Knoppix 3.6 Review
Knoppix 3.6
http://www.knopper.net/knoppix/
Knoppix can be purchased at LinuxCentral.com
Acknowledgments
I'd like to thank Bradley Glonka and Wendy Pierce at LinuxCentral for providing me with a copy of Knoppix on CD.
Introduction
Knoppix is a “Live CD” version of Linux, which means a distribution which boots from a CD and allows you to use a wide array of built-in programs and utilities without ever having to install anything on your hard-drive. Such a CD is useful for people who are often on the road, and wish to always have Linux with them. Another benefit of a “Live CD” is that it allows Windows users who are considering migrating to Linux to give Linux a try without worrying about losing all of their Windows files and settings if they don't end up liking it.
Knoppix 3.6 is the latest Knoppix release, and comes with an impressive array of software, including KDE 3.1. One thing to note, however, is that Knoppix is a German Project, so much of the website and documentation is in German. To use Knoppix, all you need is a working computer with:
-an Intel-compatible Processor (at least i486)
-at least 20MB RAM for Text Mode, or at least 96MB for Graphic Mode using KDE (128MB+ recommended)
-a Bootable CD-ROM drive, or as an alternative a Boot-Floppy and a Standard CD-ROM Drive (IDE/ADAPTI or SCSI)
-Standard SVGA-Compatible graphics card
-Standard Serial or PS/2 mouse or IMPS/2-Compatible USB mouse
Installation/Booting
First let me give the specifications of the test-computer that I used Knoppix 3.6 on:
-Toshiba Portege 7020CT with Docking Station
-Intel Pentium II Mobile Processor clocked at 366Mhz with 256Kb Cache (runs at around 147Mhz)
-192MB SDRAM
-13” TFT Display (1024x768)
-NeoMagic NM2200
-24x IDE DVD-ROM
-NEC 3.5” Floppy-Drive
-Intel 10/100 On-Board Ethernet NIC
-NetGear WG511 802.11g PCMCIA Wireless NIC @ 54Mbps
-Logitech USB Optical Mouse
I also tried Knoppix out on a faster Dell just for kicks. Just in case you're Curious:
-Dell Dimension 4500
-Intel Pentium IV Processor clocked at 2.40Ghz with 512Kb Cache
-512MB RAM
-17” Flat-Panel LCD Display (1024x768)
There really wasn't any installation involved, seeing as Knoppix is a Live CD Linux distribution. This section really covers booting it up.
To boot up from Knoppix, all I did was pop the CD into the drive and turn on the power. It's that simple! Shortly thereafter, I was presented with a boot-prompt where I was to enter boot options. Unfortunately, it didn't tell you what to enter to boot by default; I had to press another button to get to a screen of boot options. I figured out what to do, and I booted it up. I was very impressed with the speed at which it booted up, which was under 3 minutes. I know some might think that 3 minutes seems like a long time, but for me on my old Pentium II laptop, that's a god-send! It had a very descriptive dmesg, which told me everything I needed to know, but wasn't bogged down with useless status indicators that sometimes will plague an Operating System's bootup, slowing it down.
It automatically detected and configured my Wireless Card, something that had taken me months to get working with Fedora, and then hours with Yoper. My USB Mouse worked without any input from me, and overall it booted up without major event. One thing to note, however, is how it configured my monitor. Using the default boot options, my screen resolution was terrible! By default it was set up to 640x480, and when I tried to configure it after boot-up, my only other option was 320x240 (eww!). I rebooted the system, and played around with boot options until finally I got it working at 1024x768 (fb1024x768). (Interestingly, when I tried it on the Dell, Knoppix set the Display up to 1024x768 without my interaction)
When it came to hardware, everything was taken care of at boot-up. Not only does Knoppix detect your hardware, it optimizes its performance by using methods such as hardware acceleration.
Usage
After the events with my display, it was good to see that KDE 3.1 started up very nicely. I was delightfully surprised at the level of customization available when it came to the look and feel of KDE. There was a large assortment of available desktop wallpapers, and I felt at home with all of the themes and panels available. It wasn't quite as nice as KDE 3.3 which I have on my Yoper install, but 3.1 was still nice. (Hopefully the next release will ship with KDE 3.3)
Knoppix 3.6 comes with an amazing amount of software, including:
-Mozilla Suite
-Wine
-xine
-XMMS
-Kview
-The Gimp
-gaim
-OpenOffice.org
and many more!
The start-up speed for these applications was incredible, and I felt more like I was using a Pentium IV running Windows rather than an ancient Pentium II, speed-wise. Even the Internet seemed faster! The multi-tasking was very smooth, and there was no real noticeable delay even when runningmore than six programs at once. At one point I was listening to my Cowboy Bebop OST Collection with XMMS, reading Megatokyo archives with Kuickshow, running the Desktop Config, and had Mozilla running with 5 tabs! The sound was smooth and ran at a normal speed, the graphics rendering was astounding, and the font-resolution was breath-taking. In a nutshell: FAST.
Many people also wonder whether you can still interact with your hard-drive, even while using a Live-CD. The answer is yes. By default the hard-drive is mounted as read-only, but you can unmount it and remount it as read-write. By doing this, you could effectively turn Knoppix into your primary distro.
Bottom Line
Overall, I'd give Knoppix 3.6 an 8 out of 10. There was a lot that I liked, but there were some parts that I'd do differently, and the mess with my graphics card didn't really help. But the Pro's definitely outweigh the Con's by a long shot!
Pro's:
-Fast Boot-up
-Good selection of pre-loaded applications
-Highly customizable
-Blazing Fast everything
-Automatic Detection of a variety of Hardware
-Good Networking
-Doesn't touch your hard drive
-You have the ability to mount your hard drive as read-write
-Automatically Detected and Mounted my Zip Drive, Flash Drive, and USB Memory Stick
Con's
-Doesn't tell you what to type for a default boot unless you press a button
-Not all boot options are on the menu available at bootup, you have to browse the CD
-Default Screen-Resolution not very good
-No boot option to mount hard-drive read-write; you have to first unmount it and then remount it read-write (default read-only)
I would definitely recommend Knoppix 3.6 if you are looking for a Live CD version of Linux. Some people even copy the image to their hard drive and use it as their primary OS; it's THAT fast and that usable! This is definitely a hit, not a miss.
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Andy Kissner
lakerdonald@gmail.com
Kot_Maciek