Damn Small Linux A Lightweight Linux Distro For Old Computers

​By the name yes it’s really small and lightweight (had to utter this word too “damn!”). Damn Small Linux is a distro that offers a GUI based OS for low resource systems and some applications for normal users task-alike. It’s designed with the intention to pack all the modern features under 50 MB.

​Well, that may sound crazy but you cannot rely on it as a primary OS if you have a recent modern hardware. Instead take a U-turn now and see what Ubuntu, Fedora or OpenSUSE has to offer.Damn Small Linux latest version is v4.11rc2 and development has been in a long pause since 2015. Don’t be put off by that because that’s how some people roll. Slow and steady until they sort things out.

• You could install it alongside Windows 2000 otherwise breath a new life on your unsupported old hardware.
• Create RTF using Ted
• Create spreadsheet file using Siag
• Set up your small server
• Play card games
• Browse the web, probably Distrowatch
• Read pdf files
• Listen to music
• Write scripts and just enjoy (for hobbies)

• Won’t get the option for 16:9 (1366×768) resolution which is what almost all of us have with us now.
• Time to shed some tears when your pal sends you a 2010/2013/… doc files and you don’t have a way to open it.
• ​Won’t get a good experience when browsing modern web pages.

Yeah! You’re still with me because you get the point.

Damn Small Linux is meant for older systems and that’s just best as it is. Above all, it’s okay to be amazed to find out you could still get an OS under 50 MB. Still better, what if you could get it lower than that?? There is another Linux by the name Tiny Core Linux (12 MB) but a bit fairly advanced stuff if you don’t know how-to-compile-stuff.

• Damn Small Linux can be upgraded to be Debian-compatible.
• Boot it as a live CD if you want to try it out only.
• Install it on pen drive. That means you carry the OS with you anywhere.
• In a sense, it has all the tools you need.

​It’d be damn useless if I didn’t bother to upload some screenshots so a reader can get the feel of the OS, right?

• At first startup    on CD before installation  –

• Screen resolution setup

• Accessing apps

• Running aTerm

• Ted- a word processor (RTF)

• Siag- spreadsheet program

• Freecell game on Damn Small Linux

​It’s vague to write about Damn Small Linux installation. But in case you want to learn about the installation procedure then I implore you to go ahead and get the resources from youtube. Or watch what others have done with it in useful ways and how they are actually getting along with it. Plus a heads up before you proceed to it, don’t forget to set up swap partition in case you have a very slow system. Web browsers and ted tends to be resource hungry.

​That’s all there is to it about Damn Small Linux and I hope you’re still amazed. Well, what is the next step? Get along and ride with the Open source community; rides gonna be up and down but that’s what a roller-coaster is for. Or maybe you could jump right into the development of Damn Small Linux, get your name credited in the developers wall of fame.This is where I get to bow out of the screen. Well, there’s no way I could fancy that (damn it!).