Knoppix is a lightweight Linux distro that is anything but light in its features and functions. It equals or exceeds the performance of all the desktop varieties I run in Ubuntu and Linux Mint. It also could easily replace the portability on a stick I get with Puppy Linux. Knoppix, much like Puppy Linux, provides a fully functional Linux distro that boots from a DVD or USB drive. Both save user settings and downloaded software added to the mix.
Based on your very informative review of Puppy, I am planning to install it on one of my laptops very soon. Thanks for the informative, clear writing and hard work in researching your articles.
<cite>You can also run Knoppix from a tricked hard drive installation -- either internal or external -- if you do not mind a bit of fiddling.</cite>
Have a look at: http://knoppix.net/wiki/Category:Hard_drive_Installation
<cite>Cheat codes page of the Knoppix web site</cite>
http://knoppix.net/wiki/Cheat_Codes
<cite>Only the Iceweisel browser is installed.</cite>
The last available version of Knoppix is 7.05; there you find not only Iceweasel but also Chromium webbrowser and Konqueror.
<cite>Knoppix has no deb installer utility pre-installed.</cite>
You need no deb installer: run "dpkg -i wanted_xyz.deb" within a root-terminal.
<cite>Knoppix can be a bit balky when using the toram boot.</cite>
The "toram" cheatcode is thought for recovery situations and using a Knoppix CD (not DVD) and if there is the necessity to use the CD-drive otherwise during your recovery work. For not recovery work you don't need the "toram" cheatcode.
<cite>Another hiccup with Knoppix is its lack of a clock or time-setting control.</cite>
Use the cheatcode "knoppix tz=..."
Thank you very much for such a concise, in-depth analysis. Great job!
Your description(s) make a lot clearer the "conventional wisdom" that Knoppix is a great troubleshooting tool, emergency disc, or for those occasions when one needs to do a remote access securely; almost all such recommendations are based on the fact that Knoppix can be relied upon to detect just about any hardware. I was glad to see you include the following:
"I ran the identical Knoppix configuration on five different desktop, laptop and notebook computers and had solid performance regardless of the hardware. Knoppix even ran well on an older computer with minimum installed RAM."
This pretty well summarizes my experience in the last month or so.
Thank you for pointing out the quirks, which are at least AS important as other considerations. I now know not to try and use Knoppix as my primary desktop Linux.
One other negative--as much for Klaus Knopper as anyone else reading this:
I started TRYING to use Knoppix about a month ago, and immediately ran into boot problems (you've made me feel sooo much better!).
I tried getting help from one of Knoppix's "experts", a moderator on their website. Our dialogue consisted in his asking me a dumb question for every question I asked, e.g., the last, when I quit asking for help, was "what do you mean by a live install?" (HELLO!? ARE YOU THERE, KLAUS? A KNOPPIX EXPERT WHO DOESN'T KNOW WHAT I MEAN BY "LIVE INSTALL"?).
We both got what we wanted: I solved my problem(s) by myself, and he didn't have to continue showing that he knew nothing.
Folks, don't expect any help from Klaus Knopper's "experts".
Klaus Knopper: you're not doing your cause any good by utilizing people like this; if they're working for nothing, you're paying much too high a price for their services.
Once again, Mr Germain, very good work. Please keep it up.
Kibert, Thanks for your comments. It is nice to know that we share similar views on the strengths and weaknesses of the Knoppix distro.
Have you seen my recent review on Puppy Linux? I used it as my primary distro for more than one year. Even with booting it from a DVD or USB drive, it lets you create an encrypted persistent storage file that maintains all of your settings and applications and documents for complete portability.
Plus, Puppy Linux runs easily in available RAM and can boot quite rapidly if you place three essential files on the hard drive as a poor man's installation. First use settings does this for you automatically if you tell it yes. You can even do a full hard drive installation, but it is not really needed.
Your posting within the Knoppix Forum has been very confusing.
http://knoppix.net/forum/threads/30513-New-guy-here-having-USB-boot-trouble.?highlight=flash+disk
And I don't know, if you ever read the link I told you
http://knoppix.net/wiki/Category:Hard_drive_Installation
Nobody in the Knoppix Forum is a employee of Klaus Knopper! Nobody there is an expert, we are all only users who likes Knoppix; also the moderators are not experts!
