Penguin
Recent Changes
Note: You are viewing an old revision of this page. View the current version.

A LiveCD is an operating system (that contains as much of your software as possible) stored on a bootable CD-ROM? that can be executed from it, without installation on a [hard drive?]. Nothing is installed, and the system returns to its previous OS once you pop the LiveCD out.

One can use a ready CD or [burn?] an [ISO image?] downloaded from the internet. Because of the large size of the image files many people use a [download manager?] for this.

Some LiveCDs come with an installation utility launchable from a desktop icon that can optionally install the system on a [hard drive?] or USB key. Most LiveCDs can access too the information on internal and/or external harddrives, [FloppyDisk?]s and USB Flash memories? (i.e. to store data -home directory- or to be used like rescue systems).

For example, in Dynebolic the nest file is called dynebol.nst and it keeps all your home and settings inside (/home, /etc, /var, /tmp). The available space for your nest is found by dyne:bolic thru your partitions on harddisk or usb storage devices (like usb pens, smartcards or even photo cameras). This approach doesn't requires any change in the data structure of the partitions: just one file is created (dynebol.nst).

Most LiveCDs contain a version of GNU/Linux. The Syslinux? Project is the tool where the majority of the LiveCDs are based on.

Mini-LiveCDs

A Mini-LiveCD is a WikiPedia:bootable business card Linux distribution, this is, small enough to fit on a CD-ROM that has been cut, pressed, or molded to the size and shape of a business card (designed to fit in your wallet or pocket). Mini-LiveCds? are able to hold about 50 MB.

LiveMove?

LiveMoves? are the set of a LiveCD and a bootfloppy or [USB key?]. [MandrakeMove?] is a new [MandrakeSoft?] product that benefits from a [Mandrake Linux?] LiveCD which doesn't need to be installed to run on a computer, and a USB key that automatically stores bootloader, hardware configuration and personal data.

MoveKey?

A MoveKey? is a linux mini-distribution in a USB [keydrive?], like [Flonix?]

List of LiveCDs

  • bolic?, for multimedia production (especially for media activists, artists and creatives). The nest file will be called dynebol.nst and will keep all your home and settings inside (/home, /etc, /var, /tmp)
  • SystemRescueCd?.

Debian based

  • Knoppix the mother of all LiveCDs
  • Damn Small Linux? for a mini-CD.
  • Flonix? fits on a USB keydrive? too.
  • clusterKnoppix has openMosix support
  • Quantian is a scientific variation of clusterKnoppix
  • Morphix?.
  • Oralux?, a Knoppix-based GNU/Linux distribution for blind or visually impaired people. Its user interface is based on [Emacspeak?], an [audio desktop?].

  • Gnobian? versions:

    • [Gnoppix?]
    • [LinEx?]

Gentoo Linux? based===

  • Jollix?

RPM based

  • MandrakeMove?

  • Red Hat based:

    • RPM Live Linux CD,is a 120MB distribution
    • Adios

=== Others===

  • Slackware based:

    • Slax?.
    • Stux?.
  • Eagle Linux, that does not use a compressed file system for standard files.

External links