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Knoppix Operating System :-)

From Physfitfreak <physfitfreak@gmail.com>
Newsgroups sci.physics, comp.os.linux.advocacy, comp.os.linux.portable
Subject Knoppix Operating System :-)
Date 2023-11-08 18:11 -0600
Organization Modern Human
Message-ID <uih831$196f7$2@solani.org> (permalink)

Cross-posted to 3 groups.

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I recently installed Linux Mint on an old computer. After going through 
issues with needed graphics card drivers and mouse issues that partially 
disabled it I fetched my old CD and floppies box to get my Knoppix CD 
that I had made I think 15 years back. I had made that CD as a back up 
tool to access my files on a Windows machine (probably WinXP) in case it 
wouldn't boot in Windows, cause it had started to give me issues.

What I feared happened eventually, and that CD saved my ass. The 
computer had in it many newly-worked-on program files that I was 
developing for inventory control for some Chinese electronics company. 
Weeks of extremely careful work was saved in that way. I simply booted 
the computer from DVD driver and Knoppix version of linux came up right 
away, able to see, and copy any program on the hard drive to a USB flash 
drive.

This type of Windows failure happened one more time a few years later, 
but when I used that Knoppix CD, this time it could not see the files on 
hard drive. That old version could only see a certain type of file 
system, and my new computer had a different type of file system on it.

So it failed me the second time.

I got that same CD last night to try and see how it compares with the 
Linux Mint that I had installed on the hard drive. The knoppix came on 
fast but again, although could sense the existence of a storage device 
that was my hard drive, could not see the contents. The file system was 
different.

So I got online and download the iso file for the latest version (9.1) 
and using one of the preinstalled Linux Mint apps ("USB Image Writer") 
created a bootable Knoppix on a 16 gb flash drive. In Windows also the 
process is as easy and similar. Then booted the computer via USB and a 
much faster and nicer and extremely more tailor-made Knoppix jumped on 
my screen, able to see and access everything on my hard drive and other 
flash drives inserted.

The amount of preinstalled apps on it, and the ease with which it 
installed, without giving any problems, made me aware that it was indeed 
an OS targeting the general public.

Knoppix is very fast because after boot up the whole OS will exist 
inside RAM memory.

Then after messing with it, while wondering how headache-less it was 
compared to Windows (and macOS) it occurred to me that with a large 
enough capacity flash drive you don't even have to have an HDD or SSD on 
your system anymore! Computers become cheaper, coming without such 
drives. Only the RAM must be high enough to contain the entire OS inside 
itself to run from there, probably as fast as SSDs. And the flash drive 
should have large capacity in case RAM capacity isn't large enough on 
the computer.

I don't know how reliable a flash drive is, but you can always back up 
your files in another flash drive :)

Knoppix has impressed me, cause it has important potentials. It might 
eventually destroy the general public market for Windows and macOS. Bye 
bye perpetual "update" headaches that general public go through in their 
homes. Bye bye "activation" pile of crap. Bye bye "sudo this and sudo 
that" type of nonsensical nitty gritty done at command level Linux, 
stuff that only minions with a "computer science" degree should concern 
themselves with, not the general public who've got better things to do 
in their lives.

With Knoppix you will never need to go to a terminal, although it's 
there if you're adventurous or have the skills. And it can use DOS 
software as well in its included DOS emulation.

Free, fast, and very simple and quick installation, and packed with 
already installed apps for everything you might need. It even has Maxima 
and Step ready to use for you (Linux Mint can have them too of course, 
but they don't come preinstalled); these two apps are pure gold for 
scientists and students alike. High school as well as university level 
workhorses.

All Microsoft Office products have equivalents in the free LibreOffice 
collection of software which come preinstalled in Knoppix. There are 
apps already installed that teach you various languages, anatomy, bones, 
history, vocabularies in various languages, all in the form of flash 
cards that you can practice with. Also installed are a few apps for 
programming. A member of general public will almost never need to 
install anything else on it.

