back to article Lightweight Linux distribution Slax rides again with v11.2

It appears that the diminutive Linux distribution Slax is not dead. It's been a while, but version 11.2 has finally popped out. By "a while" we mean more than two years, according to the maintainer. However, it's a welcome update, even if some of its fans might have moved on to alternatives during its hiatus. Slax is an …

  1. Lars Silver badge
    Linux

    There is a Live ISO for Mageia too to download.

    Perhaps not lightweight though but rather a full distribution 4GB USB.

  2. Ozan

    Is there a linux distrubiton I can run off initrd?

    1. A Non e-mouse Silver badge
      1. jake Silver badge

        But the systemd-cancer does it faster. Or so the developers claim.

        1. jake Silver badge

          People really don't like their sacred cows gored, do they?

    2. jake Silver badge

      "Is there a linux distrubiton I can run off initrd?"

      The Tiny Core and Puppy distributions come to mind. There are others, but making your own custom version based on one of thse two is pretty easy.

      For values of "easy" that include "fairly familiar with Linux, not necessarily an admin".

    3. Citizen99

      Devuan is the sanitised fork of Debian. I run ExeGnu Linux which is a nice distro using it with the Trinity KDE3-fork desktop. And any of these can be re-spun to run off USB, UEFI etc.

      1. jake Silver badge

        But will it run off initrd, as the original poster asked?

  3. WonkoTheSane
    Coat

    Slax is bax?

    I'll get my -->

  4. spireite Silver badge
    Coat

    Why so long?

    I guess it's because the devs were a bit lax....

    or

    the new build was disappointing, I mean cax....

    or

    There were busy rerunning DS9, watching Dax....

    1. Korev Silver badge
      Coat

      Re: Why so long?

      Or because the Devs wear Slax

      1. David 132 Silver badge
        Headmaster

        Re: Why so long?

        Dreadful attempts at humour. Forty whacks! —->

  5. Fr. Ted Crilly Silver badge
    Coat

    Er so.

    If I give it a test drive for a while and decide to delete and continue with mint xfce wilI then be Exlax?

  6. DropBear
    FAIL

    Oh, good... CAN IT BOOT FROM A NVMe disk yet?!? Cause ever since I moved my previously WORKING setup (which still boots W7, W10 and Mint perfectly fine) the Slax boot option is the only one that still chokes AFTER managing to actually take control. No idea what its problem is, and it's not like there's any kind of help available.

    1. jake Silver badge

      Did you add the add nvme kernel module in initfs.img?

      1. DropBear
        Facepalm

        Please do excuse my late reply - sorting this out was nowhere near the top of my list of priorities. However, new developments suggest the problem (as usual) wasn't on my end - there is aparently a closed bug on the Slax bug tracker attributing this problem to, uh, "blkid" simply not noticing nvme partitions (until pointed out to it by explicitly running it with those as arguments (!!!)) in spite of the rest of the distro/kernel having zero problems with nvme on any level. It's as nice a demonstration of "only use any Linux variant if you LIKE having problems all the time" as I've ever needed or have seen.

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