Talk:Knoppix

Knoppix
Knoppix mostly consists of free and open source software, but also includes proprietary software
 * The cite note [3] only specifies that exceptions to the rule of only having free software in the distrobution may be made if the license is "liberal" enough (ex, free distrobution of the binary). That doesn't seem to say that proprietary software is actually included. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.108.195.223 (talk) 09:21, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

Kernel version
The page doesn't list this, but Knoppix 6.0.1 uses kernel version 2.6.28.4. Should this be included? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.189.27.129 (talk) 16:28, 19 March 2009 (UTC)

Optimizing Performance
I moved the following section from the article. I see several issues with it, mostly being poorly useful, but someone may be able to address this and move back a modified section. The first issue is that copying the Knoppix folder to a partition is pretty much installing it. I can only see this procedure as useful in corner cases. Another issue about the rest of the section is that few systems have 1 GB of RAM. Finally, the fact that speed isn't a reason to use Knoppix doesn't mean that its speed doesn't matter. --Chealer 07:28, 13 July 2006 (UTC)

One drawback of using Knoppix is that running the programs from the CD-ROM leads to long program loading time. There is a relatively straightforward way to accelerate work under Knoppix if an empty FAT32-partition is available. The Knoppix folder may be copied into this partition by using any operating system. When the Knoppix system boots, the CD-ROM or DVD is only used for loading an initial minimal system and then the switch over to the Knoppix folder on the harddisk is made for further work. This leads to straightforward upgrading of a new version of Knoppix. People just replace a folder on the harddisk partition. It is also possible to get the entire CD copied into RAM by using the "toram" option. However, this takes some time and requires enough abundant memory- 1 gig of RAM for the CD version. Damn Small Linux is a Knoppix variant that uses less than 128mb of RAM to cache all of its files. The CD or DVD may be removed after booting if this option is used.

Another option is to install Knoppix on the hard drive, as described in the Usage section, so that the CD/DVD is never used.

Knoppix's relatively poor performance in this respect is generally not an issue, since the main reasons to use Knoppix do not include speed but rather having a working Linux system by just inserting a CD/DVD and perhaps a USB memory stick. -- The preceding section was added by Chealer on 13. July 2006, 07:28‎ (UTC)


 * This would be good to add into some subpage of a Wikibooks entry about Knoppix. -Mardus (talk) 17:46, 30 December 2012 (UTC)

Cheat Codes
The cheat codes seem like a useful resource. Is having them listed a problem?


 * I don't see why. The description doesn't make too clear what they are, though; that's something that could be improved. -- Antaeus Feldspar 00:01, 25 August 2005 (UTC)

Tomorrow I'll put them back, maybe adding some explanation, unless someone has substantive objections.--Tom harrison 00:05, 25 August 2005 (UTC)
 * Yes, it's problematic and I'm moving them here. Having them forces to duplicate the maintainance of something which is much more manual material than encyclopedic material. Furthermore, they were very partial. Having an example may be acceptable. What was in the article follows.--Chealer 03:35, 19 May 2006 (UTC)

Boot Options
Boot options are also known as cheat codes. Automatic hardware detection may fail, or the user may want to use something other than the default settings. For example, the user may wish to boot into xfce, or boot a plain console, or proceed without SCSI support. For this, Knoppix allows the user to enter one or more cheat codes at the prompt before booting. If the user doesn't enter a cheat code, or if no key is pressed before the timeout, Knoppix will boot with its default options. Cheat codes affect many auto-detection and hardware options. Many cheat codes also affect the GUI. The list of cheat codes is available on the Knoppix mirrors, and can be seen at boot time by pressing F1.

Languages
To set a language other than the default (CDs are available with either German or English as the default language), type your language abbreviation at the boot prompt. For US English, one would type:

Graphic cards
The graphics card device driver is very important in using this distribution as it relies on a Graphical user interface, although most expert users can make use of the command line interface. If your graphics card does not work, it may be that it is new (or exotic) and is not in the knoppix hardware database yet. New cards will usually work under Linux, but they may have to be run using a generic driver, with a boot option like this:

UnionFS and read-only media
I'm not sure about the accuracy of the article concerning the recent addition of UnionFS to Knoppix and its effects. The article states that changes can only be made to the boot media if it was written on a CD-RW or other rewritable media. However, it was my understanding that one only needed the boot media to be multi-session-writable, and that at boot time the UnionFS would read all sessions and then boot the union of the filesystems contained therein. Can someone confirm or deny this? -- Antaeus Feldspar 19:02, 20 September 2005 (UTC)


 * I don't think you can just burn Knoppix to a CD and leave the session open. I think Knoppix would have to be remastered to have this ability, like slax. After that would it still be Knoppix? But certainly you are correct in principle. Maybe somewhere else in the article there could be a mention of the ability to do this.--Tom harrison 21:59, 20 September 2005 (UTC)


 * I updated the article and as well the article about the UnionFS file system and I hope that the passage outlines now the main use of it. (union of read-only file systems plus read-write filesystems; the DVD editions has two large read-only image files). Hirzel 13:05, 29 November 2005 (UTC)

Persistent home (knoppix.img)
When creating a persistent home directory a file called knoppix.img is created. It is said to contain a EXT2 file system. Is this correct? Is it possible to access this file system MSfrom Windows?