It was developed in Germany by Klaus Knopper. So the big tech could not 
harass (or perhaps outright threaten) him for an OS that would make 
Windows and macOS, together with HDD and SSD's in computers, obsolete 
and unnecessary to have for the general public.

I intend to gradually migrate to totally doing away with Windows and 
hard drives for my computers at home, and simply use Knoppix from then 
on. If it turns out it's not made for compiling and executing computer 
programs, then I always have my old powerful S20 ThinkStation to go to 
:) A couple of years back I tried installing Linux Mint on that one, but 
turned out it wouldn't work. I switched back to Windows, and I think for 
heavy programming and compiling and running, Windows is still the best 
if you do that at home. At work, a Unix machine could handle that easily 
(they're really made with doing just that in mind). But Linux and 
certainly Knoppix would not work well in that area. At least this is 
what I suspect at this point. I have to try it myself to see.

At workplace, i.e., the business market, big tech rules because the 
former need capabilities that only Windows and macOS (and Unix) have. 
But at home, no matter who you are, Knoppix is all you need to use with 
your computer. You will buy lots of cheap high capacity USB flash drives 
and will max the RAM your computer can handle, and then you will remove 
your obsolete HDD and SSD from your computer and keep them as curiosity 
items from years gone by :)

Large capacity flash drives and RAM, and Knoppix OS, will free you from 
paying for and having Windows and macOS forever.



Back to comp.os.linux.portable | Previous | NextNext in thread | Find similar


Thread

Knoppix Operating System :-) Physfitfreak <physfitfreak@gmail.com> - 2023-11-08 18:11 -0600
  Re: Knoppix Operating System :-) Physfit Freak <physfitfreak@gmail.com> - 2023-11-09 11:36 -0500
    Re: Knoppix Operating System :-) Physfitfreak <Physfitfreak@gmail.com> - 2023-11-09 19:41 -0600
      Re: Knoppix Operating System :-) Physfitfreak <physfitfreak@gmail.com> - 2023-11-10 18:03 -0600
        Re: Knoppix Operating System :-) Physfit Freak <physfitfreak@gmail.com> - 2023-11-11 18:54 -0500
      Re: Knoppix Operating System :-) Physfitfreak <physfitfreak@gmail.com> - 2023-11-10 18:11 -0600
        Re: Knoppix Operating System :-) Physfitfreak <physfitfreak@gmail.com> - 2023-11-16 18:19 -0600
          Re: Knoppix Operating System :-) The Starmaker <starmaker@ix.netcom.com> - 2023-11-17 00:11 -0800
            Re: Knoppix Operating System :-) Physfitfreak <Physfitfreak@gmail.com> - 2023-11-17 19:32 -0600
          Re: Knoppix Operating System :-) Physfitfreak <Physfitfreak@gmail.com> - 2023-11-17 21:57 -0600
      Re: Knoppix Operating System :-) Physfitfreak <physfitfreak@gmail.com> - 2023-11-10 19:19 -0600
        Re: Knoppix Operating System :-) Physfitfreak <physfitfreak@gmail.com> - 2023-11-10 19:23 -0600
          Re: Knoppix Operating System :-) Joel <joelcrump@gmail.com> - 2023-11-10 20:36 -0500
            Re: Knoppix Operating System :-) Physfitfreak <physfitfreak@gmail.com> - 2023-11-10 21:32 -0600
              Re: Knoppix Operating System :-) Joel <joelcrump@gmail.com> - 2023-11-11 11:57 -0500
                Re: Knoppix Operating System :-) Physfitfreak <physfitfreak@gmail.com> - 2023-11-11 13:37 -0600
                Re: Knoppix Operating System :-) candycanearter07 <no@thanks.net> - 2023-11-11 15:16 -0600
                Re: Knoppix Operating System :-) Joel <joelcrump@gmail.com> - 2023-11-11 16:51 -0500
    Re: Knoppix Operating System :-) Tyrone <none@none.none> - 2023-11-10 08:53 -0500
      Re: Knoppix Operating System :-) Physfitfreak <physfitfreak@gmail.com> - 2023-11-10 18:01 -0600

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