| Damn Small Linux v2.2 ready for download |
Feb. 07, 2006
The Damn Small Linux (DSL) project Tuesday released version 2.2 of its 49 MB LiveCD distribution. The changelog notes 14 key feature updates in the new edition, including an updated Dmix with an added sync button for easy volume control.
DSL is a LiveCD that is also installable onto a hard drive or a USB pen drive. Even though it is one of the smallest-footprint Linux OSes available, it is a fully functional system consisting of a graphical interface featuring the Fluxbox window manager, along with many useful applications, utilities, and tools, the project said.
Key new features in this release are:- Updated Wallpaper.lua now has color chooser for background color
- New extension check upon exit, will remind/allow user to save extensions downloaded to ramdisk before shutdown
- For maximum hardware support on older computers, kernel and modules were changed back to 2.4.26 including legacy scsi and zipdrive support
- Calcoo replaces xcalc
- Updated and enhanced index.html for Money websever
- USB 2.0 boot time detection added to isolinux version
- Qemu version now supports boot time UCI loading
- General cleanup of unused directories and libraries, and modules
Standard features in DSL include:- Kernel 2.4.26
- Fluxbox desktop
- XMMS 1.2.8 (MP3 and MPEG)
- Firefox 1.0.6
- Spreadsheet
- Email client
- Spellchecker (US English)
- Word processor
- Three text editors (Nedit, nVi, Zile [emacs clone])
The distro also includes Xpdf, Worker (file manager), Naim (AIM, ICQ, IRC), VNCviwer, SSH/SCP server and client, DHCP client, PPP, PPPoE, a web server, calculator, system monitoring apps, and USB support, according to the project's web site.
A project spokesman said the distro is small enough and smart enough to do the following things:- Boot from a business card CD as a LiveCD
- Boot from a USB pen drive
- Boot from within a host operating system (it can run "inside" Windows)
- Run nicely from an IDE Compact Flash drive via a method, we call "frugal install"
- Transform into a Debian OS with a traditional hard drive install
- Run light enough to power a 486DX with 16MB of RAM
- Run fully in RAM with as little as 128MB ("you will be amazed at how fast your computer can be!")
- Modularly grow -- DSL is highly extendable without the need to customize
DSL was originally developed as an experiment to see how many usable desktop applications can fit inside a 50 MB LiveCD, the project's website explains. It was at first just a personal tool/toy. But over time, Damn Small Linux grew into a community project with hundreds of development hours put into refinements -- including a fully automated remote and local application installation system and a versatile backup and restore system which may be used with any writable media including a hard drive, a floppy drive, or a USB device.
Interestingly, the distribution also has the ability to act as an SSH/FTP/HTTPD server right off a LiveCD, according to the project.
Availability
The Damn Small Linux 2.2 .iso is available for free download here.
Read what DesktopLinux.com editor Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols has to say about Damn Small Linux here:
Damn, I like Damn Small Linux
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