Emnix

Emnix

Emnix 0.10 “Apollo”
Developer	Joshua Merriman
OS family	Unix-like
Working state	Development Ceased
Source model	Open source
Latest release	Private release
Kernel type	Monolithic
License	Various

Emnix /ˈɛmnɪks/ is a Linux distribution built off the popular Slackware-based distribution Slax. It does not need to be installed on a computer system's hard drive, but it is an option. It boots and runs from either a Compact Disc or USB drive. There is also an option to run it from random access memory. The developer, Joshua Merriman, works alone on Emnix. Slax, the distribution Emnix is built off, is developed by Tomáš Matějíček in the Czech Republic using the Linux Live scripts. It was abandoned after one month's production and replaced with Project Esma.

Features

Many people who use Slax find the .lzm module system to be extremely convenient, smart, and fast—instead of extracting archives and using executable files with terminals, all that is required is to copy the .lzm module into the module directory. Emnix is built directly off Slax, so all Slax-compatible .lzm modules are usable in Emnix. The Slax homepage offers a software repository for downloading community-created and maintained .lzm modules.

Slax modules are rather simple for the average user to create, customize, and install. In addition to those built from Slackware packages, Slax .lzm modules can be created with the help of the Debian package tools (dpkg) module available on the Slax website module page, which enables one to convert Debian .deb packages into Slax modules using the deb2lzm command, the syntax being deb2lzm source_filename.deb [output_file.lzm]. Additionally, one can create modules from folders containing the full path of the folders and files intended to be installed using dir2lzm, the syntax being dir2lzm source_directory output_file.lzm. An example of a folder made to place a file entitled 1.txt in a folder located at /root/Desktop/1/ would contain the following file and folders:
/root/
/root/Desktop/
/root/Desktop/1/
/root/Desktop/1/1.txt

Emnix stores all its modules in compressed read-only files (SquashFS file system images using the LZMA compression patches). The various modules are stacked together to build the complete Slax root file system. A supplemental writable layer (a TmpFS file system) is put on the top of the stack to implement the write functionality.

On more recent computers, the possibility to boot directly Slax from a USB key represents an advantage over booting from a CD. USB key being a writable media, it is easier to modify the content of the installation. In addition, USB media is faster than CD media at boot up and during the operation of the software. The Slax USB install from the downloaded .tar file is quite efficient, comparatively to the burning of a CD with the Slax .iso file.

Versions

Emnix (KDE Environment)

2.00 Aphrodite - A future release which comes with KDE 4 instead of KDE 3. If Lemnix and Xemnix are to go well, an Xfce and Lxde-based Aphrodite may be released. The main focus here is aesthetics and achieving a beautiful look.

1.00 Dionysus - The current, unreleased version of Emnix, expected to be released soon. It contains a few advantages over the old 0.10 Apollo release, such as the default inclusion of Google Earth and GIMP. The aim here is to create a release that's big on software and "Stripped-down" in other places.

0.10 Apollo - The beta release version of 1.00 Dionysus. It contains most of what Dionysus does, with the exception of a custom splash screen. It only runs on the KDE environment. Only one unknown site hosts this release.

Lemnix (Lxde Environment)

1.00 Dionysus - A test run for an Lxde-based Emnix OS. Contains all of what Emnix Dinoysus does, but comes with the Lxde Desktop Environment as opposed to the KDE desktop environment.

Xemnix (Xfce Environment)

1.00 Dionysus - A test run for an Xfce-based Emnix OS. Contains all of what Emnix Dinoysus does, but comes with the Xfce Desktop Environment as opposed to the KDE desktop environment.