62.202.117.179 10:00, 2 December 2005 (UTC)

UnionFS and writing to the boot medium

 * In the latest version of Knoppix the UnionFS filesystem even allows a user to write to the boot media (e.g., if Knoppix has been burned onto a CD-RW or DVD±RW).

Can someone provide a source for it? 'Cause I've googling to find some details and still can't figure out how. I've successfully booted from DVD-RW, made some changes to the system (like: new drivers, software). The changed files are visible on /ramdisk but now I can't save it. Something along the lines of growisofs -M /dev/hdc /ramdisk complains that the medium is "not appendable". Did I burn the Knoppix image with bad options? Anyway, how can you burn to a medium that's still mounted? So, any Knoppix gurus around here? 'Cause this feature sounds great (if it's true that is)! --Misza13 (Talk) 15:26, 4 January 2006 (UTC)

Now Knoppix 5.0
Now since Cebit is Knoppix 5.0 available as "KNOPPIX_V5.0DVD-2006-02-25-DE.iso.torrent" and "KNOPPIX_V5.0DVD-2006-02-25-EN.iso.torrent". So s.b. could Update this page with screenshot and.... New in Knoppix is .... no I do not copy it here, Please look after on linux pages and with www search machines (par example google).

--138.89.56.7 19:31, 29 March 2006 (UTC) Dieter

Does anyone have a link to a Knoppix 5.0 CD? Don't have a DVD burner at hand here. And the 5.0 CD seems to be hidden pretty well. Guaka 18:42, 28 April 2006 (UTC)

corrections to Drawbacks of Knoppix
Now Knoppix 4.0 is able to install additional SW and drivers on an a file on your computer, which is a kind of immage that works like an overlay above the DVD contents. With restrictions first statement is not always true.

Point "engaged optical drive" is not at all correct. tohd and fromhd is described in next chapter. In some cases a work around is possible.

The FAT 32 partition need not to be empty. It has to have only enough free space for the folder knoppix and a big file in the folder, which is not bigger than the DVD/CD image.

--138.89.56.7 19:31, 29 March 2006 (UTC) Dieter

Improper tone and such
Looking through this article, I see that it addresses the reader directly ("you can do this," etc.), contrary to the style required by a Wikipedia article. I'll put Template:Inappropriate person on it if nobody objects. 70.114.7.71 23:12, 6 June 2006 (UTC)
 * I've finished a complete review of the article, which should have solved this.--Chealer 01:47, 18 July 2006 (UTC)

Popularity
am i alone in thinking any subhead that begins with Although there is no data to base this claim on, deserves no space on wiki? the fact is probably true, but it needs a citation. Kaini 02:58, 25 September 2006 (UTC)

Dead Distro?
I have removed this link as I saw some activity at and. If you have evidence that this is indeed a dead distro no longer looked after, please provide specific evidence - ie changelogs that haven't been touched for a long time (ie several months) etc. I am happy to discuss, and put that line back in, but need specific evidence, because as far as I can tell it is still being maintained. Floorwalker 04:02, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

Current versions - Update on Knoppix 5.3.1 status
Last year a free download version of Knoppix 5.2 (CEBit-version) was not available. After the CEBit this year (2008) with version 5.3 Klaus Knopper has announced the download version 5.3.1. The "roadmap" of Knoppix 5.3.1 is here. --AlloG (talk) 07:52, 18 March 2008 (UTC)


 * Knoppix 5.3.1 is "out" today. Download http://torrent.unix-ag.uni-kl.de/ It's too fresh to find any other Information now. Perhaps for further Information watch the Knoppix forums (e.g. on http://www.knoppix.net/)--AlloG (talk) 10:19, 27 March 2008 (UTC)


 * Knoppix 5.3.1 is announced on knopper.net: http://www.knopper.net/knoppix/knoppix53-en.html —Preceding unsigned comment added by AlloG (talk • contribs) 10:08, 28 March 2008 (UTC)

= Old discussions =

Memory requirements 128k!?
This article says that Knoppix requires "at least" 128k memory. Am I being dumb in thinking this is far too small a value? I read it as 128 meg before I double checked. IDX 20:42, 28 September 2005 (UTC)

