamin Santayana
  19. Aaaargh.... you lazy bastard by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    Go ahead and make me do the work:

    BartPE.

  20. Obligatory joke by Federico2 · · Score: 1

    If a yet-another-live-cd falls into oblivion and there is nobody around does it make a sound?

    1. Re:Obligatory joke by randallpowell · · Score: 1

      At that moment, Slashdot was enlightened.