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Use of Linux Live CD distros

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by masinick 2 views

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I've recently developed an interest in trying out as many Live CD implementations of Linux software as possible. Just this week, I've tried out Slackware-Live and Mepis, and I've also tried out multiple versions of Knoppix and Morphix. I'm especially interested in really good Live CDs that boot quickly from CD, but then are flexible enough to provide easy installation to disk. In that regard, Mepis has been the best one I've found so far.

I've just finished burning an ISO image containing a Gentoo Linux Live CD. I've been disappointed with Gentoo Linux in the past. It simply takes too much work to get it working, then the updates don't even build half the time. But I'd like to see how well the Live CD implementation works, and if any of the problems I've previously faced have been solved.

This category of systems has drastically improved this year. I feel that Knoppix has really led the charge in this area and others have built on top of that excellent work, producing even easier to install and use systems. I still consider Knoppix the reference by which to judge the others.

What do you think? Do any of you build Linux Live CDs, and if so, what are your experiences? What do you recommend?

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by masinick

I'm a bit surprised that there isn't more interest in this area. Live, bootable Linux CDs are getting to the point of being very useful and functional. They typically contain a compressed image of an entire system, and they load and run amazingly well. I have personally had great success using Knoppix, Mepis, and Morphix, but there are other implementations available. Dynebolic, for instance, might be interesting for someone who would like to investigate a good multimedia system. Slackware Live CD is a great way to get into Linux software at a slightly lower level than the other systems I mentioned, yet do so fairly quickly and easily. Mepis is incredible, it boots nearly as fast as a typical system that you load onto a hard disk. What's nice about it is that you CAN easily install it on hard disk if you find it to be suitable, yet you can just try it out from CD without having to make the committment to install it until you are satisfied with it. I recommend Mepis especially, but any of the distributions I mentioned are quite good and very useful.

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