128M is the correct figure. I'd be surprised if it ran on 128K. -- Antaeus Feldspar 20:54, 28 September 2005 (UTC)

Also, If it does not have enough ram to run kde (82MB) it will run TWM. Thanks, --RaviC 21:53, 30 April 2007 (UTC)

Did Masssiveego rant?
I just cleaned up the "Problems with Knoppix" section, but look at his revision. Seems like this guy had problems with Knoppix that was a little personal. What do you guys think? --Bash 04:02, 29 September 2005 (UTC)


 * I don't have much problem with it as it now stands, as long as it's factual. I question "Knoppix 3.9 cannot work with many soundcards..." Many? I've used Knoppix with at least six different soundcards and not had a problem. I might change this to "some popular soundcards," but "some common hardware" might be even more accurate. Is Knoppix less likely to support a random soundcard than a random network card? And if so, is that a Knoppix problem or a Linux problem?


 * I might change "Motherboards with a bios before 2002" to "Some motherboards with a bios before 2002." I've used Knoppix 3.4 on three boxes from 1998-1999 without any issues.


 * The 128MB memory requirement only applies to the default boot into KDE. If you boot without X into a console you can run Knoppix 3.4 with 32MB, if you can use some of the hard-drive for swap.


 * Still, it is "Problems with Knoppix," so I wouldn't want to minimize any legitimate problems. Massiveego's addition of links was very useful, and I want to look at them carefully before I change much. Tom harrison 13:24, 29 September 2005 (UTC)


 * Unfortunately Knoppix has many limitations with old hardware

made before 1998 and motherboards made 2002. Other people have expressed thse problems on-line. Problems such as.. Knoppix is slow loading more then 2 minutes at boot up, lacking macromedia shockwave or swf flash players, lacking PDF support.

Problems like Knoppix cannot autoload certain other hardware cards such as external network devices, and cannot write to a window based system. Knoppix cannot be upgraded, or when devices are set when used as live CD and with no hard drive. These points of limitation should in my opinion should show that Knoppix set up as is, lack utility nor is good as a long term solution. --Masssiveego 18:55, 10 October 2005 (UTC)

added hard drive install details
hi, i'm new to wikipedia editing so i wasn't able to put all the links in and stuff, but i noticed that there was nothin in here that mentioned the ability of knoppix to be installed to the hard drive. i found this quite a shame, as i find it one of the most usefull aspects of knoppix (i am in fact on a hard drive installation of knoppix as i type this). The fact that you can read slashdot while waiting for the install to complete - pure genius. anyway, i hope someone tidys up the linking aspect of it and any other polishable bits, but please leave in the installation section as i was very surprised nothing was put here about this knowledge - withnail420
 * hey, welcome to wiki - unfortunately, wikipedia is not a howto - the information you added is perhaps better suited to wikibooks or something instead of pedia, so it's been removed from the article. --Kaini 02:22, 19 October 2006 (UTC)


 * shame, i thought it was quite relevant,especially as the part about a persistant home directory is included, which seemed quite how-to (and relevant) -like. withnail420


 * Wikipedia articles can describe the general functionality and purpose of an operating system, including key features such as the persistant home directory. However, this is only to establish an understanding of the system from a cultural and historical point of view. It does not describe the actions a user would take to set one up. The article does mention hard disk installation is possible. It is not necessary to walk the reader through all of the steps. An encyclopedia should be written in a formal, neutral tone; not as though a person is writing directly to the reader in their own language. Otherwise, it becomes the smorgasbord that is Uncyclopedia.

List of Knoppix Variations
I've added a link to the Knoppix wiki to that list, but since I suspect it is likely to be the most up to date version, the section may be removed entirely. Any thoughts on this ? Comte0 17:32, 9 February 2007 (UTC)

Adriane Knoppix acronym
Adriane is not a recursive acronym. It might be a backronym. Can anyone verify? --Daev 15:21, 28 June 2007 (UTC)

5.2 release
There is no info in the article about 5.2, that was released in CEBIT 07 —Preceding unsigned comment added by ManoloKosh (talk • contribs) 10:45, 28 November 2007 (UTC)

Is Knoppix DEAD?!
Some one added just one word into the article to change it's meaning: "Knoppix is a dead Linux Distribution...". I don't know if it's really dead, it's just a very long time since they released a new version. Can someone clarify on this? --Bruin_rrss23 (talk) 03:50, 29 November 2007 (UTC)
 * I am confused as well about the rumored "death." I have been using the Knoppix Live DVD for a while now (when it comes in handy to have a boot disc, that is). I only just visited the article to see if there was any news. I couldn't find anything on knoppix.net, knoppix.org, or knopper.net. I admit that I might have missed something, but if that is the case, the news of the death of Knoppix isn't exactly the most widely broadcasted news out there. When I search google for "knoppix dead" I get articles and forums that go back as far as 2003, which is just out of the known scope. We need something more recent, and not just rumors. --Trakon (talk) 09:20, 29 November 2007 (UTC)

