Mini Linux
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mini Linux (or Mini Linux Distribution) is any Linux distribution that fits on memory card or a small number of floppy disks, usually one or two. Such distributions may be tailored to system rescue (recovering from a crash), setting up a firewall or router, or other specialized tasks.
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[edit] Origin
The term appears to be derived from the first distribution to work in this way. The MINI LINUX distribution arrived in 1995, and ran off several floppy disks.[1]
[edit] Linux floppydistro
A Linux floppydistro is a mini-Linux distribution that only uses 1 or 2 floppy diskettes to contain a Linux kernel and useful utilities. To save space, standard GNU utilities are often replaced with those in Busybox or asmutils.
There is a distinction between a bootfloppy and a floppydistro. A bootfloppy usually doesn't contain any useful utilities, and is used mostly when installing a Linux distro. A floppy distro contains both the Linux kernel and important utilities. An example of simple bootfloppy is syslinux and an example of a Linux floppydistro is BasicLinux.
[edit] List of MiniLinux distributions
[edit] Desktop or CD-distributions with installation option
- Puppy Linux is a small distribution with a size of 94 MB and requires 128 MB RAM
- Damn Small Linux (DSL): a very versatile 50 MB mini desktop oriented Linux distribution
- Tiny Core Linux: a very new extremely small (10MB) desktop Linux distribution
- Feather Linux is a Knoppix-based Linux distribution which currently fits in under 128 MB
- DeLi Linux: "Desktop Light" Linux
- Slax Popcorn Edition: A small Slackware-based distro that fits on an 128 MB flash drive.
- Embedded Debian
- BasicLinux is two floppy (requires 12 MB RAM) or loopfs FAT hard disk (requires 3 MB RAM and 20 MB disk space) based distribution, with busybox, editor, presentation program and X GUI with jwm designed for old computers.
- Slitaz Linux is a 25MB distribution with sound support and a GUI.
[edit] Terminal-only distros
- Finnix is a Debian based system for system administrators, with no GUI.
- Slax Frodo Edition: a command line only version of slax that weighs in at about 50 MB.
- eisfair
[edit] Floppy disk distributions
- Coyote Linux: a one-floppy distro for use as a firewall/router.
- LEAF Project: (Linux Embedded Appliance Firewall) is a fork from the now obsolete Linux Router Project (LRP) with router and firewall functionality. CD-ROM and other media is also supported.
- fli4l: one floppy linux-based router software for ISDN, DSL and ethernet
- tomsrtbt: a one floppy distro for rescue and other purposes
- FREESCO: is a floppy disk based router.
- MuLinux: uses 1-12 floppies as modules, for different purposes: server, TeX, GUI, GCC.
- ARLinux: Two floppy disk based on 2.4 and 2.6 kernels for rescue and firewall/routing purposes
- Sisela:[1] Firewall, routing and networking distro. Uses 1 floppy disk.
[edit] Distributions for special applications
- DSLinux: Linux distribution for the Nintendo DS.
- iPodLinux: Linux distribution for Apple's iPod
- Stresslinux is a live-CD-project designed to test a computer's hardware
- Recovery Is Possible (RIP): a small, specialized Linux distribution that includes a large number of system maintenance and recovery applications.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- A short list of MiniLinux distributions
- Ubuntu Forums Operating Systems for old computers
- Linux Wikia MiniLinux Category
- See [2] for a comparssion of Puppy, Slitaz and DSL
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