One of my favorite distributions of Linux is called Damn Small Linux. The reason I like it is because it is small, fast, and runs on really old hardware fairly nicely. The entire distribution fits on a 50 megabyte CD, i.e. one of those “business card” CDs. This is not designed to be as slick as, say, an Ubuntu or Knoppix. This is “bloat free” Linux, or about as close as you can get to it.
I actually carry this around on a bootable USB key, which I will stick in a machine just to “show” people what Linux is. I might also use it on a machine I don’t entirely trust. I also, just for kicks, run this in Parallels on my Mac. What’s cool about this is that part of my Parallels configuration uses the ISO. When Damn Small is upgraded, all I do is swap out the old ISO for the new one. My Linux is upgraded just like that. Hows that for cool?
Here’s a screenshot of the latest release. Click for a bigger image. Just this one screen alone gives you an idea of what it’s got packed into 50 megabytes of goodness.
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