Knoppix Linux for Not Yet Techies

Knoppix is a popular Linux distribution based on the Debian version of Linux, which is popular in Europe.

Knoppix was started by and is named after Klaus Knopper, a German computer science teacher who started it in 1999.

Klaus Knopper got tired of having to get permission to install Linux onto school personal computers, or when traveling, so that he could demonstrate Linux to students.

So he invented a version of the Linux operating system that can be delivered with a DVD -- so Knoppix is a live DVD operating system.

This is also good for PC users who want to try Linux, without having to repartition their hard drive to install it with Windows. Or, even worse, to wipe Windows off their hard drive altogether. Many people are reluctant to that. Many of us hate the idea of installing two separate operating systems onto one hard drive, so there's a dual-boot installation.

So conventional Linux is difficult for us mere mortals who aren't geek or techie enough to easily install it.

However, I'm not real attracted to what you have to do with Knoppix. You put the DVD in, of course, while your computer is off. Then you turn it on and while it's booting up, you must dynamically change the boot order. (For example, for Dell computers, pressing the F-12 key at the proper time will do the trick.)

The alternative is to go into BIOS and edit it so that the boot order is changed so it boots up the operating system on the CD before bringing up the system OS.

I've been in BIOS, but I'm not keen on making changes to it. Especially since they must be wiped off after you're done, unless you're planning on using Knoppix permanently, in which case you'll have to install it on your hard drive anyway.

Plus, using Knoppix from a DVD uses up your RAM. So it's best to have plenty of RAM (which you should anyway), plus enough room on your hard drive to create an artificial RAM there.

And like all Linux, is built to support networking and is far more stable than Windows. The sudo system (for Super User) is between the root and regular user accounts.

The Knoppix distribution is of course open source software, under the GNU GPL General Public License.

Knoppix consists of the Linux kernel, the KDE graphical desktop, Thunderbird email, Mozilla Firefox web browser, Open Office (the open source version of Microsoft's Office program suite), Linux modules that work with the kernel and your machine's hardware, libraries, file systems, installation and configuration utilities.

If you've ever wanted to try Linux without all the hassle of putting it on your PC, get the Knoppix CD.

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