Review: The Official Damn Small Linux Book

by Michael J. Jordan, Managing Editor

December 14, 2007

There is a lot of computer hardware out there that is either collecting dust on shelves or being brought to landfills. Most of it is probably running Windows 98, which is no longer supported. Running an unsupported Microsoft operating system is a lot like leaving the door to the bank wide open at 4:00 in the morning. In short, there's hardware out there that can still be used, but you don't have to run any security risk. A scaled-down Linux distribution called 'Damn Small Linux' is a great way to use an older machine without any risks.

In a storage room, I have a Pentium that I bought in 1995 and an AMD K6 that I bought in 1999. Damn Small Linux can run on both of these computers. Don't be fooled into thinking that you're going to get the same performance as the latest model that you could buy off the shelf of your local computer store, but computers that would normally be shunned even by die-hard yard sale junkies can get a new lease on life. It's Damn Small Linux's versatility that makes this possible. The Official Damn Small Linux Book will give you the information that you need to get the most out of this little jewel of a Linux distribution.

The cover photo shows one of these knives that has enough gadgets to make even James Bond happy. And that's what Damn Small Linux is - your way to get into any hardware made in the last decade.

The first part has the most important information for beginners.

Chapter one consists of an overview of what Damn Small Linux is and what it can do. I encourage you to give this a serious look - you'll see just how much this distribution has in common with a Swiss Army knife.

Chapter two moves on to talk about the different ways that this mini distribution can be used - The different boot methods and how to manage them. It's important to get a handle on this to take full advantage of the versatility of Damn Small Linux.

Chapter three consists of an overview of the applications that come with Damn Small Linux. Since this distribution's main purpose is to provide a small-footprint work environment, logically, the applications are going to be ones that are scaled-down. But that doesn't mean you're going to be lacking in power. There is a light-weight word processor, a very nice email program called Sylpheed, which I use everyday on my normal, powerful system and I highly recommend. Even the Firefox web browser comes with Damn Small Linux. Even if you're lacking in processing power, you won't be lacking in application power.

Chapters four and five round out the introduction with explanations on how to configure your system. You'll learn how to set up networking, printing and other services. The last chapter of section one is dedicated to teaching you how to include more software using the MyDSL management system. I also recommend that beginners have a look at chapter nine, which talks about traditional hard-drive installs.

The rest of the chapters are a cornucopia of information on how to use Damn Small Linux for very specific purposes. You can install it on a pen drive, use it to set up an amateur recording studio and many other uses. Since it's Linux, the sky's the limit.

John Andrews, the creator of Damn Small Linux helped in the writing of this book, so you get the best advice from the person who knows best what this distribution is capable of doing. The other authors, Robert Shingledecker a 35 year veteran in the IT field and Christopher Negus, a prolific writer of Linux books have gotten together to bring you this first rate guide. It belongs on any serious Linux user's shelf.

You can buy The Official Damn Small Linux Book at Amazon.com

Michael J. Jordan is Managing Editor of Linux Online. He can be reached at Michael.Jordan**AT**linux.org