14 DAY TRIAL // 4MLinux Core, a mini Linux distribution that is focused on the 4Ms of computing, Maintenance (system rescue Live CD), Multimedia (e.g., playing video DVDs), Miniserver (using the inetd daemon), and Mystery (Linux games), is now at version 10.0 Beta and is available for download.
4MLinux is one of the smallest distributions in the world and the Core is a testament of how small you can make an operating system. This version of 4MLinux only weighs 5MB, which is very little.
There are some trade-offs to be made, if you want to have a system that small. In fact, users will have access only to the basics and there is only a terminal waiting at the end of it.
The Core Edition is not something made for most of users out there, although itcan be used to build upon it and that is something that many users look for. It's not easy, but if you manage to get yourself a desktop environment installed and a few apps, you would have mastered the most of the Linux basics.
"This is a core system (about 5 MB in size) for the 4MLinux 10.0 series. The system includes: the Linux kernel 3.14.16, GNU C Library 2.19, and BusyBox 1.22.1. Additional firmware and drivers (including Gallium3D, NVIDIA, and AMD video drivers) can be downloaded from the 4MLinux website. All 4MLinux 10.0 applications have been compiled with GNU Compiler Collection 4.9.1 (x86/32-bit/SMP)," reads the announcement.
As you can see, the developer chose to base his system on one of the latest versions of the kernel. In fact, this is the most advanced LTS kernel available and it's considered to be more stable.
The developer will now start to release all the other distributions that he is building around this major update, like Allinone, Gaming, Server, Media, Rescue, and so on. Keep in mind that you can install any of these Linux distros from the main launcher with the help of a very simple piece of software.
Users will also find that most of the applications you need are available in the repositories and that the 4MLinux distro can be turned into any of the flavors mentioned above just by downloading the appropriate packages.
A complete list of changes and updates can be found in the official announcement. You can download 4MLinux 10.0 Beta right now from Softpedia.
Remember that this is a development version and it should NOT be installed on production machines. It is intended for testing purposes only.