water cooler :: Testing Linux Distributions

In order to get a good overview of what is being offered in the way of linux distributions, I am now using a cable modem to download some of them, always livecd types. This gives me a vantage point that I did not have up to now. In the beginning, I either bought books with Redhat CD's in them, or in the case of DSL, ordered a cd from John Andrews.
That is still a good idea, if you don't know how (yet) to burn your own CD. I am really suprised that some of the distributions do not run as well as I expected them to, especially compared to a quality product like Damn Small Linux. I got started using Scite, and Emelfm in DSL, and so when I came across Knoppix 3.4, I had to remaster it to include those applications, and also Firefox and Opera, that I had been used to using. Mostly, it seems that DSL boots up quicker, on more machines, and is generally easier to use. I won't name names, but some of the full-size live cd distros disappoint, especially when compared to Knoppix, which is hard to beat. Secret there is the Cheatcode. Sometimes it is a while before I figure out the magic cheatcode that will allow a particular machine to boot.
The other general observation is that many of these distros take a long while to boot up, almost unacceptable, especially compared to XP, which boots very fast. Of course, it is engineered to run on the hardware that it is sold installed on. Right now, I am using SuSE Linux 9.2, live CD, and find that is did detect my sound card, and a lot of others did not, including Knoppix 3.4, and DSL. I think it uses the shotgun approach, almost everything is in the kernel, and even strange stuff such as bluetooth is checked for in the bootup. SimplyMephis does not, apparently, have a way to save your config, and no one has the setup that DSL has to restore a config once the system is up and running, (and you have forgotten to restore). Not even Knoppix. Some of the Fedora Core live cd distros have a command line backup restore that only works with a floppy or USB stick, and usually it will not work at all.
Nothing like Knoppix or DSL in that regard.
Those of you wanting or getting Broadband, this is something to explore, to see what features are around, and if they work. I found some items in Feather Linux not working right or at all, but I was able to get a nice restoration tarball set up for it that made the distro work better for me. Feather saves the entire /home/knoppix directory, so the thing is at least 800K or so.
Knoppix has two restoration options, only the one that is similar to DSL is worth using. The "persistant home directory" is only useful if you have a spare hard drive partition that can hold this file. Knoppix writes to it constantly, so it can be a pain on a USB stick.
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Just some thoughts...
:;):

Good stuff.. Nice post..

Many of the 'popular' distros are becoming more and more bloat infected..
I see it even in the smaller distros, where there is always something more
being packed in by demand..

I really think DSL has many, many fine features that I miss
when using another quality distro like knoppix, for example..
You mention the backup and config issues.. I agree..

I like the "construction set" approach to DSL and MyDSL,
where I start small, on about anything that'll run, and work my way UP,
rather than starting out much fatter, and wishing to trim or replace apps.

Forget SuSE9.2, or FC3, which have 5 or more choices for the same job.
Even if I do a "minimal" install on these, the fact that it still has to cater to so
many users needs usually means I STILL get a lot of stuff I don't want.
YaST and other "update" type package management programs leave a lot
to be desired when I'm looking to personalize my distro.

The new 'broadband' you have will change the way you do things,
and the way you think and use Linux from now on....

73
ke4nt

Really the only mainstream "full-size" distro that hasn't succumbed to the bloat is Debian. And most people consider it a black sheep among distros.

It is the only distro I know that you can start with 3 floppies, install, and still end up under 15mb (if you so desire, or less if you try hard), or, with the same 3 floppies, install a 15gig do-everything-under-the-sun operating system, or anything in between.

-J.P.

Of course any main stream distro has multiple choices. Every persons taste is different. Learn how to do expert installs, if you know what you like, leave the other stuff out. it's that simple. I would rather have the choice to install or not, than given a preset load. (that is my only gripe with Yoper, but it is so fast, I don't care)
I run Slackware alot, as I can tweak and customize every aspect of it.
I've had Suse 9.2 pro on here, it runs nicely, and you can customize it.
the problem there is some apps just aren;t ported over.
Knoppix is great for learning very basic linux GUI stuff, and it continues to improve it;s hardware support. the Live cd is a very handy tool to me, but any run from cd is just too slow.

Basically, I think you need to learn linux, find what you like, and install and use it. That is the strength of linux, irregardless of the particular distro you use. YOU choose.
DSL should be on every system hdd that runs linux, it can bail you out when you whack another distro. (unless it's reiserfs).

And of the 3 linuxes on this T20 now, DSL is the smallest, but it is also the slowest to boot, and slowest to xfer data. It is v 8.2, I'm gonna upgrade it, that may help. I just like this little os, tho. it has Character.
it's my choice to leave it on, and that's the real point of this thread, I think. Try it, use it, love it or leave it.

Peace

Quote (SaidinUnleashed @ Jan. 13 2005,03:39)

Hmmm. I'd like to give this a try. Exactly which 3 images should I download from Debian for an i386 1.44MB floppy install? One link from http://www.debian.org/distrib/floppyinst lists 20 floppy images, and the Debian installation manual at http://www.debian.org/releases/stable/i386/ch-appendix also lists a whole fistful of floppies.

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