Unconventional

Several hundred different distributions vie for the attention of Linux users. Many of these distributions rely on one of the established systems as their basis and thus exhibit many features of the original. But NuTyX [1], which originated in Switzerland and is now being developed in France, takes an individual approach. The NuTyX distribution – currently at version 15.05 – is based on Linux From Scratch and has its own package manager with separate repositories.

First Impressions

NuTyX already stands out from the crowd when you download the ISO image. Although many distributions have now reached a volume of 2-3GB, NuTyX comes as an ISO image of just 200MB that will easily fit on a CD or an older USB memory stick. In addition to the operating system, basic tools, and the package manager, the image file also includes the installation routine and the GRUB boot manager. Graphical interfaces are missing, as are the major office programs, web browsers, and multimedia applications.

Because NuTyX does not support a Live mode, the newly burned CD immediately launches into the installation routine. You first need to choose a language before the routine takes you to a window with various installation options. In the window, you can prepare your mass storage, configure the boot manager, and configure the network connection (Figure 1).

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