Kanotix is a LiveCD distribution based on KNOPPIX technology using mostly pure Debian. It installs very easily on the hard drive.
As Kanotix is my distribution of choice, this page will be more of a tour of Kanotix than a review of the distribution.
Kanotix is considered a small distribution, less well known than other Debian distros. However, don’t let this fool you into thinking it is “less than”. The LiveCD packs software optimized for the latest hardware - and especially laptops, wifi, BlueTooth technology, and is very strong on “behind the scene” scripts which makes running a smooth ride for newcomers to Linux. It’s also pleasant for veteran users tired with having to tweak this and that for it to work right.
They release a few times a year, but it depends on major underlying debian changes, to some extent. There is no must.
Running Kanotix is a pleasant experience, where clicking on something means it works. That is not to say that there will never be any problem (this is real life after all), but it’s definitely a “key in hand” distribution. For those looking for such a commodity, here it is, and the beauty of Kanotix too is that it is as customizable as can be, thanks to close kinship and availability of the debian packages. Whereas the sky is not the limit, you can do a lot with apt-get, be it with software or eye-candy (see the Picture Gallery below).
Kanotix specifications are (from www.kanotix.com):
Kanotix comes in a 32-bit and a 64-bit versions.
How to use
Instructions are ideal for newbies: Simply boot from CD and enjoy Linux. Some tools may request a root password. As none is set, you have to set one using “sudo passwd” or use “su” in konsole. Whenever you execute something with root permissions, you should know what you are doing! For web surfing over LAN no root access is required. I am sure you can discover many things to do with it :)
For more advanced used, or if you wish to experiment with various setups of Kanotix, I recommend reading their forum, wiki or asking SonyaII, the bot from the IRC channel.
Once Kanotix is up, there is an icon on your desktop bringing you directly to their website, where you can find information and support for Kanotix.
Reviews
For professional reviews on Kanotix, visit:
To download or purchase a Kanotix CD/DVD
To download Kanotix, got to http://www.kanotix.com/Downloads.html. There are also mirrors in Europe, and one in the US.
Here is a short FAQ on downloads: http://kanotix.com/FAQ-id_cat-16.html
To buy Kanotix DVD, go to MzilikaziX at http://70.32.151.163:8080/content/section/7/31/.
Picture Gallerie
http://kanotixgalerie.oschni.de/ holds a gallerie of pictures. You can put faces to people like Jörg Schirottke (alias Kano), the founder and main force behind Kanotix. You can also see other developers in his team, and very nice artwork for the Kanotix desktop. I put some links below.
Desktops
Which is where I spent most of the time in the gallerie. If you want to see how cool your computer desktop can look like, spend some time looking at the possibilities offered to you. For those who wonder about how some features (like neat menus such as http://kanotixgalerie.oschni.de/details.php?image_id=59, http://kanotixgalerie.oschni.de/details.php?image_id=175 or http://kanotixgalerie.oschni.de/details.php?image_id=56&sessionid=fac12aea2cb67b34aec72cd424c158ed) have been added on the desktop, Superkaramba was used. For the minimalists, http://kanotixgalerie.oschni.de/details.php?image_id=46.
However, a standard desktop looks like this: (insert snapshot)
Install
Kanotix now has a very nice installer which allows users to install Kanotix on your hard drive without having to deal with a command line interface. There are 3 options:
This new installer has even an update feature, an integrated partition tool and grub/lilo recovery.
The GUI interface of this installer is quite impressive, considering the usual look of Debian installers. Not even Ubuntu can pride itself with such user-friendliness. It does it in a very short time too.
If you are accessing the internet via a router, after a first time hard drive install type
netcardconfig
in a terminal and select dchp to get back a connection on the Internet.
Kanotix Forum
Kanotix Forum, http://kanotix.com/PNphpBB2.html, is a treasure box of information on Kanotix. The top part is in german, and if you scroll down, you will find the English section. There is not French section in the Forum, but I have seen posts in French, which were replied to in French. Kanotix people are very helpful people, I suspect you might get support even in an another language, if there are Forum dwellers speaking that language.
Kanotix Wiki
Most of the kanotix documentation is available in the wiki, at http://wiki.kanotix.net/CoMa.php?CoMa=StartSeite. The default page is from the German wiki, but just click on the British/USA flags and you will get to the English section. Not all of the wiki has been translated in English, but there is a large body of documentation there nevertheless. I especially like the page about the three first days of a newcomer to Kanotix/Linux, which will get translated soon to English.
FAQ
There is also a FAQ at http://kanotix.com/FAQ.html
IRC Channel
Kanotix has an IRC channel, #kanotix on freenode, which is in my opinion one the most respectful and helpful I ran into (the others being #Lbo and #Lbo-flood). That channel is easily accessible to newcomers, as there is a shortcut on the desktop already configured to land you in #kanotix in one click. Nice if you don’t know how to use IRC and don’t have somebody around to coach you. They will help you with your questions, but keep in mind that they expect you to have done some footwork before you ask them for help.
Although there is much german in this channel (the core of the team comes from german speaking countries), there is a large number of English users. A question in English will be answered in English. The predominant language of this forum is largely dependant on the time zones. There is more English when it is night in Europe.
Bugs
Running into a bug in Kanotix is not a regular experience, as its developers work hard at having their distribution together. Unfortunately, sometimes, problems will be related to packages in Debian or other sources, on which they have little control, so those remain a little bit longer.
Other than that, Kanotix has one of the best bug reporting interface I have seen so far for a newcomer or user who never reported a bug: just report it in the freenode irc channel #kanotix, or post it on the Kanotix forum.
After trying to report a bug in Bugzilla recently with another distribution (I quit at some point, I felt like it required a PhD in bug-reporting, which I don’t have and don’t care to get), that was a refreshing change.
Conclusion
If you have recent hardware, or a laptop, this is a great distribution to run on hard disk or as a LiveCD. It has been optimized and runs very smoothly, and is remarquably fast to boot up and shutdown. This is especially pleasant as those seconds always feel like minutes.
I especially like the handling of the x server. Kanotix is one of the few distributions to properly displays the desktop on my computer (right size and centered) as soon as it boots. No tweaking required (I don’t find x easy to tweak). Mind you, I never use 3D acceleration on my computer.
The new installer is quite an addition to Kanotix, and am I looking forward to seeing how people who never installed a Linux distribution before will handle this one. I suspect with flying colors, as things usually do in Kanotix, but the proof of the pudding is in the eating.
For people strong on multimedia, satellite TV, wifi and bluetooth technology, this distribution is very attractive, as it packs lots of it in its core. Unfortunately, I cannot comment much on it, or use of modems, as I don’t use that. But in general, the operative word with Kanotix is: “It works”. Priceless.
Overall, a great distribution, with all the advantages of being a member of the Debian family. The special tweaking Kano and the developer team have cooked for the users allows users to click on an application and see it work right away.
This is a great distribution for newcomers (unless they have older technology) as well as seasoned Linux users, and I recommend it with great enthousiasm.
— D. Raymond 2005/11/06 02:30
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