Shellie writes: “If you’ve ever needed a functional Linux setup that is portable and runs the same way on any hardware, then take a look at this article at IBM’s developerWorks Linux Zone. Knoppix packages a specialized and highly useful Linux distribution on a single, bootable CDROM. Whether you’re packaging up demo programs or need a consistent hardware test environment that fits in your pocket, Knoppix is a small distribution that solves big problems.”
Knoppix — a Bootable, one-CD Linux
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Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
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I have tried it out several times
I posted screenshots of it on my site a last week:
http://www.phatvibez.net/reviews.php?ID=knoppix
I just wish I could have gotten a shot of the cursers/pointers…they were pretty cool!
I tried Knoppix and it is nice. It reminds me of the MacOS in that it boots off the CD and you can even copy the contents to the HD to run it from there if you want to.
Even better, it can be customized. You can modify the contents however you like and use their tool to create the image to burn to CD.
I wouldn’t be surprised if all distros followed Knoppix. Instead of having a CD that boots with an installation wizard like most distros, why not have a CD that boots into linux with X, KDE, and lots of apps instead. The installation program could run from under KDE and basically act like current distro installations.
I prefer using Knoppix now b/c it makes me feel safe about not screwing up my HD by installing the distro.
QNX demo disk ‘fits’ on one disk and has a web browser…
why does linux seem so ‘bloated’!?!!
Can’t they make a samll distro ~20mb with gnome and a web browser and no junk??
You mean, something like this?
http://freshmeat.net/branches/34403/
>>> I just wish I could have gotten a shot of the cursers/pointers…they were pretty cool!
FYI the cool cursor in knoppix is called artwiz-cursor and it’s available as a debian package.
That’s right, if you haven’t tried it yet: DO IT! Knoppix ROCKZ!!!! It’s really great, I’m thinking of droping Gentoo or at least have a dual-boot with Knoppix-Gentoo!
….or are the fonts – in particular for OpenOffice.org, absolutely beautiful at first boot? Please – can other distros try and copy this?
I have done an HDD install of Knoppix – easy as pie (althuogh it does take up the whole hard drive), your own copy of Debian, easily installed, without the hassles of the traditional debian install or the cost of Lindows of Xandros wizarding it for you. Apt-get and everything.
The only problem that I have faced is that my laptop hangs if there’s no human interaction of any sort for 2 mins+….. when I get my desktop, it’ll rule the roost.
And, of course, something not mentioned in this thread yet….. it’s a brilliant rescue CD for crashes.
> Can’t they make a samll distro ~20mb with gnome and a web browser and no junk??
They could but they crammed a lot in it instead. You can customize Knoppix with whatever you want. Just remove everything that you don’t want and burn the disk.
I believe that this could also be useful for introducing people to Linux. However once somebody is familiar with it, it gets more difficult. Installing Linux (beginner’s distributions, that is) is fairly simple–on a clean hard drive. But what aobut those people with Dells with Windows ME installed (shut up–yes, I am taling about myself) who want Linux, but not the re-partitioning? I think we need a Knoppix which easily installs along side of Windows without causing interference, without even giving you the option of wiping your hard drive, and installing a simple boot loader. So, any suggestions for distributions, folks?
Any distribution really. You have to repartition if you only have one HD partition with Windows ME. You also need a boot loader. What would be nice is if there was a standard piece of software that all OSes would respect – like Partition Magic and BootMagic as one application that all PCs would have. It would have to be freeware and shipped by all of the vendors such as dell. This isn’t going to happen any time soon so you’re left with doing it on your own. This is part of the reason why OEMed MS Windows is rarely challenged on users pcs… because it’s too hard and too risky to test out another OS.
Mandrake has the best automated partition resizer in it’s installer that I have seen. It really is very easy.
If you really don’t want to make some space on your hard drive, or get another drive, then PhatLinux is probably the best choice.
This will install onto a windows partition, even NTFS, without affecting your windows install at all. It only takes 1.1gb. The installer runs in windows too.
“Over the years, the Linux operating system has become a very popular operating system among computer enthusiasts as well as experimenting home users. The trouble with the Linux operating system has always been getting started. Phat Linux strives to eliminate this problem.
