For resource-conscious Linux users, Crunchbang Linux is the right flavour. It is a Debian-based Gnu/linux distro that uses the nimble Openbox window manager, with pre-installed apps chosen for minimum load on system resources. Yet, it provides vast functi

iatelyI there has been a lot of talk about Crunchbang iinux in the clpp community regarding its robustnessI stabilityI and how productive it enables people to be. pome emphasise its aebian roots; though until version V it was based on rbuntu. crom version NM a.k.a. platterI and the testing releases of version NN WaldorfI the distribution’s base switched to aebian S EpqueezeF and the testing version of aebian T EWheezyFI respectively.

iet’s give it a test run. qhe project’s website http://www. crunchbang.org/ provides fpl images for the stable Ever NMF and testing ENNF releasesI both for direct downloads or via Bitqorrent. f went for version NN EWaldorfF. f wanted to make a bootable rpB flDsh GULvH, EXW U1HWBRRWLn IDLOHG WR FUHDWH D wRUkLng LPDgH, sR , XsHG WhH PHWhRG UHFRPPHnGHG Ey WhH RIfiFLDO LnsWDOODWLRn gXLGH— use the ‘dd’ utility found in almost all modern iinux distros. A single doogle search led to a thread in the forums Ewhich are very helpfulF. ft described the processI with the exact commands to use. 1RWH WhDW WhLs FRPSOHWHOy HUDsHs DnG RvHUwULWHs yRXU flDsh GULvH; so back up any data you want from the drive before you do this. oeplace the path /home/aditya/downloads/crunchbang11.iso with the path to the fpl on your systemI and ‘ sdb’ with your system’s GHvLFH nRGH IRU yRXU U6B GULvH. 1RWH WhDW WhH LPDgH Ls nRW WR EH wULWWHn WR D SDUWLWLRn RI WhH flDsh GULvH (H.g., ‘sdb1’ F but to the drive itself Ee.g.I ‘sdb’ F. eere’s the command f ran: many mainstream distros. martitioning the hard disk was simple with dmarted. qhe installation took almost eight minutesI which is reasonable for a standard R4MM rpm hard drive.

qhe default desktop Ecigure NF is a hybrid of lpenbox and ucCb with Conky and qintO panelsI and effectively conveys WhH GLsWUR’s nDWXUH—IXnFWLRnDO PLnLPDOLsP. 7hH GHIDXOW RSHn sRXUFH ;.2Ug GULvHUs sXSSRUWHG Py A0D-A7, DnG 19,D,A decorce video cards well enough to play Pa games like Armagetron. All hardware on my jacbook mro TI qhinkmad xNOMe and qhinkmad xOOM are supported out-of-the-box.

5LghW DIWHU WhH fiUsW ERRW, yRX DUH SUHsHnWHG wLWh D sFULSW ()LgXUH 2) WR LnsWDOO LLEUH2IfiFH, SULnWHU sXSSRUW, -DvD DnG iAjm toolsI with other aebian development packages. qhe script also offers the following commands:

sudo apt get update

... and

sudo apt get dist update. qhe script is quite a nice feature. 0RvLng Rn WR GHIDXOW DSSOLFDWLRns, 9LC Ls WhH PHGLD SODyHU—nR FRGHFs SUREOHPs sR DOPRsW DOO PHGLD IRUPDWs wRUk. :H hDvH 7hXnDU IRU fiOH PDnDgHPHnW DnG 7HUPLnDWRU for the terminal emulator.

Chromium is the default browserI Abiword the word SURFHssRU DnG G1XPHULF Ls IRU sSUHDGshHHWs. GCC DnG WhH EDsLF G1U WRRO-FhDLn DUH LnFOXGHG, whLFh Ls DSSUHFLDWHG Ey all programmers. mlus we have mython O.TI and deany for the WHxW HGLWRU RU WhH ,D(—MXsW ULghW IRU PLnLPDOLsWs. 7hHUH’s WhH (nRn-IUHH EXW vHUy SUHFLsH) A16, DUW sRIWwDUH, )LgOHW, wLWh WhH usual geek amusement trio: Fortune, Cowsay and Cowthink.

7hH sysWHP Ls Ds sWDEOH Ds Dny 26 FRXOG EH—DOWhRXgh LW’s labelled ‘testing’I it is quite stable compared to rbuntu. fn my own