Desktop Light Linux
Encyclopedia
Desktop Light Linux is a desktop
Linux distribution
for old PCs
.
7, using Linux 2.2.
DeLi Linux version 0.7 is a development from scratch with Linux 2.4.33.3 and no longer based on Slackware
. The OS still used the Slackware package management, additionally there is a new port system
based on CRUX
. DeLi Linux is now based on uClibc
instead of the GNU C Library
. A port of OpenBSD
's Korn shell
is used as the default shell.
Version 0.8 introduced the Pacman package manager, and the 0.8 series will focus on internationalisation. Version 0.8.0 also switched the web browser to NetSurf
and Skipstone, having previously been Konqueror Embedded
, and Dillo
before that.
and Siag Office
as the office suite
s. For the web browser
, there are NetSurf
and Skipstone. Included email clients are Mutt
and Sylpheed
. Window manager
s IceWM
and Fluxbox
are included. For editing, DeLi Linux offers e3, elvis
and Beaver.
Since DeLi Linux ships only light weight software, many popular open source packages are not included, such as GNOME
, KDE
, Emacs
and Mozilla Thunderbird
.
with 32 MB RAM as a minimum. However, a Linux Swap partition needs to be selected during setup to run DeLi with less than 48 MB RAM. It should work smoothly with a 486
. A full installation with all packages requires nearly 750 MB of hard disk space.
Guidelines for Free System Distributions of the Free Software Foundation
.
Desktop environment
In graphical computing, a desktop environment commonly refers to a style of graphical user interface derived from the desktop metaphor that is seen on most modern personal computers. These GUIs help the user in easily accessing, configuring, and modifying many important and frequently accessed...
Linux distribution
Linux distribution
A Linux distribution is a member of the family of Unix-like operating systems built on top of the Linux kernel. Such distributions are operating systems including a large collection of software applications such as word processors, spreadsheets, media players, and database applications...
for old PCs
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
.
Release history
Until version 0.6.1 DeLi Linux was based on SlackwareSlackware
Slackware is a free and open source Linux-based operating system. It was one of the earliest operating systems to be built on top of the Linux kernel and is the oldest currently being maintained. Slackware was created by Patrick Volkerding of Slackware Linux, Inc. in 1993...
7, using Linux 2.2.
DeLi Linux version 0.7 is a development from scratch with Linux 2.4.33.3 and no longer based on Slackware
Slackware
Slackware is a free and open source Linux-based operating system. It was one of the earliest operating systems to be built on top of the Linux kernel and is the oldest currently being maintained. Slackware was created by Patrick Volkerding of Slackware Linux, Inc. in 1993...
. The OS still used the Slackware package management, additionally there is a new port system
Ports collection
Ports collections are the sets of makefiles and patches provided by the BSD-based operating systems, FreeBSD, NetBSD, and OpenBSD, as a simple method of installing software or creating binary packages...
based on CRUX
CRUX
CRUX is a lightweight, i686-optimized GNU/Linux distribution targeted at experienced GNU/Linux users and delivered by a tar.gz-based package system with BSD-style initscripts. It also utilizes a ports system to install and upgrade applications. The current release is 2.7.1.Although crux is the...
. DeLi Linux is now based on uClibc
UClibc
In computing, uClibc is a small C standard library intended for embedded Linux systems. uClibc was created to support uClinux, a version of Linux not requiring a memory management unit and thus suited for microcontrollers .The project lead is Erik Andersen. The other main contributor is Manuel...
instead of the GNU C Library
GNU C Library
The GNU C Library, commonly known as glibc, is the C standard library released by the GNU Project. Originally written by the Free Software Foundation for the GNU operating system, the library's development has been overseen by a committee since 2001, with Ulrich Drepper from Red Hat as the lead...
. A port of OpenBSD
OpenBSD
OpenBSD is a Unix-like computer operating system descended from Berkeley Software Distribution , a Unix derivative developed at the University of California, Berkeley. It was forked from NetBSD by project leader Theo de Raadt in late 1995...
's Korn shell
Korn shell
The Korn shell is a Unix shell which was developed by David Korn in the early 1980s and announced at USENIX on July 14, 1983. Other early contributors were AT&T Bell Labs developers Mike Veach, who wrote the emacs code, and Pat Sullivan, who wrote the vi code...
is used as the default shell.
Version 0.8 introduced the Pacman package manager, and the 0.8 series will focus on internationalisation. Version 0.8.0 also switched the web browser to NetSurf
NetSurf
NetSurf is an open source web browser which runs on a variety of platforms including RISC OS, AmigaOS and Unix-like systems. NetSurf has features that include tabbed browsing, text selection and PDF export...
and Skipstone, having previously been Konqueror Embedded
Konqueror Embedded
Konqueror Embedded is a version of the Konqueror browser designed to run on embedded systems. Unlike the full version of Konqueror, Embedded Konqueror is only a web browser. It does not require KDE or even the X window system...
