MuLinux: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|Operating system}}

{{Infobox OS

| name = muLinux

| logo = [[ImageFile:Mulinux5.png]]

| website = [https://web.archive.org/web/20231203093405/https://www.micheleandreoli.org/public/Software/mulinux/ Micheleandreoli] (Archived from: [http://micheleandreoli.org/public/Software/mulinux/])

| website = [http://mulinux.dotsrc.org http://mulinux.dotsrc.org]

| family = [[Linux]] ([[Unix-like]])

| latest_release_version = 14r0

| latest_release_date = {{release date|2004|02|10}}

| latest_test_version = Lepton 0.5

| latest_test_date = {{release date|2004|04|15}}

| kernel_type = [[Monolithic kernel]]

| ui = [[Unix shell]] and [[fvwm95]]

| license = [[GPL]] and other

| working_state = Frozen

| supported_platforms = [[x86 architecture|x86-32]] and later

}}

'''muLinux''' is an [[Italy|Italian]], [[English language|English]]-language [[Minilightweight Linux|tiny]] [[Linuxdistribution]] distribution maintained by mathematics and physics professor Michele Andreoli, meant to allow very old and obsolete computers ([[80386]], [[80486]] and [[Pentium Pro]] hardware dating from between 1986 through 1998) to be used as basic intranet/Internet servers or text-based workstations with a [[UNIX]]-[[Unix-like|like]] [[operating system]]. It was also designed for quickly turning any 80386 or later computer into a temporary, powerful Linux machine, along with system repair, education, [[forensic analysis]] and what the developer called ''proselytizing''. In 2004 reviewer Paul Zimmer wrote, "Although there are several other single-floppy Linux distributions, none can match muLinux's extensive and unique combination of useful features."<ref name="Zimmer">Zimmer, Paul, ''[http://www.linfo.org/mulinux.html muLinux: A Brief Introduction]'', The Linux Information Project, 2004, retrieved 16 August 2008</ref> The last version update was in 2004, when further development of this "linux-on-a-floppy" distribution ended.

==Name==

The name ''muLinux'' comes from the [[Greek letter]] ''[[Mu (letter)|mu]]'' which is the [[SI]] symbol meaning ''one millionth'', harking to the very small size of this OS.<ref name="mu">mulinux.sunsite.dk, ''[http://mulinux.sunsite.dk/ muLinux official web page] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080914014537/http://mulinux.sunsite.dk/ |date=2008-09-14 }}'', retrieved 16 August 2008</ref>

==Minimalist design==

muLinux iswas based on the Linux 2.0.36 kernel.<ref name="Saunders">Saunders, Mike, "[http://www.linuxformat.co.uk/pdfs/LXF68.round.pdf Roundup: MiniDistros] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061001152250/http://www.linuxformat.co.uk/pdfs/LXF68.round.pdf |date=2006-10-01 }}", ''Linux Format'', July 2005, retrieved 16 August 2008</ref> Development was frozen in 2004 at version 14r0, with some of the code and packages taken from software releases going back to 1998 (owing only to their smaller sizes). An experimental, unstable version called Lepton had the 2.4 kernel.

muLinux cancould be both booted or installed to a hard drive on an obsolete machine from [[floppy disk]]s. A highly functional UNIX-like, network-enabled server with a [[Unix shell]] cancould be had from but one floppy disk. Another floppy disk will addadded workstation functionality and a legacy [[X Window]] [[VGA]] [[GUI]] comescame with a third floppy. One reviewer noted, "It's not gorgeous, but the whole X subsystem fits onto a single floppy. Egad."<ref name="Saunders"/> muLinux cancould also be unpacked and installed by a self-executable archive, or extracted directly, onto an old [[DOS]] or [[Windows 9x]] ([[umsdos]]) partition without harming the current OS. If the machine hashad a floppy disk drive muLinux can also bewould run on an otherwise diskless computer and no [[CD -ROM]] drive iswas needed.<ref name="Zimmer"/><ref name="Saunders"/>