The partitioning demands of a ordinary Linux distributions make installing Linux very intimidating for many new users. Often times this can even defer experimenting. This is why Phat Linux has been created.”
http://www.xplinux.biz/phat_linux.htm
Have fun!
have done an HDD install of Knoppix – easy as pie (althuogh it does take up the whole hard drive)
I installed Knoppix on my Laptop a couple of days ago, dual-booting next to XP. Just had to make the right partitions. I can’t see why it would need the whole hard drive as you state?
Plus it’s pretty cool: using a full Linux desktop, while in the mean time installing another Linux system on the HD in a background operation. And you get a nice Debian system, which is as cool as the other side of the pillow!
So today I booted up my computer with XP, surfed to OSNews in Phoenix and read about knoppix.I thought – why not give it a shot? So I downloaded it, burnt it to disk and am now messing around with it only 1.5hrs after reading about it.
What a great idea a distro you can take anywhere…I don’t plan on installing to my HDD (which is why knoppix was appealing in the 1st place) because I’m not really setup for it. My days of missing linux are over!
Give it a shot if you can, quite cool.
>> Can’t they make a small distro ~20mb with gnome and a web browser and no junk??
Actually I write this on my Compaq IA-1 internet appliance with Midori-Linux.
This device has 32mb ram (2mb for graphic) and as harddisk a 16mb flash Sandisk.
This image of Midori-Linux has 16mb and runs the Linux kernel 2.4.20 with X-Window, Opera, Dillo, Sylpheed, Everybuddy, mirq and some other stuff.
Would be nice to have a Linux distro with not more than 50mb for my laptop though.
Hope that ROX-Linux has this size as basis, then I will check it out.
Thanks for the info!
I’ve been trying it out a few time’s not bad, but I was wondering when they are going to get it out of beta now that KDE 3.1 is out? I can’t seem to find the time table. oh and thanks for the phat linux link I’m going to look that up.
> Can’t they make a samll distro ~20mb with gnome and a web browser and no junk??
Would 40mb do (-gnome +blackbox)?
http://www.lnx-bbc.org/
Get info on all your other CD based distros here:
http://www.distrowatch.com/dwres.php?resource=cd
I changed my mind and I’m going go for Topologilinux instead phat linux, it seems to be quite a bit more up to date being based off slackware 9
The problem with GNU/Linux is that it inspires 40-year old men to turn gay and do little boys.
Please
>Would be nice to have a Linux distro with not more than 50mb for my laptop though.
>Hope that ROX-Linux has this size as basis, then I will check it out.
We were discussing 128M. But there won’t be any decision like this. There core OS will be as big as it takes for a Gtk2 based X11-desktop. Gnome will probably not be part of the core. If it turns out 64M is enough, fine. Doubt it’s going to be less. But we’ll see.
Running of flash-disks/usb-sticks is definitely a goal. By the time we release, flash-ram will be dirt cheap, though 128M is quite effordable even today.
Can you upgrade your flash disk or are you stuck with it forever ?
Remember, ROX 1.0 will be based on kernel 2.6 and is going to be released by the end of the year – earliest. We are too much in the early stage to know.
Funny, that I run across this article right now. I am just sitting in front of a booted Knoppix which is shipped with the current release of the ct’ Magazin in Germany.
It works pretty cool, I am even able to view mpeg and AVI files, my windows does not do anymore, since I added a soundblaster card. Of course, I might have get the windows working with a reinstallation, but i was to lazy to do so.
It booted on my 700MHz Celeron within less than 2 minutes.
I am online via DSL and a DSL router without ANY configuration (Router is on DHCP).
I can access my windows partitions without any configuration
So give Knoppix a try (by buying the computer magazin or downloading it from the web site)
Enjoy
Thomas
except I have no idea how to make a bootable CD with Roxio’s EasyCD. I check the File|New|Bootable CD but all it does is copy the ISO image over. Isn’t it supposed to expand it or something? The damn thing won’t boot.
Burn .iso with Roxio Easy CD Creator:
1) make a Data CD – data CD project
2) File (menu) – Record CD from CD Image
3) change the “CD Image Files” (*.cif) to (*.iso)
4) and (search) go to dir and select to (knoppix).iso
5) accept default settings and click “OK”
6) give your girlfriend a hug, open a bottle wine
7) have fun!
