Damn Small Linux 4.4.2

Publisher's Description:

Damn Small Linux (DSL) is a very versatile 50MB mini desktop oriented Linux distribution. It includes a fully automated remote and local application installation system and a very versatile backup and restore system which may be used with any writable media including a hard drive, a floppy drive, or a USB device.

It has a nearly complete desktop, and many command line tools. All applications are chosen with functionality, size and speed in mind. It includes XMMS (MP3, CD Music, and MPEG), FTP client, Dillo web browser, links web browser, FireFox, spreadsheet, Sylpheed email, spellcheck (US English), a word-processor (FLwriter), three editors (Beaver, Vim, and Nano [Pico clone]), graphics editing and viewing (Xpaint, and xzgv), Xpdf (PDF Viewer), emelFM (file manager), Naim (AIM, ICQ, IRC), VNCviwer, Rdesktop, SSH/SCP server and client, DHCP client, PPP, PPPoE (ADSL), a web server, calculator, generic and GhostScript printer support, NFS, Fluxbox window manager, games, system monitoring apps, a host of command line tools, USB support, and pcmcia support, some wireless support.

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Latest User Reviews:

Reviewer:	SELonBN	Jun 24, 2008
Version:	4.4.2
I also hope FF3 makes it in MUCH quicker than FF2 did. This is a great little distro for certain tasks. The boxed browser approach reidyn mentioned is a great example. I use it on an old Compaq Evo nc600 laptop w/512MB RAM to loop an mp3 collection to the Music on Hold port on the phone switch where I work. I bet I haven't even opened the latch and looked at that screen in over 6 months. Perfect!
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Reviewer:	reidyn	Jun 19, 2008
Version:	4.4.1
Let me offer another good use for this, aside from keeping it small enough to install on a business card sized CD (for wallet or shirt pocket, hence 50MB limit) or tiny memory stick. I use it in a VM inside Windows (runs great in the free VirtualBox) for totally sandboxed web browsing. The fact that the VM software itself adds relatively little overhead means that this whole distro plus its stripped Firefox 2.0 can run on my 1GB XP system alongside my other apps and only take less than 100MB, which is far less than any other distro and right at what FF2 for Windows ordinarily takes on its own. Add VirtualBox's seamless window mode, and I have a totally sandboxed browser right alongside my other stuff. For casual browsing (or venturing into the dark alleys of the web) you can't do much better for protecting your system. Presumably, you're doing banking or other commerce on that same system, and fewer ways for the bad guys to compromise your system is good. Doing that with such low overhead is even better. I'm knocking one point ONLY because they're slow about getting the latest browsers stripped and rolled into the works. FF2 was JUST added as a replacement for FF1, and this is right when the more memory efficient FF3 is available. I do understand that FF3 wasn't final while this DamSmall build was in the works, but: (1) The FF3 betas have been very stable since beta 3 or so, and (2) They JUST GOT FF2 in.... and that's a LONG FREAKING TIME since it came out. I do NOT recommend this distro for your day to day use, but for keeping a fully working distro on a bootable mini-CD (or business card CD) or memory stick for personal use on other peoples' systems, or for running in a virtual machine, this can't really be beat. If it can, I'd love to hear about it.
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Reviewer:	Niksa	Jun 18, 2008
Version:	4.4.1
DSL is perfect for what is intended. There is DLS-N if you want more functionality and add-ons, or other small Linux distros. For all preferring fancy stuff there is Ubuntu and similar distros. But I do agree that it shouldn't keep up to 50 MB limit if that is against functionality
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Reviewer:	shyuep	Jun 18, 2008
Version:	4.4.1
I have to give this a 1. I am a Linux fan and having experienced 4-5 distros (Ubuntu, Red Hat, Puppy Linux, DSL, etc.), I must say this is the worst. Certainly the 50Mb size is impressive, but in today's world, this is an artificially created constraint which probably is detrimental to functionality. Can you imagine using DOS or Windows 3.1 because MS decided to keep Windows to less than 500Mb? I give DSL points for being fast and efficient, but little else. While I can razzle dazzle my way around the command line, I think that a good GUI is just as important. Why would I want to memorize 100 command line options for the isolated rare task when it can be done easily through a GUI? And DSL has one that only a mother could love. Even for USB drive purposes, my experience with Puppy is just so much better (both installation and usage) and the functionality for troubleshooting and diagnostic is incredible. For desktop purposes, Ubuntu is killing the rest of the Linux competition. If all linux looks like DSL, there is no way it will ever compete with the WinMac duopoly. By all means, go ahead if you REALLY want to use your first-generation Pentium from another lifetime ago with 256Mb RAM. For me, it's just not worth it.
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Reviewer:	cltx99	Jun 10, 2008
Version:	4.4
Have to give it a "one". could not completely load on my fairly new LG E500 notebook, which is fairly new.
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