GT(geek topic): Knoppix

MarcusR · Post by **MarcusR** » Mon Nov 17, 2003 2:34 pm

Hi!
Ever wanted to have a go at Linux but havent tried it yet due to the risk of crashing your semi-working Windows system?
It has never been esier than Knoppix.
You dont need to install anything on your computer. Just boot up from the CD and it will find all settings for you and within 5 minutes you will be running a Linux OS with a few hundred applications pre installed. It took me another 2 minutes to set my DSL network configurations and find a browser. And now here I am. It will actually take me a longer time to finnish this post than it took to install and run Knoppix. Shut down Knoppix, reboot and youre back in your uneffected normal OS.

I am impressed! I have runned a few other Linux distributions before but this thing is amazingly simple.

Great if you use Linux and whant to use the office Windows laptop without having to export all your files. Heck just bring the CD and you'll be right at home where ever you are.

Ok, running any OS from a CD will effect the speed but if you like it just install it to your harddrive.

Best of all, its FREE!
Go
http://www.knoppix.org/
and click "Knoppix"

/MarcusR

elendil · Post by **elendil** » Mon Nov 17, 2003 7:30 pm

i've been using SuSE since 5.2, and it's now 9.0. the progress has been nothing short of remarkable. actually, since this summer my computer is an MS-free zone.

a very nice, and new, feature with suse 9.0 is that its partitioning tool can now deal with NT file systems. that means it can deal with XP professional, 2000, etc., and there's nothing to worry about.

SuSE provides mega-amounts of software--5 CDs/2DVDs worth. that includes huge amounts of software for audio aficionados. it looks to me like you could set up your own home recording studio.

BluegrassBoy · Post by **BluegrassBoy** » Mon Nov 17, 2003 9:26 pm

Coming out of lurkdom here for my first OT post. Being an avid Linux user and overall computer nerd I'm going to cast my vote with Gentoo as a remarkably advanced distro. The level of customization available and the Portage system in particular are nothing short of amazing. Truly a 'Roll your own' distrobution. Cheers, William

elendil · Post by **elendil** » Mon Nov 17, 2003 9:41 pm

Right, I've heard lots of good things about Gentoo. I was recommending SuSE as a particularly easy transition from Windoze for people who may have been frightened by the idea that you have to be some kind of uber-geek to use Linux.

I think it took me three days back in '97 to get 5.2 set up right, learning as I went. It's gotten progressively easier and is now simply a breeze--probably under an hour. My kids all use it at home and don't even think twice about transitioning from Windoze at school. Plus, importing any reasonable kind of MS file format is not much of an issue anymore.

MarcusR · Post by **MarcusR** » Tue Nov 18, 2003 12:07 am

Hi!

I have been using RedHat, Mandrake and for the last couple of years Suse. My enthusiasm for Knoppix still holds, its SO simple to get started. If you have any experience of Linux before there are quite a few good distributions out there. You might even go back and use Slackware or do your own compilation from scratch. This post was intended for those who wanted to have a go a Linux without having to read through Howtos, install dual boots, or risk messing up their Windows system. I agree that Linux has no problem to coexist with other OS (not saying that it always works the other way around), but if you aren’t into computers I can understand that its a big step to get started with Linux.

But with Knoppix it isn’t! All you have need to do is to boot up from the CD and choose your keyboard layout, thats it. And yes, Knoppix can use NTFS partitions so you will have access to all files and information on your Win 2k/Xp system as well.

There have been numerous discussions on this board regarding good, free audio software and with Knoppix you will have easy access to these.
http://sound.condorow.net/

If you are an experienced Linux user, try out Knoppix anyway. It truly is an amazing experience and you wont find a better way to introduce some one to Linux. After a few days when they are completely hooked, all you need to do is to point them to your favourite distribution.

Talking about new OS, anyone dared to try Sun’s Java Enterprise System yet?

Cheers!

/MarcusR

fancypiper · Post by **fancypiper** » Tue Nov 18, 2003 12:52 am

Virus?? Worm?? Slammer? What are you talking about?

Yeah, burn copies of Knoppix and GnuWin and give them out like candy.

# Cheap CDs
AlmostFreeLinux
Discount Linux CDs
Linux Central
Cheapbytes
TuxCDs
ComputerHelperGuy
CheapISO
Os Heaven

Yakas · Post by **Yakas** » Tue Nov 18, 2003 1:01 am

[chant] Gentoo, Gentoo, Gentoo! [/chant]
Once you know Linux decently well, you shoud all switch to Gentoo. At least, that is, if you're like me and are obsessive compulsive about building things from source. (Or if you can manage to break Debian's apt-get system mere minutes after installing it, ho hum

)

If you want any Linux distro and have a CD burner, http://www.linuxiso.org is the place to go.

antstastegood · Post by **antstastegood** » Tue Nov 18, 2003 1:43 am

for someone who hasn't used it before.. what is the big attraction to Linux?

GaryKelly · Post by **GaryKelly** » Tue Nov 18, 2003 2:10 am

Lindows.

You can either run it from CD (LindowsCD version) or do a full install.
It's Debian-based and runs sweet as a nut.

And you don't need to know anything about linux or command-line geeknerd stuff.

http://www.lindows.com

It's not 'free', but then nothing worthwhile ever really is.