Owing to its minimalist design muLinux iswas a single-user OS, sowith all operations are performed by the [[root user]]. It usesused the [[ext2]] Linux native file system (rather than the slower [[Minix]] file system seen in other single-floppy takes on Linux).<ref name="Zimmer"/> The OS iswas robust when used for text-based tasks along with basic file, light web page or email serving. It cancould also be adapted as a very tiny, stand-alone [[embedded system]].<ref>''ACM Indexed scientific database'' (abstract): "Linux Journal" Volume 2000, Issue 75es ''[http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=349542 Using Linux in Embedded and Real-Time Systems]'', July 2000, retrieved 16 August 2008</ref>

Historically, muLinux was sometimes installed by Windows users who wanted to learn about the commands and configuration of a [[UNIXUnix-like]]-like [[operating system]] before taking the step of installing a full [[Linux]] distribution or [[BSD]] release, although on later computers this could easily be done with any one of many [[live CD]] distributions. Since the distribution haswas always been wholly targeted at old hardware and meant to have a tiny footprint, Andreoli warned at the time that muLinux should ''not'' be used to ''evaluate'' Linux or open source software.<ref name="Zimmer"/> The OS comescame with a lean and pithy [[online help]] system which also happenshappened to be an introduction to UNIX, written in an English which the developer has called "fractured."<ref name="mu"/> The OS hashad "cheery dialogues" and a friendly sense of humour sprinkled throughout.<ref name="Saunders"/>

==System requirements==

muLinux needsneeded only minimal hardware, hence it willwould run on many thoroughly obsolete but still-working computers.<ref name="mu"/> Some machines from the later 1980s or very early 1990s may needhave needed additional [[SIMM]]s for enough [[RAM]] but overall, the requirements arewere only slightly higher than those for [[Windows 3.1]] so a still-working machine which when new in 1992 ran Windows 3.1 would likely be able to handle a hard drive installation of muLinux:

* 4 MB [[Random access memory|RAM]] if run from a hard drive

* 4 MB [[RAM]] if run from a hard drive

* 16 MB RAM if booted from floppies, can ''boot'' from floppy with only 8MB<ref name="Zimmer"/>

* about 20 MB of hard drive space

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==Packages==

muLinux comescame with many packages, each of which fitsfit on one floppy. muLinux iswas somewhat uniqueunusual in that all of the packages arewere wholly optional.<ref name="Zimmer"/><ref name="mu"/>

* SRV - basic server package with a web server, mail, [[SAMBA|samba]] and more

* WKS - basic work station package with [[Mutt (e-mail client)|mutt]], [[Lynx (web browser)|lynx]], [[Secure Shell|ssh]], [[Pretty Good Privacy|pgp]] and many other [[Unix shell]] applications

* X11 - legacy [[X Window]] 16 colour [[VGA]] environment (see below for [[SVGA]]) along with early versions of both the [[Windowsfvwm95]] 95and [[Afterstep]]ish [[fvwm95window manager]]s and(based on the [[NextStepWindows 95]]ish and [[AfterstepNeXTSTEP]] [[window managerGUI]]s respectively)

* VNC - for [[VNC|virtual network computing]]

* GCC - [[C (programming language)|C]] compiler

* TCL - [[Tcl/Tk]]+ scripting language, which also brings a few more X applications and tools

* TEX - [[TeX]] typesetting system

* PERL - [[Perl]] interpreter with modules

* EMU - [[Wine (software)|Wine]] and [[Dosemu]] [[emulator]]s

* JVM - [[Kaffe]] [[Java (programming language)|Java]] virtual machine

* NS1 - [[SVGA]] X server along with part of a small but highly obsolete version of [[Netscape Navigator]]

* NS2 - second part of [[Netscape Navigator]]

Packages by other authors havewere also been made available.

==References==

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== External links==

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20231203093405/https://www.micheleandreoli.org/public/Software/mulinux/ muLinux official Web page] (Archived from [https://www.micheleandreoli.org/public/Software/mulinux/ here].)

* [http://mulinux.sunsite.dk/ muLinux official web page]

{{Linux}}

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[[Category:Floppy-based Linux distributions]]

[[Category:Linux distributions]]

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