DSL : Damn Small Linux, Questions and Help for school!

[zhengcl86]

hello again Linux Users, i am back again for my previous post about linux security and had to make a power point presentation about it it went well, so.....

.....so how the professor gave me another Topic for my FINALS! power point, which is about

DSL!!! Damn Small Linux.

so far i know about the packets and what not,

but what i am suppose to cover is

"Why is DSL developed?"
why is it made? what is it used for? why is it called "damn" small linux? lol

[atreyu]

.....so how the professor gave me another Topic for my FINALS!

fun! i wish i was taking a class like that. we are not permitted to help you directly with school work on these forums. but of course we can still nudge you in the right direction, etc.

"Why is DSL developed?"
why is it made? what is it used for? why is it called "damn" small linux? lol

i'm sure you can answer at least some of that with a quick look to:

1. the DSL home page
2. the DSL entry in wikipedia
3. google


good luck!

[zhengcl86]

i have been looking at some sites for info but, i think it would be a better overview if i get an opinion from Linux users, as from my last presentation my Professor commented on me that i did a good job by going to the source for answers (Linux Users) although i did search the web for other info but comments and opinions are just extra stuff added on to my presentation.

your comments and opinions are just extra slides i can put in my power point to make it look better , since i am getting it from the "source" from every day linux users.

[atreyu]

well in that case, I can tell you I've used DSL in the (distant) past, for these primary reasons:

1. it was one of the few Linux distros out there that was "Live"
2. it was tiny and thus tempting to "just try and see"
3. it was reputably (and truly) not resource-heavy

hope that helps!

[MASONTX]

My use of DSL may not be typical, but I get occaisional discards of laptops from users who think they are too old and slow to run anymore. In the really resourch challenged ones, I have found that DSL will let me check them out to make sure all hardware works, and develop a plan for upgrade. My preference is not to use DSL, but it can be a good tool to decide what distro will work, if any.

[mactruck]

I suggest give a try, its really small (hence the name). You don't have to install it, you can just run it from the jump drive or cd. It went about 5 years with no update until last year they release a new version.

This got me thinking it would be cool if they came out with a DSL install for the Raspberry Pi.

[jayd512]

Let me answer the easiest of the questions first...

why is it called "damn" small linux?

At ~50 MB download size for a fully functional graphical system... DAMN!! That's small!
Sorry, but I couldn't resist. That was my initial reaction when I first heard about it some years ago.

As said before, some great resources are available online, including the DSL FAQ page, and the official DSL Wiki page.
Since Damn Small just went back into active development, I'm not sure how many "experienced answers" you'll get. Like the above posters, I've tried it in the past. Personally I see a lot of limitations in what you could really do with it. But that's not to say that I wouldn't install it onto a bargain PC from a garage sale.

After all.... A fully functioning OS in less than 50 MB. You can install the original DOOM* on is kinda groovy.



*Hoping that DOOM will still be available in the new software repos.

[rokytnji]

*Hoping that DOOM will still be available in the new software repos.

DosBox baby in 64bit Antix DosBox will run in DSL.

doom.jpg

I know cuz I Yet Another Technology Site: Damn Small Linux 4.0 install on Compaq 1540DM

and boolya and badda bing

[zhengcl86]

My use of DSL may not be typical, but I get occaisional discards of laptops from users who think they are too old and slow to run anymore. In the really resourch challenged ones, I have found that DSL will let me check them out to make sure all hardware works, and develop a plan for upgrade. My preference is not to use DSL, but it can be a good tool to decide what distro will work, if any.

thank you for your opinions! and what did you mean by "decide what distro will work"?

i have read a few articles on DSL and the latest version or update was released sept 2012 and it was called an "unstable" version because of coding error? like crashes etc, can anyone verify this?

[MASONTX]

Each distro has requirements as to cpu and ram. Using DSL I can peak into an old system and see what cpu and ram it has, then select a distro that matches those limits. I don't like DSL for a day to day system, but as a tool it is valuable. Mayb I should say I like other distro's better for day to day use.