Mobile Live Linux Systems

GNU/Linux software can be included in many devices. If these are bootable from a computer or computer like system, then you have the freedom to carry you chosen software system, your files, presentations, favorite music and even video clips with you.

A few of the possible usable bootable storage devices are

• CDR disc
• CDRW disc
• DVD disc
• DVD_RW disc
• USB flash memory pen drive and other USB storage devices

Linux systems can be as small as 10MB to 700MB which compresses about 2GB of software. Then ther are DVD versions with enormous amounts of software as well.

The most popular live CD in the world is Knoppix. It is also available as a DVD.

These CDs are great. But to create one with the software of your own, you have to "remaster" this CD - a complicated, time consuming process.

But there is an easy way to do this.

The 50MB systems give the best of functionality, speed, customization and usability. The "king" of such systems is Damn Small Linux or DSL.  http://www.damnsmalllinux.org

DSL allows us to easily create a customised Linux CD which you can take with you and run from any computer with a CD/DVD ROM drive, a USB drive in a machine with USB booting enabled (or even without booting from a windows machine!), a flash card wtc.

It can run in a old PC with simple but effective software, but, if you are running in a powerful machine, add the powerful software from a repository in the "optional" directory, by a couple of clicks.

One can make a CD wiith software of your choice and install it to the Hard Disk as well.

The simplest way to make a customised CD is to get a CDR or CDRW, dump the ISO into it, but keep it open and multi-session (the default in most CD writing software).

Then create or download the software you want and just add them to the CD using your cd-writing software. These are files with a dsl extension - a special type of compressed file. There is a growing repository of such files. You can create your own too!

You decide if you want to have this software program auto starting with the CD as it boots or, if you will enable it when you want, by a single click. ( a little more hassel but it keeps the ability of the CD to boot fast and run on older machines as well).

This is so easy to do that it is ideal for home users/desktop users and even for power users.

It is part of the Linux revolution in innovative use of software.