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Damn Small Linux Not So Small

An anonymous reader writes "According to DistroWatch, Damn Small Linux (DSL) is currently the most popular microLinux distribution. Linux.com (Also owned by VA) takes a look at why this might be the case, and how you can best take advantage of it. From the article: 'What began as a toy project to stuff the maximum software inside a 50MB ISO file has matured into a refined community project known for its speed and versatility. DSL includes the ultra-lightweight FluxBox window manager, two Web browsers, Slypheed email client and news reader, xpdf PDF viewer, XMMS with MPEG media file support for playing audio and video, BashBurn CD burner, XPaint image editing, VNCViewer and rdesktop to control Windows and Linux desktops remotely, and more. If they could do all this in 50 megs, imagine what they could do in more space. Last month the DSL developers released DSL-Not, a.k.a. DSL-N 0.1 RC1. It's 83.5MB of DSL coated with GTK sugar. Yummy!'"

17 of 222 comments (clear)

  1. Begun, by giorgiofr · · Score: 3, Funny

    the bloat war has.
    (bloat war/bloatware? get it? get it?! ah I am teh funny :D)

    --
    Global warming is a cube.
    1. Re:Begun, by scenestar · · Score: 5, Funny

      You are going to die alone.

      --
      perpetually dwelling in the -1 pits
  2. No Firefox ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny


    just give me Firefox, a net connection and leave the rest to extensions

    1. Re:No Firefox ? by stjobe · · Score: 5, Funny
      Nah, just give me emacs.


      But then it wouldn't be Damn Small, now would it? ;)

      --
      "Total destruction the only solution" - Bob Marley
    2. Re:No Firefox ? by MobileTatsu-NJG · · Score: 4, Funny

      "Who says you can't make monet from free software !"

      Well.. I suppose the GIMP's good enough these days to create a monet, but you'd stil be far better off springing for Photoshop.

      --

      "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)

  3. missing the point? by thelost · · Score: 5, Funny

    "If they could do all this in 50 megs, imagine what they could do in more space."

    stop calling it Damn Small Linux for one.

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    Promote Charity on Myspace, Show Your Colours!
  4. Re:It's popular because.. by suffe · · Score: 4, Funny

    Yeah, I hate trying to boot up windows on those pesky pentium 0.5 things. Bogs down the entire setup. And to think they were all the rage before the Pentium and Pentium Pro came out.

    --

    Karma: 2.71828182846 (Mostly due to small, fun pills)
  5. 50 megs? by AC-x · · Score: 3, Funny

    Pfft, I remember playing with a bootable floppy containing QNX with a complete GUI, web browser, texteditor and full network support.

    Ok, it had absolutely _nothing_ else but it was still damn cool.

  6. Re:Bloatware by Mathiasdm · · Score: 4, Funny

    Ah, that's nothing!

    In my days, we didn't have those fancy 'computer' thingies.

    We only had good old Turing Machines!

    Me and my 27 brothers would sit along an infinite line of paper for 27 hours a day, and we'd constantly move the pointer, change 1's into spaces and the other way around.
    Then, we barely had time to go home, get a spanking from hour father, rape our oldest sister and run back to work, where we had to arrive the day before!

    Ah yes, those Turing Machines. They don't make 'em like they used to!

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    Join the anonymous, help develop the network: http://www.i2p2.de
  7. Re:Not that big Linux by Reverend528 · · Score: 4, Funny
    50 megs is a tad arbitrary. I think that 200~ish would be a better number,

    Plus, with the extra 150 megs, they could ship EMACS.

  8. We move from Damn Small Linux to by bdwoolman · · Score: 3, Funny

    Not Too Big Linux and from there to Won't Fit on a DVD Linux.

    --
    "No fear. No envy. No meanness." Liam Clancy
  9. Re:How the times change by slide-rule · · Score: 3, Funny

    Moderation:

    +1: Respected elder

    -1: Up hill both ways...

  10. Re:Not that big Linux by geminidomino · · Score: 2, Funny

    OpenOffice is now the king of slow startup and bloat.

    Yeah, but at least OO.o has a text editor!

  11. Re:PuppyLinux with 2.6? by kobolt_115 · · Score: 4, Funny

    My Commodore 64 goes from power button to booted in 2 seconds, beat that!

  12. Re:Not that big Linux by OverflowingBitBucket · · Score: 2, Funny

    Dude, "that penguin itch"? I think you may have a problem.

    I can quit any time I want to. *clutches DSL business card CD and looks around nervously*

  13. Reminds me of that MS advert by Lord+Graga · · Score: 2, Funny

    I can just imagine Steve Ballmer going "With DAMN SMALL LINUX, you can get TWO WEBBROWSERS, a PDF READER, a MPEG PLAYER, a PAINT PROGRAM, a CD BURNING TOOL, and MUCH MUCH MORE!... in how much do you think? HOW MUCH? 500 MEGABYTES? A THOUSAND? NO! It's just 83 MEGABYTES! 83 MEGABYTES!"

  14. Re:PuppyLinux with 2.6? by Random+Destruction · · Score: 2, Funny

    My slide rule won't even shut off!

    --
    :x