Knoppix

“KNOPPIX is a bootable Live system on CD or DVD, consisting of a representative collection of GNU/Linux software, automatic hardware detection, and support for many graphics cards, sound cards, SCSI and USB devices and other peripherals. KNOPPIX can be used as a productive Linux system for the desktop, educational CD, rescue system, or adapted and used as a platform for commercial software product demos.”

Origin – Home Page: Germany – Knoppix

Desktop: KDE, with compiz-fusion as 3D window manager.

Price: Free to use and distribute. Open Source

Comments: Knoppix is a LiveDVD distro that like most Linux Live media distributions offers the option to install to hard disk. Whereas other Linux/BSD live environments have an icon on the desktop that you use to initiate the installation process, with Knoppix, however, you have to use the CLI (Command LIne) command – knoppix-installer.

The Knoppix installer is not LVM aware, but seasoned Linux users can configure LVM if they choose to. The user-land LVM utilitites are installed. Knoppix installs lots of applications, probably more than most users will ever need to use. A wide variety of Internet, multimedia, office, security, networking, and remote management applications are installed. To boot, Scribus, the Open Source desktop publishing application is installed.

This distro has an integrated firewall application.

Download/Buy: The latest stable version is Knoppix-5.3, and you may get it from any number of download mirrors. You may also choose to buy a CD/DVD from select vendors.