Navigation

Language Selection

Search

My desktop OS: Damn Small Linux plus pendrive equals portable paradise

Submitted by srlinuxx on Tuesday 11th of April 2006 02:53:36 PM Filed under

Linux

I'm a student who does freelance PHP coding and pixel art. I've always wanted a dedicated computer for my work, but that would take a considerable investment on a student's income. I found the perfect solution in the pairing of an older Compaq Deskpro and Damn Small Linux (DSL).

Damn Small Linux is a great match for older hardware because it's loaded with lightweight software. My machine has a 166MHz Pentium CPU with 32MB of RAM and a 1.2GB hard drive, and it runs extremely well with DSL. I've always favored simple applications that do one job and do it well, so the stripped down nature of the programs included with DSL doesn't bother me. However, if I need the extra power of more complex programs, they're a breeze to install.

The best thing about Damn Small Linux is that it flat out flies. I use Joe's Window Manager instead of the default Fluxbox, but they both give a great amount of functionality in a small footprint. The only application I use that lags at all is the memory-hungry Firefox. The rest are more responsive than most of the programs I use on Windows on my much more modern other computer.

My desktop OS: Damn Small Linux

And:

I recently acquired a 256MB USB pendrive that I use for storing personal documents and work-related stuff. As a Linux fan who wanted to make the most of his new toy, I went looking for the simplest, smallest distro I could find that could boot from a pendrive. I found Debian-based Damn Small Linux, whose long list of bundled applications fits into a meager 50MB. The more I use it, the more I like it.

You can test DSL in a variety of ways: you can boot it from a business card CD, install it on the hard drive, run it from a USB pendrive, or even run it from within Windows (using Qemu). After a quick search on the project's wiki, I found the section related to booting from USB. The simplest way to create a bootable pendrive is to burn DSL to a CD, run a live CD session with it, and choose the desired install option from the desktop menu. I decided to download the .iso and instead try to install it directly on the pendrive. For guidance, I used the excellent guide on the Debian wiki.

The installation finished without problems. I had to play around with the various USB boot devices in the BIOS until I found one that worked.

DSL offers a variety of boot parameters, and some of them are quite handy.

Damn Small Linux plus pendrive equals portable paradise.

More in Tux Machines

Android Leftovers

Xiaomi Mi Box seen at Walmart shelf for $69

We are not sure if this was a mistake or a very discrete release, but it seems a few Xiaomi Mi Box devices have managed to make it to an unknown Walmart location’s shelves. But that is only part of the exciting news. What is really getting us going is that we are finally seeing a solid price tag attached to the product. This photo displays a $69 price point, which happens to be quiet the deal. Keep in mind the Mi Box is no slouch; it can play 4K video at 60 fps and comes with all the goods any worthy Android TV can sport.
Android and chill: Nougat and the root question
Sony Xperia XZ pre-orders go live, available on October 2
Yahoo Mail for Android adds Fingerprint security support, web and video previews, and more

A short critique of Stallmanism

I like Stallman and tend to agree with him often: regarding software, or other politics. This article tries to constructively criticize some parts of the free software movement's ideology, which I collectively refer to as "Stallmanism" (only as pun). It is not an attempt at a personal attack on Stallman, and by reading further you will probably see my politics are very far from that: I coined the term Stallmanism simply because he is at the center of the movement and himself a primary source of the ideas I am critiquing.

Google may unveil merged Android and Chrome OS, dubbed Andromeda, at event

If you thought Google’s October 4 event — where the firm is rumored to launch two smartphones, Google Home, Daydream VR, Chromecast Ultra, and Wi-Fi Routers — wasn’t packed enough, think again. It has been a long time coming, but Google may finally offer a peak at Andromeda, an operating system that sees the merger of Android and Chrome OS. Andromeda is the code name for the long-rumored merger, and Android Police says it have been sitting on a rumor that Google may demo the OS in October. What made the company share it now? A tweet from Hiroshi Lockheimer, senior vice president of Android, Chrome OS, and Google Play at Google.

KDE Leftovers

Latest News

Kaspersky Lab Announces Security solution for Tizen-based Internet of Things

Russia-based Kaspersky Lab has announced that it has developed security solutions for mobile devices and Internet of Things (IOT) running on the Tizen operating system. IOT has emerged as one of the fastest growing areas of the IT market and based on projections from various research institutions and IT companies around the world, the Internet of Things (IOT) infrastructure will integrate around 200 billion devices worldwide comprising smartphones, computers, household appliances, automobiles and several electronic items.

My Mom Runs Linux!

People are coming to Linux in droves these days. They each have their own reasons. It could be a desire to get out from under the thumb of proprietary software’s limitations, privacy concerns or just plain old economics. Some of them find a whole new world of computing happiness and others walk away frustrated. Why is that? How you approach learning something new usually will determine just how successful you are at learning it. It’s all about attitude. Learning is a journey and those who cling to the fear of not reaching a pleasant destination usually quit before they start and stay right where they are. Those who are born with an innate curiosity and a sense of adventure often find that learning something new brings great rewards. Thus, they are constantly looking for new things to learn. It’s the naturally curious ones who tend to do well with Linux. If you sit a child in front of a Linux computer, they usually just start using it. It’s an amazing thing to watch. Kids are curious by nature and they also have the added advantage of not having any preconceived notions when it comes to how a computer ought to work. I have found, on the other hand, that the hardest kind of person to teach Linux is the crusty old Windows power user. They are lost from the start and tend to get easily frustrated when they come across something they don’t understand. Their outbursts of anger can be quite animated! The Internet’s public forums are full of vitriol flung at the Linux Community by these sorts of folks. I learned a long time ago that the best way to deal with them is to simply ignore them. The psychological reasons for their bitter negativity are beyond my expertise to deal with, therefore, I don’t. What I try to do is focus on the positive and help folks who want to learn. Also: Windows 10 Might Soon Track Absolutely Everything You Do for Your Own Good

FreeBSD 11.0 Final Release ISO Images Available For Download

The Final Release of FreeBSD 11.0 is scheduled for Wednesday, September 28, 2016. However, the release builds have started to appear on FreeBSD’s FTP mirrors and you can download the final ISO right now.

Syndication & Social Media

Follow the site via RSS/Twitter.

Full RSS:

RSS feeds for particular topics are also available

Twitter:

Content (where original) is available under CC-BY-SA, copyrighted by original author/s.

Tux Machines is proud to be hosted by

Support Tux Machines

Help Support TM
Wall of Appreciation

Linux Gizmos

Linux Today

LinuxSecurity.com Advisories

More on Tux Machines: About ● Gallery ● Forum ● Blogs ● Search ● News ● RSS Feed

Part of Bytes Media ● Sister sites below.

Linux.com

Web Upd8

DW Latest Releases

Phoronix

Content available under CC-BY-SA