“What would be nice is if there was a standard piece of software that all OSes would respect – like Partition Magic and BootMagic as one application that all PCs would have. It would have to be freeware and shipped by all of the vendors such as dell. This isn’t going to happen any time soon so you’re left with doing it on your own.”
Umm, this is called the BIOS, you may have heard of it. Put in two hard disks and disable one or the other in the BIOS by changing it settings depending upon what you want to boot. If this sounds too scary, XOSL http://www.xosl.org/ is an excellent and free boot manager.
>> Would be nice to have a Linux distro with not more than 50mb for my laptop though.
>> Hope that ROX-Linux has this size as basis, then I will check it out.
> We were discussing 128M. But there won’t be any decision like this.
> There core OS will be as big as it takes for a Gtk2 based X11-desktop.
> Gnome will probably not be part of the core.
> If it turns out 64M is enough, fine.
> Doubt it’s going to be less. But we’ll see.
64 MB would be great, actually – to be honest – I could also live with 128MB
> Running of flash-disks/usb-sticks is definitely a goal.
> By the time we release, flash-ram will be dirt cheap, though 128M is quite effordable even today.
> Can you upgrade your flash disk or are you stuck with it forever ?
Well not the internal flash disk (fixed 16mb), it’s a onboard hardware chip. But I have a compact-flash slot onboard and I’m already able to run Win98se from it on a 256mb compact flash card.
So size would not be a problem for my Compaq Internet Appliance
My Laptop is up todate though – enough room – but I dislike bloated Linux distros.
> Remember, ROX 1.0 will be based on kernel 2.6 and is going to be released by the end of the year – earliest.
> We are too much in the early stage to know.
I’m only a user with ‘PureBasic’ programming skills – so no help in the ‘C/C++’ world
I have been wrestling with SuSE 8.0 and 8.1, with RedHat 8.0, and recently, Gentoo Linux. Always the same woes – my PCMCIA NIC, which *is* supported by pcmcia_cs, and which *does* work e.g. during SuSE 8.1 FTP install or Gentoo setup, is not working once the system is set up and booted from HD. Drives me mad.
Then I got Knoppix (via c’t magazine just like Thomas above), and guess what, it configures the NIC and gives me instant web access. (I *love* HW DSL routers with DHCP. 😉 )
This drives me even madder – Knoppix c’t edition doesn’t give me the tools I need (heavy duty development), and I can’t figure out what they did right that I am doing wrong with e.g. Gentoo… 😛
Apart from that, Linux-from-CD is sure a nice idea… 😉
I tryed it and it didn’t work for me
screen just goes blank
>I got Knoppix (via c’t magazine just like Thomas above), and guess what, it configures the NIC and gives me instant web access. (I *love* HW DSL routers with DHCP. 😉 )
>This drives me even madder – Knoppix c’t edition doesn’t give me the tools I need (heavy duty development), and I can’t figure out what they did right that I am doing wrong with e.g. Gentoo… 😛
Why not install Knoppix to your hard drive and use apt-get to load the development tools you need. All right you will not have solved your problem with Gentoo etc, but yuou should then be running a pretty good Debian based distro.
This drives me even madder – Knoppix c’t edition doesn’t give me the tools I need (heavy duty development), and I can’t figure out what they did right that I am doing wrong with e.g. Gentoo… 😛
You can always remaster knoppix to do what you want …Isn’t that the whole point of linux?
http://www.knoppix.net/docs/index.php/KnoppixRemasteringHowto
Knoppix is the best live CD version of Linux out there, and I’ve tried a number of the others. It loads much faster than DemoLinux. BTW, does anyone know the username and password for the Cool Linux Live CD?
Nice ideas, there, *BUT*:
AFAIK, Debian stable (and thus, Knoppix?!) is compiled with gcc 3.0. Now, if I apt-get the development tools I need (which includes the *latest* gcc), I can’t link the newly compiled stuff with the old… read, I need a gcc 3.2 based distro up front.
As for remastering Knoppix… with my luck, I would break exactly that elusive thing that makes me all the trouble… 😛 🙁
Knoppix CD is useless.
With SuSE CD I can actually get something done: work, play, surf, rescue, copy stuff (goodies) from CD, etc.
after reading this i downloaded Knoppix and i have to say its incredible, now all i have to do is experiment with it some more, its SO fast to boot and recognises everything on my laptop, WOW wow WOW !!
Knoppix is amazingly wonderful
anyweb