No - not so far as I know. I removed, and as requested earlier by someone else, would the anonymous user who keeps putting that in either stop, or else supply evidence. Granted, Klaus Knopper seems to be a little behind schedule with his last edition, but I see nothing on his website indicating that he does not plan to go forward with the next release. And besides, we're just talking about a few months here, give the guy a break. He has a great product and I wish him all the best. Bmord (talk) 23:27, 29 November 2007 (UTC)

Version history
Can we please compile a list of the version history into a similar table?

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ubuntu_(Linux_distribution)&oldid=203271934#Releases Altonbr (talk) 03:28, 25 February 2008 (UTC)

This is not ubuntu. So create a Knoppix-table you want or remove it !

new version and ubuntu
I edited the Ubuntu reference but then I removed because it's unrelated to Knoppix. Not sure what is/was the rationale for having it on the 'see also' section. By the way, I don't follow the Knoppix realease history but it looks like version 5.3 is out and there is no reference in the article about it: http://www.knopper.net/knoppix/knoppix53-en.html Universalcosmos (talk) 16:06, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

Versions - CD development no longer in parallel
In Knoppix I changed the sentence to read as follows.

As of April 2008, from version 4 up until 5.1.1, Knoppix has been split into a DVD "maxi" edition (with over 9GB of software), and a CD "light" edition, both developed in parallel, after 5.1.1 only the DVD version is available.

I also added the html comment "please update this if newer CD version becomes available."

This is supported by Klaus Knopper's statement here: "Not started yet, probably after release date of DVD".-84.222.17.27 (talk) 20:55, 24 April 2008 (UTC)

Clarify CD - DVD differences earlier
I think that perhaps large sections of this need to be reworked due to recent Knoppix developments related to the vast differences between the CD and DVD versions, which have become more and more divergent. I think a basic reader would get the impression that the current cd version is just a limited version of the full DVD version- ie basically the same with core functions, but the DVD just has more apps. However, the two versions now use different desktop managers (KDE vs LXDE), different browsers/file managers, etc. The actual differences aren't really alluded to until the Versions section, well into the article, while the Contents section practically implies that KDE is the default desktop for all versions of Knoppix. That was once the case, but not anymore.

I don't really have a thorough enough knowledge to correct these issues, but thought it should be brought to light. It's worth noting that this is a general problem in the Knoppix community- finding information about the new CD version can be difficult. But if anyone is up to the task, I think it would be helpful. Canjecricketer (talk) 18:47, 23 February 2009 (UTC)

=New discussions=

Historical significance
I think Knoppix's automatic hardware detection and configuration was a really massive contribution to the usability of Linux. Was there anything else that did insane things like boot directly into X without any user intervention before Knoppix? I know there were a couple times I booted off a Knoppix CD just to get the information to configure another distro, before the major distros started adding Knoppix's auto-detection. —Darxus (talk) 17:36, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

Talk Page
This talk page is truly bizarre, it seems as though someone moved new discussions to the top a few years ago, against WP:TALK recommendations, and new talk appears at the top and the bottom now! 65.94.69.242 (talk) 12:14, 8 January 2011 (UTC)

Latest Version Layout
I have been working on a Linux Users Group resource page and need some conformity of all the Wiki Linux versions and distributions. Debian has an excellent template and I have made an RSS reader to pluck version data from the wiki page. Would be nice if I could get all of them to follow this method and my page could keep up to date with all the latest versions. RSS source path http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Template:Latest_stable_software_release/Debian&feed=rss&action=history RSS Template. http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Template:Latest_stable_software_release/Debian&action=edit — Preceding unsigned comment added by Icarusfactor (talk • contribs) 02:41, 23 August 2012 (UTC)

Should old discussions be archived?
I propose that the talk section Old Discussions (or most parts of it) should be archived, given that its presence and placement in the talk page as it currently is may appear confusing. -Mardus (talk) 17:48, 30 December 2012 (UTC)

Hardware requirements
I've updated hardware requirements to be slightly more realistic. The official minimum system requriements are very outdated (the page itself was last updated on 17.06.2008).

I've updated the graphical requirements part to a minimum 256 Mb of RAM, as 128 M is very borderline and allows only entering LXDE in Knoppix 6.0 and that's that. Even if a swap file or partition might help out in a system with just 128 Mb RAM, then I still won't recommend it to anyone. The current requirements recommendation is thus based on a user not being able to use swap at all. -Mardus (talk) 18:14, 30 December 2012 (UTC)

External links modified
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