Free CD Operating System: No Hard Disk Required

ez2remember · Post by **ez2remember** » Tue Dec 02, 2003 3:13 pm

QUOTE:
"Mandrake betas portable Linux
[Computer Shopper] 16:56

Mandrake is to sell a version of its GNU/Linux operating system which runs entirely off a CD.
Indeed the boxed edition includes a USB memory stick on which you can store your files and configuration settings - and all for €69.90 (about £49).

Based on Mandrake 9.2 Discovery, the on-disc version has all the tools and applications you need to get on to the Internet or work on office documents. It doesn't demand the latest and most powerful kit to function smoothly - it will operate on as little as a Pentium II and 128MB of memory - and you don't need a hard drive at all.

Mandrake is generally considered to be one of the easier to use distributions of the GNU/Linux operating system.

Another such GNU/Linux system-on-a-disc is Knoppix, which you can find out about at www.knoppix.net"

It will be much louder than a HD, but it's certainly interesting product to try out. Imagine bringing the same OS wherever you go...

The Knoppix version is free to DL; a massive 700MB iso file.
http://www.knoppix.net/get.php
FAQs
http://www.knoppix.net/docs/

Bat · Post by **Bat** » Tue Dec 02, 2003 4:27 pm

Also morphix.
Knoppix is a variant of morphix (or possibly the other way around: I don't remember for certain.

Both turn up from time to time on the cover CDs of computer magazines, especially linux ones.

CoolGav · Post by **CoolGav** » Wed Dec 03, 2003 4:38 am

Do any of them have GnuCash? That would make my day, oh along with LinNeighbourhood or similar... Then my father can try it out without me popping Linux on his XP machine.

Bat · Post by **Bat** » Wed Dec 03, 2003 3:03 pm

They're quite configurable. You can choose what things you want and burn your own CD. (They're both derived from Debian.)

Toth · Post by **Toth** » Wed Dec 03, 2003 4:25 pm

Bat wrote:Also morphix.
Knoppix is a variant of morphix (or possibly the other way around: I don't remember for certain.

Both turn up from time to time on the cover CDs of computer magazines, especially linux ones.

It's the other way around, Morphix is based on Knoppix (sort of...they're actually quite different but Morphix borrowed Knoppix's hardware autodetection, etc.). Other live CDs include the SUSE Live Evaluation CD and the Slackware Live CD.

There are many others...take a look at Distro Watch and you can find several. They are all Linux based, of course...I'm not sure if any other OS's have Live CDs available.