Damn Small 
Linux
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The myDSL repository is now online!

current version 0.7.3

What is Damn Small Linux?
Damn Small Linux is a business card size (50MB) bootable Live CD Linux distribution. Despite its minuscule size it strives to have a functional and easy to use desktop.

Why?
Because having a working Linux desktop distro on a 50 mb bootable business card CD is just too cool not to do.

Screenshot?
damnsmalllinux-0.1  right here
damnsmalllinux-0.3  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
damnsmalllinux-0.3.9 (playing mpegs!)  1 2
damnsmalllinux-0.3.10 (VNC client shot)  1
damnsmalllinux-0.3.11 (running Firebird)  1
damnsmalllinux-0.4.2 (running Xpaint, XzGV, emelFM, and Sylphed)  1
damnsmalllinux-0.4.3 (showing off desktop icons)  1
damnsmalllinux-0.4.4   1
damnsmalllinux-0.4.5:
    new baby Tux
    new theme, Oneko & playing Mpg
    appfest, including patched Dillo
damnsmalllinux-0.4.7:
    New apps; X Pacman, Rdesktop, FireBird 0.6.1
damnsmalllinux-0.4.8:
    Playing a music CD while running in RAM
damnsmalllinux-0.4.10:
    Playing w/TuxNES, using Nirc, editing w/Nano, and Surfing w/Firebird 0.7
damnsmalllinux-0.5.1:
    SciTe, Apsfilter, GostScript, and Ted
damnsmalllinux-0.5.2:
    Showing MC, BashBurn, and gTuxnes
damnsmalllinux-0.5.3.1:
    gPhone and Monkey webserver in action
damnsmalllinux-0.6.1:
    Firefox/Monkey, updated Nirc, FTP server/client. wmix, Mutella
damnsmalllinux-0.6.2:
    SQLite Book, new GTK theme, net man, and net dictionary
damnsmalllinux-0.6.3:
    xTris and Damn Small Control Panel
damnsmalllinux-0.7.2:
    Featuring Vim, Beaver, some Lua, and the MyDSL GUI
    Showing some of the MyDSL extensions at work.


What does it have?
Damn Small Linux has a nearly complete desktop, including XMMS (MP3, and MPEG), FTP client, Dillo web browser, links-hacked web browser, spreadsheet, Sylpheed email, spellcheck (US English), a word-processor (Ted-GTK), four editors (SciTe, nVi, Zile [emacs clone], and Nano [Pico clone]), graphics editing and viewing (Xpaint, and xzgv), Xpdf, 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. For more information check out the applications pages.
If you like DSL you can install it on your hard drive. Because all the applications are small and light it makes a very good choice for older hardware.

My goal in creating Damn Small Linux is to have enough tools and toys on a business card sized CD to get work done *and* have some fun.

How?
Originally DSL was based on model_k, which did an excellent distillation of Knoppix down to 33 megabytes. But more resent versions are a reduction from Knoppix proper.

As many know Knoppix is based on Debian which really made my task a lot easier, but the applications on the CD are not pure Debian.  I am using a few apps that are not available via apt-get.

The applications I am using are the best compromises I could find between function and size.

To make room I had to remove the entire dpkg database structure.  But don't freak out, I saved it for folks who want to try to remaster from my iso.

X?
It is a combo of Debian packages and the Kdrive Xvesa and Xfbdev servers.  It works beautifully on most computers but it runs slower than what most Linux users are use to.  That's the cost of keeping it all small and lite.

ToDo?
Clean up and refine.

Where can I download it from?
:-) go here.

My email address is:
john _at_ damnsmalllinux.org
(please go to the user forum for tech questions)