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WinOS+QEMU+Knoppix 3.8 = WinKnoppix!

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the oh-klaus-you-hypnotize-me dept.

chronicon writes "As reported earlier Knoppix 3.8 was presented and CD's distributed at CeBIT recently. For those of us who were not able to attend, some kind folks have posted a torrent for all to enjoy. Now, here's where it really gets interesting. Using QEMU (processor emulator) chris-uk has posted a modified version of Knoppix 3.8 that will run under Windows if auto-played, or if you wish, you can boot the CD for normal Knoppix. You can find the torrent here."

5 of 356 comments (clear)

  1. what about coLinux? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

    From the reports I've seen, qemu is VERY slow. Is there an advantage to qemu over coLinux? I've been using coLinux to give me Linux under Windows for about a year now, and there is a lot to be said for native execution speed. You also get networking, and recently easy access of the native Windows filesystems without employing samba-type file sharing.

    Of course, it's difficult to deny the power of running a gameboy emulator on a GBA emulator on a Linux emulator on a Windows emulator on your Mac...

    1. Re:what about coLinux? by cduffy · · Score: 3, Interesting

      From the reports I've seen, qemu is VERY slow. Is there an advantage to qemu over coLinux?

      Sure, even when you restrict it to the presently relevant set of cases (x86/Linux inside x86/Win32): coLinux has no (non-experimental) framebuffer support; the experimental version that does exist has its performance measured in seconds per frame. The only way to run X is by having an X server on your Windows box, and you can't run Qt/E or GtkFB or such at all. If you want to do embedded systems development, this can be a substantial issue.

      If you don't restrict yourself to that subset of cases, then QEMU wins on account of having support for far more than just a custom build of the Linux kernel. (Want to play with FreeDOS? Test your new build of of GRUB? Run through the SLES9 installer? The first two of these simply aren't possible in coLinux, and the 3rd one requires a lot of work to make it happen).

      Also, COFS is so experimental/unstable I'm not sure I'd claim it as a feature yet.

  2. Re:Time to try Linux (again) by QuantumG · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Please try a few flavours of Linux. At least try Ubuntu's Live CD (GNOME based) as well as Knoppix (KDE based). To really love Linux you've gotta find the distribution that is "right for you".

    --
    How we know is more important than what we know.
  3. Knoppix on Windows by jhoger · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Following the QEMU list, this was done some time back by a Japanese developer Kuniyasu Suzaki I believe.

    Discussions ensued about how to make it faster... some patches are available to directly mount the compressed Knoppix volume so that portion doesn't need to be emulated. Also, the SaveVM feature was improved, so rather than boot knoppix, just keep a compressed VM ram image on the Knoppix CD. That makes it boot instantaneously.

    QEMU is the fastest thing going as far as Free emulators, given more improvements on the virtualization side, I think this will be *the* way to run Knoppix for Windows users that just want to try it out. The speed will come in time.

    Some of us pushed for features like User Mode Networking in QEMU just for this purpose. Windows users in larger corporations often do not have administrator level rights, so they can't install any special drivers. So Knoppix under QEMU can get right to the net on any Windows box that will run a .EXE from CD.

    -- John.

  4. Getting close... by smug_lisp_weenie · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Now all they need to do is add the following ability to make it perfect:

    1. Allow people to apt-get packages while the CD is running. Then...
    2. Import user files from Win into a Knoppix-side directory. Finally...
    3. (this is the important one) Press a button and presto! The system builds an ISO of original winknoppix+packages+userfiles that is a no-fuss super-customized knoppix CD!

    If they could make that... then a seamless transition to Linux goodness would finally be within reach for everyone!