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What would you use if Porteus was not available?

Posted: 27 May 2017, 23:13
by Evan
Either MX-Linux or Ubuntu Gnome with refracta tools to create a custom live ISO.

Though not without issues , MX-Linux as standard it comes with the XFCE desktop and their custom live tool is a bit flaky and Ubuntu is sluggish and bloated.

Puppylinux is a missed opportunity in my opinion ruined with silly eccentric gimmicks and dog themes with a messed up cluttered support forum that's best avoided.


*edit*

Corrected post from antiX too MX-Linux

Re: What would you use if Porteus was not available?

Posted: 28 May 2017, 03:27
by Tonio
Linux; Slackware, VoidLinux, Austrumi
BSD; FreeBSD, DragonflyBSD

Installed on disk first two linuxes, on livecd Austrumi, almost forgot alienbob's livedvd of slackware current or his custom one with whole kitchen sink
On BSDs, FreeBSD and DragonflyBSD do the job for me with lumina desktop :)

There is also devuan and I think I can use it if the need arises also, I have downloaded it in case.

Any other recommendations besides antiX?
I have forgotten I also have Gobolinux on a liveDVD. It is different and I also like it!

Re: What would you use if Porteus was not available?

Posted: 28 May 2017, 05:17
by Ed_P
Interesting question. Personally I don't know. I stumbled upon Porteus looking for a live gparted system, it worked on my hardware and I have stayed here because of the unbelievably helpful and supportive admins and members. I have encountered a few other distros but they certainly didn't have the forums Porteus has.

Re: What would you use if Porteus was not available?

Posted: 28 May 2017, 06:04
by donald
Windows.. :P


Joking aside, Slackware of course, maybe Salix OS, Zenwalk, as long as they do not use systemd.

Otherwise Devuan would be considered.

Re: What would you use if Porteus was not available?

Posted: 29 May 2017, 00:09
by Evan
Tonio wrote:Any other recommendations besides antiX?
Why does everything with Linux have to be so damn ****ing difficult , Ignore what i said about antiX as it turns out i have never used it........... :roll:

What i have been using is MX-Linux which is a cooperative cross between the antiX and MEPIS linux , plus it uses parts of systemd for compatibility.............

https://mxlinux.org
Screenshot: https://mxlinux.org/sites/default/files ... es/vlc.jpg

Annoyingly people refer to antiX when they really mean MX-linux on support forums just to make things more confusing.

List of Linux distributions that run from RAM

I've yet to try out some of these listed above but i'm unsure which ones are systemd free or which use a modern looking desktop rather than something that looks and feels like it's from the 1990's

Re: What would you use if Porteus was not available?

Posted: 29 May 2017, 00:19
by fulalas
Really good question! I would probably be using Windows. Serious! I'm using Porteus basically because of two things:

1- I want an OS that is always fresh after boot, so I won't have problems with entropy;
2- I was pissed about new Windows privacy and bloatware policies;

Then a friend of mine gave told me about Porteus during a moment I was unemployed, so I could spend loooots of time learning how to use it -- my first experience with Linux I must confess.

Porteus is amazing because it's really small, fast and powerful, like no other distro I've ever seen before! Serious, what distro can boot from USB stick in 15s, using less than 300 mb of RAM, being able to handle modern DEs and with this plug 'n play app system?

@Evan, I'm trying some of the distro inside this Wiki page you gave us. I'll tell you my impressions about some of them soon. :good:

Re: What would you use if Porteus was not available?

Posted: 29 May 2017, 08:30
by Evan
Thanks fulalas. :)

Re: What would you use if Porteus was not available?

Posted: 29 May 2017, 17:42
by Bogomips
Cross that bridge when we come to it! :Search:

Re: What would you use if Porteus was not available?

Posted: 29 May 2017, 23:01
by Evan
Does Alien Bob's have any type of persistence or save session that is similar to Porteus?

Re: What would you use if Porteus was not available?

Posted: 30 May 2017, 04:39
by fulalas
Arudius 0.5:
+The ISO has only 208 mb and already comes with a browser;
+-Boot in 16s, but stops inside a terminal;
-You need to manually login and startx;
-It uses Fluxbox as default DE, but, just like pure OpenBox, it seems messy for my taste;
-In general seems unpolished;
-Was discontinued in 2013;

Austrumi64 3.6.4 x64:
+ISO has 308 mb, which is a-m-a-z-i-n-g considering that it comes with Firefox 52 and LibreOffice 5.3.3.2;
+Boot in 16s;
+After boot: 130mb;
-Themes are very inconsistent. It's easy to get lost after changing from one to another. And, depending on the current theme, some options don't do anything, like Configs -> Resolution;
-Common shortcuts don't work, like ALT+F4 or ALT+TAB or WIN+D, etc;
-The multimedia package isn't good;
-In general seems unpolished;