MarcusR · Post by **MarcusR** » Tue Nov 18, 2003 4:41 am

antstastegood wrote:for someone who hasn't used it before.. what is the big attraction to Linux?

Try it and you will see!
As you are free to design your Linux OS to fit your own personal taste and optimize it for the applications you like to run the number of reasons are endless. Low cost, stability, performance, security, multitasking, free software access …
Everybody finds there own reasons to try it out.
My father switched to Linux a few months ago due to the following reasons:
1) Having a modem, he got feed up with all the critical security updates for WinXP.
2) Beeing over 65 with impaired vision he really liked the ability to switch between virtual screens. He can now run a browser in one or two screens, a word processor in the next , mail client …
and jump between them with a mouse click.

GaryKelly wrote: It's not 'free', but then nothing worthwhile ever really is.

I disagree Gary, there are a lot of things that is worth plenty and still cost nothing.
Sharing knowledge about whistles was one thing this forum initially was created for and I haven’t yet seen anyone claming money for good advice or useful comments. As for Linux, the commercial distributions wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for GNU and other open source projects that they are built upon.

And Thanks for PM reply Gary, I'll give the new Lindows version a try.

Cheers!

/MarcusR

skh · Post by **skh** » Tue Nov 18, 2003 6:20 am

GaryKelly wrote:It's not 'free', but then nothing worthwhile ever really is.

There are two meanings of "free" - as in beer, and as in speech. The whole open source thing is about the latter.

MarcusR: have you also looked at the SuSE LiveEval CD?

cheers,

Sonja

MarcusR · Post by **MarcusR** » Tue Nov 18, 2003 2:49 pm

skh wrote: MarcusR: have you also looked at the SuSE LiveEval CD?
cheers,

Sonja

Hi!
I tried Suse 8.0 LiveEval CD before I upgraded my Suse 7.2.
I think it is, as the name indicates, aimed for evaluation of a new release
so that you can test and see the benefits of an upgrade or migration from an other distribution. It would not be fair to compare it to the Knoppix 3.3 I just tested, Suse 8 could not use the NTFS partitions and the LiveEval did not recognize all my hardware, the age difference is almost 2 years. I think I’ll wait until Suse 9.1 before I start thinking about changing my system again.

I’m not saying that Knoppix is the best distribution. I’m just very impressed over how simple it is to get started with Knoppix even if you never seen a Linux system before.

It would be fun to hear from someone that wasn’t using Linux before who tried it.

Over and out, Sea Trout!
/MarcusR

Kuranes · Post by **Kuranes** » Tue Nov 18, 2003 3:49 pm

I haven't gotten to trying out Knoppix -- I've been told to keep one or two bootable copies of it around as a rescue CD, though. Still doesn't mean I'll do it before I need it.

At home, it's pretty much 100% debian here. At work, 100% redhat (although that's changing now, obviously. we'll see where that goes).

As for the attraction for those people who have never used it, it's rather hard to explain for me. I'm just a Unix Person. I get things done alot faster on Unix than I do on Windows, just because of the way I work, and I can't imagine having to do certain things on Windows (and when I do, I install Cygwin, which is a unix-ish working environment for Windows). It's just the way I'm wired.

What I'm doing right now with Linux is I'm in process of rebuilding [url=http://therac-25.is-a-geek.com/box.jpg]Ayu[url] (my Linux box). I'm basically going to use her as a dedicated Email/Scheduling/Calendering/Journal box for the family (primarily with Emacs -- I'm an infernal Emacs person as well), and do all of the Games/Windows Stuff on my windows machine. I'm going to have to point her at a Cygwin X server on my windows box for now, as she's kind of headless at the moment.

I find it easy to simply *get things done* on Linux, but then again, I'm a programmer, and alot of times "getting things done" requires writing code to stick stuff to other stuff. But that kind of tinkering enjoyable and easy on Linux. It's simply possible on Windows.

serpent · Post by **serpent** » Tue Nov 18, 2003 11:06 pm

Since 1966, I've worked on far too many operating systems and programming languages to be bigoted about any of them. They all work to whatever extent, and they all have problems, also to whatever extent. Linux is just another OS. Usable for those who know how, utterly nasty for anyone used only to the "creature comforts" of Windows. Not the best of programming environments, but with the proper tools, acceptable.

That said, I do find the Knoppix 3.3 build to be a very usable one. I downloaded the ISO file and burned it using Nero, stuck it in a test computer (not on my network, thankyouverymuch) and booted it, and it runs just like it says it will. Nice work. Now make it run Sun One App Server, and you'll really have something.

serpent

colomon · Post by **colomon** » Wed Nov 19, 2003 9:27 am

I'm writing this from my laptop, booted into KNOPPIX this morning because its harddrive is not working. I must say I'm rather impressed -- it seems to have correctly recognized all my laptop's hardware, and it works fairly well in an environment limited to the laptop's RAM. I've successfully logged into another box using SSH, mounted my home directory on the file server downstairs (now playing an MP3 from it), and surfed the web. A respectable little system.

Not that I wouldn't rather have my harddrive working...

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GT(geek topic): Knoppix

GT(geek topic): Knoppix

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