DesktopLinux recently contacted ELX Linux to learn about the company’s desktop strategy, market conditions and business activities. PCTechTalk features an interview with Knoppix’s main developer.
Interviews with ELX Linux, Knoppix Developer
About The Author
Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
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Last Knoppix is really very very good, stable and cool, hard detect really powerful THX for this distro
It is top notch, but I am dumbfounded why he finds it be proprietary. Perhaps he doesnt but Lunar Linux feels it is. Or should I say that lunars forum feels that way. I really need to try out those guys distro (lunerlinux.org)
I think I found the post you’re referring to at http://community.lunar-linux.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=41&highligh….
To set the record straight: that’s complete crap. Knoppix’s hardware-detection mechanism is Kudzu-based, and in no way proprietary. The sources for all the tweaked Knoppix components are freely available at http://developer.linuxtag.net/knoppix/sources/; everything else has come straight from the Debian tree, and can be fetched from http://packages.debian.org.
Also note that the poster reveals his utter ignorance when he says that the hardware detection code is “explicitly copyrighted even!” Well, duh. Sure, the respective authors hold the copyright on what they wrote, but they’ve released it under an Open Source license. That’s the way it works.
First of all, apologies for the broken link in the last post. The braindead URL parser included the semicolon as well. Here it is again: http://developer.linuxtag.net/knoppix/sources/
The part I found most interesting is Knopper’s mention of the efforts underway to integrate Knoppix more closely with the Debian tree. This would allow ultimate flexibility, with each person being able to automatically generate their custom Knoppix ISO on the fly, with whatever packages they wish. This’ll mean that Knoppix and derivatives will no longer need to spend time deciding what to cram onto the CD/DVD, and can focus on the infrastructure instead. Sounds like a winner from everyone’s POV :-).
I read the Klaus interview yesterday [the Knoppix site beat you to it…] Yes, Knoppix is really cool, and yes poor Klaus is overworked…I think he’s realizing that trying to make everyone happy is just too much for one person. The flip side is that he’s working on tools for everyone to roll their own bootable CD built from .deb installs! [Though I think that Morphix is on the right track to make pre-compiled modules rather than custom everything..still it’s closer]
I did look at the ELX linux..looks neat [other than setting up call centers in India..Uugh! if you live in or around India, yeah, good for you.] I find it interesting that they are attacking the desktop linux head on and being successful. The key thing to their success has got to be the HIPPA ready servers! Linux allows them to lock down a server and integrate all the necessary protections required by the new laws for patient privacy. A lot of small doctor’s offices, and big insurace firms are having to replace systems right and left [in many cases MS is out due to their own licensing foibles! These are people that read the EULA and DON’T agree.] to comply with the rules.
Along the way they get to sell Linux desktops to go along with the servers. Notice that they pride themselves on the attention to detail, unlike other distros, SuSe/RedHat, that leave stupid bugs that show lack of QA rather than programming issues. Like any success, they took time to know what their market needed and then delivered it…very good!