AntiX 16.1 x64:
-ISO has 680 mb;
-The most confusing when trying to download. Too many versions and no readme explaining anything at all;
+Boot in 14s;
+After boot: 104 mb RAM -- amazing!
+Comes with Firefox 42.6;
-Just like Arudius, it comes with Fluxbox as default DE, which seems messy for my taste;
-ctrl+alt+del shortcut opens a dialog that basically doesn't work;
-Too many applications that do the same thing;
-In general seems unpolished;

Bodhi 4.1.0 x64 + Enlightenment:
-ISO has 686 mb;
-The slowest to boot: 43s;
+-After boot: 300 mb of RAM;
+-Enlightenment is one of the most elegant DE, but at the same time it's very confusing with countless options badly spread;
-Doesn't come with anything except a simple browser. So no multimedia package, no task manager, no pdf reader, no torrent client, no archiver manager, no calculator, etc.
-ALT+F4 changes current desktop instead of closing focused app;
-Freezes at reboot/shutdown;
+-Has a module activation system just like Porteus, but I didn't understand it very well: where are the modules, what's the actual file format of them, how can I create one, etc;
+-In general looks promising, but I need to invest more time to better understand its details;

Slax 7.0.8 x64 + KDE:
+ISO has 225 mb;
+Boot in 17s;
+After boot: 280 mb of RAM;
+Comes with Firefox;
+Comes with Pidgin;
+Great multimedia package;
+I don't like KDE 5.x version, but this 4.10.1 version that comes with Slax seems consistent and pleasant;
-Depends on Slackware package updates, which isn't as quick as Arch;
+-Comes with module system just like Porteus, but when you activate a module it disappears (i.e. it's moved to an unknown place);
+Probably the most polished distro in this post;
-Was discontinued in 2013;

Porteus 3.2.2 x64 + LXQt 0.11.1:
+ISO has 234 mb;
+Boot in 14s;
+After boot: 204 mb of RAM;
-Doesn't come with a browser;
-Some packages are really old, like Xorg, Mesa and FFMpeg, for example;
-Depends on Slackware package updates, which isn't as quick as Arch;
+Clean and consistent graphic interface;
+All common shortcuts in place;
+Solid multimedia package: can basically open any audio/video;
+Comes with a consistent package: torrent client, calculator, task manager, pdf reader, smartphone/camera file manager, simple text editor, partition tool, image viewer, archiver manager (this is the only exception regarding consistence, since we have both P7zip and Engrampa, but because Engrampa has a great interface although it doesn't open all files that P7zip can open);
+Very flexible: can persist files or not, and in many ways. I like to script only what I want to persist, so each boot I have a fresh system;
+Applications are inside single-file package that can be installed/removed with a double-click;
+Simply rocks :good:

Re: What would you use if Porteus was not available?

Posted: 30 May 2017, 05:06
by Evan
fulalas wrote:AntiX 16.1 x64:
-The most confusing when trying to download. Too many versions and no readme explaining anything at all;
LOL , not just me then , I thought i was using the standard AntiX when it turns out i was using something else.......... :D

Don't know if you looked at Alpine Linux but there download page is nearly as bad with loads of custom version without much explantion.

Thanks for the detailed feedback on the ones you tried. :good:

Re: What would you use if Porteus was not available?

Posted: 30 May 2017, 14:08
by Ed_P
This is why I love Porteus. -> viewtopic.php?f=140&t=6959&p=55506#p55516

The fact that it works on my hardware is just a plus. The incredible support is the winning factor for me.

:friends:

Re: What would you use if Porteus was not available?

Posted: 30 May 2017, 19:51
by hypomania
Slitaz or wattOS

Re: What would you use if Porteus was not available?

Posted: 30 May 2017, 23:20
by Evan
Yet another distro i've never heard of. :)

I see wattOS uses a web browser called Surf............

First i've heard of that as well unless Bogomips has mentioned it in the past when he was experimenting with light weight browsers?

Re: What would you use if Porteus was not available?

Posted: 31 May 2017, 01:38
by fulalas
hypomania wrote:wattOS
Sorry for saying that, but I've just gave it a try and I couldn't see the meaning of this distro. First, it calls itself as a minimalist distro but the smallest ISO has 630 mb. Second, after boot you have an almost frozen desktop with no icons and no context menu option whatsoever! Any app you open has its window position fixed. No common keyboard shortcuts, like ALT+F4 or ALT+TAB. Last but not least, it doesn't come with a multimedia package nor SomeOffice nor anything that justify its ISO large size :(