It makes a big difference to have a question within a Forum or to beg for support and pay much mouney for it.
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Knoppix Pulls a Lot More Than Its Own Weight
Posted by: Jack M. Germain April 17, 2013 05:00 AMKnoppix is a lightweight Linux distro that is anything but light in its features and functions. It equals or exceeds the performance of all the desktop varieties I run in Ubuntu and Linux Mint. It also could easily replace the portability on a stick I get with Puppy Linux. Knoppix, much like Puppy Linux, provides a fully functional Linux distro that boots from a DVD or USB drive. Both save user settings and downloaded software added to the mix.
All the best.
Have a look at: http://knoppix.net/wiki/Category:Hard_drive_Installation
<cite>Cheat codes page of the Knoppix web site</cite>
http://knoppix.net/wiki/Cheat_Codes
<cite>Only the Iceweisel browser is installed.</cite>
The last available version of Knoppix is 7.05; there you find not only Iceweasel but also Chromium webbrowser and Konqueror.
<cite>Knoppix has no deb installer utility pre-installed.</cite>
You need no deb installer: run "dpkg -i wanted_xyz.deb" within a root-terminal.
<cite>Knoppix can be a bit balky when using the toram boot.</cite>
The "toram" cheatcode is thought for recovery situations and using a Knoppix CD (not DVD) and if there is the necessity to use the CD-drive otherwise during your recovery work. For not recovery work you don't need the "toram" cheatcode.
<cite>Another hiccup with Knoppix is its lack of a clock or time-setting control.</cite>
Use the cheatcode "knoppix tz=..."
Your description(s) make a lot clearer the "conventional wisdom" that Knoppix is a great troubleshooting tool, emergency disc, or for those occasions when one needs to do a remote access securely; almost all such recommendations are based on the fact that Knoppix can be relied upon to detect just about any hardware. I was glad to see you include the following:
"I ran the identical Knoppix configuration on five different desktop, laptop and notebook computers and had solid performance regardless of the hardware. Knoppix even ran well on an older computer with minimum installed RAM."
This pretty well summarizes my experience in the last month or so.
Thank you for pointing out the quirks, which are at least AS important as other considerations. I now know not to try and use Knoppix as my primary desktop Linux.
One other negative--as much for Klaus Knopper as anyone else reading this:
I started TRYING to use Knoppix about a month ago, and immediately ran into boot problems (you've made me feel sooo much better!).
I tried getting help from one of Knoppix's "experts", a moderator on their website. Our dialogue consisted in his asking me a dumb question for every question I asked, e.g., the last, when I quit asking for help, was "what do you mean by a live install?" (HELLO!? ARE YOU THERE, KLAUS? A KNOPPIX EXPERT WHO DOESN'T KNOW WHAT I MEAN BY "LIVE INSTALL"?).
We both got what we wanted: I solved my problem(s) by myself, and he didn't have to continue showing that he knew nothing.
Folks, don't expect any help from Klaus Knopper's "experts".
Klaus Knopper: you're not doing your cause any good by utilizing people like this; if they're working for nothing, you're paying much too high a price for their services.
Once again, Mr Germain, very good work. Please keep it up.
Have you seen my recent review on Puppy Linux? I used it as my primary distro for more than one year. Even with booting it from a DVD or USB drive, it lets you create an encrypted persistent storage file that maintains all of your settings and applications and documents for complete portability.
Plus, Puppy Linux runs easily in available RAM and can boot quite rapidly if you place three essential files on the hard drive as a poor man's installation. First use settings does this for you automatically if you tell it yes. You can even do a full hard drive installation, but it is not really needed.
http://knoppix.net/forum/threads/30513-New-guy-here-having-USB-boot-trouble.?highlight=flash+disk
And I don't know, if you ever read the link I told you
http://knoppix.net/wiki/Category:Hard_drive_Installation
Nobody in the Knoppix Forum is a employee of Klaus Knopper! Nobody there is an expert, we are all only users who likes Knoppix; also the moderators are not experts!
It makes a big difference to have a question within a Forum or to beg for support and pay much mouney for it.