, and Dillo
Dillo
Dillo is a minimalistic web browser particularly intended for older or slower computers and embedded systems. It supports only plain HTML/XHTML and images over HTTP; scripting is ignored entirely. Dillo is available for Linux, BSD, Solaris and Mac OS X. Due to its small size, it is the browser of...
before that.
| Version | Date |
|---|---|
| 0.1 | November 2, 2002 |
| 0.2 | March 19, 2003 |
| 0.3 | July 9, 2003 |
| 0.4 | November 26, 2003 |
| 0.5 | December 16, 2003 |
| 0.6 | June 16, 2004 |
| 0.6.1 | September 9, 2004 |
| 0.7 | 2006-09-15 |
| 0.7.1 | 2006-10-17 |
| 0.7.2 | 2007-05-18 |
| 0.8.0 | 2008-05-28 |
Software
DeLi Linux comes with AbiwordAbiWord
AbiWord is a free and open source software word processor. It was originally started by SourceGear Corporation as the first part of a proposed AbiSuite. Development stopped when SourceGear changed their focus to Internet appliances. AbiWord was adopted by some open source developers and AbiWord...
and Siag Office
Siag Office
Siag Office is a tightly integrated, free software office package for Unix-like operating systems. It consists of the spreadsheet SIAG , the word processor Pathetic Writer , the animation program Egon Animator, the text editor XedPlus, the file manager Xfiler and the previewer Gvu...
as the office suite
Office suite
In computing, an office suite, sometimes called an office software suite or productivity suite is a collection of programs intended to be used by knowledge workers...
s. For the web browser
Web browser
A web browser is a software application for retrieving, presenting, and traversing information resources on the World Wide Web. An information resource is identified by a Uniform Resource Identifier and may be a web page, image, video, or other piece of content...
, there are NetSurf
NetSurf
NetSurf is an open source web browser which runs on a variety of platforms including RISC OS, AmigaOS and Unix-like systems. NetSurf has features that include tabbed browsing, text selection and PDF export...
and Skipstone. Included email clients are Mutt
Mutt (e-mail client)
Mutt is a text-based email client for Unix-like systems. It was originally written by Michael Elkins in 1995 and released under the GNU General Public License version 2 or any later version....
and Sylpheed
Sylpheed
Sylpheed is an open source e-mail client and news client licensed under the GPL. It provides easy configuration and an abundance of features. It stores mail in the MH Message Handling System. Sylpheed runs on Unix-like systems such as Linux or BSD as well as on Mac OS X and Windows. It uses...
. Window manager
Window manager
A window manager is system software that controls the placement and appearance of windows within a windowing system in a graphical user interface. Most window managers are designed to help provide a desktop environment...
s IceWM
IceWM
IceWM is a stacking window manager for the X Window System graphical infrastructure, written by Marko Maček. It was coded from scratch in C++ and is released under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License...
and Fluxbox
Fluxbox
Fluxbox is a stacking window manager for the X Window System, which started as a fork of Blackbox 0.61.1, with the same aim to be lightweight. Its user interface has only a taskbar, a pop-up menu accessible by right-clicking on the desktop, and minimal support for graphical icons...
are included. For editing, DeLi Linux offers e3, elvis
Elvis (text editor)
Elvis is a powerful vi/ex clone, i.e. it resembles the Unix text editor "vi" very much but adds quite a few commands and features. Elvis is written by Steve Kirkendall and is distributed under the Clarified Artistic License which is used by Perl....
and Beaver.
Since DeLi Linux ships only light weight software, many popular open source packages are not included, such as GNOME
GNOME
GNOME is a desktop environment and graphical user interface that runs on top of a computer operating system. It is composed entirely of free and open source software...
, KDE
KDE
KDE is an international free software community producing an integrated set of cross-platform applications designed to run on Linux, FreeBSD, Microsoft Windows, Solaris and Mac OS X systems...
, Emacs
Emacs
Emacs is a class of text editors, usually characterized by their extensibility. GNU Emacs has over 1,000 commands. It also allows the user to combine these commands into macros to automate work.Development began in the mid-1970s and continues actively...
and Mozilla Thunderbird
Mozilla Thunderbird
Mozilla Thunderbird is a free, open source, cross-platform e-mail and news client developed by the Mozilla Foundation. The project strategy is modeled after Mozilla Firefox, a project aimed at creating a web browser...
.
Requirements
DeLi Linux needs a 386Intel 80386
The Intel 80386, also known as the i386, or just 386, was a 32-bit microprocessor introduced by Intel in 1985. The first versions had 275,000 transistors and were used as the central processing unit of many workstations and high-end personal computers of the time...
with 32 MB RAM as a minimum. However, a Linux Swap partition needs to be selected during setup to run DeLi with less than 48 MB RAM. It should work smoothly with a 486
Intel 80486
The Intel 80486 microprocessor was a higher performance follow up on the Intel 80386. Introduced in 1989, it was the first tightly pipelined x86 design as well as the first x86 chip to use more than a million transistors, due to a large on-chip cache and an integrated floating point unit...
. A full installation with all packages requires nearly 750 MB of hard disk space.
Successor project
In August 2010 the developers announced that DeLi Linux will be discontinued. Instead there will be a successor project, ConnochaetOShttp://www.connochaetos.org/wiki/ConnochaetOS, which will be a distribution for old computers, but with modern software. ConnochaetOS wants to follow theGuidelines for Free System Distributions of the Free Software Foundation
Free Software Foundation
The Free Software Foundation is a non-profit corporation founded by Richard Stallman on 4 October 1985 to support the free software movement, a copyleft-based movement which aims to promote the universal freedom to create, distribute and modify computer software...
.