Damn Small Linux icon
Damn Small Linux icon

Damn Small Linux

Damn Small Linux is a very versatile 50MB mini desktop oriented Linux distribution.

Damn Small Linux screenshot 1

Cost / License

  • Free
  • Open Source

Application type

Platforms

  • Mac  Live CD, Live USB
  • Windows  Live CD, Live USB
  • Linux  Live CD, Live USB
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Damn Small Linux was added to AlternativeTo by Valentin on and this page was last updated . Damn Small Linux is sometimes referred to as DSL. 

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What is Damn Small Linux?

Damn Small Linux is a very versatile 50MB mini desktop oriented Linux distribution.

Damn Small is small enough and smart enough to do the following things:

  • Boot from a business card CD as a live linux distribution (LiveCD)
  • Boot from a USB pen drive
  • Boot from within a host operating system (thats right, it can run inside Windows)
  • Run very nicely from an IDE Compact Flash drive via a method we call "frugal install"
  • Transform into a Debian OS with a traditional hard drive install
  • Run light enough to power a 486DX with 16MB of Ram
  • Run fully in RAM with as little as 128MB (you will be amazed at how fast your computer can be!)
  • Modularly grow -- DSL is highly extendable without the need to customize

DSL was originally developed as an experiment to see how many usable desktop applications can fit inside a 50MB live CD. But over time, Damn Small Linux grew into a community project with hundreds of development hours put into refinements including a fully automated remote and local application installation system and a very versatile backup and restore system which may be used with any writable media including a hard drive, a floppy drive, or a USB device.