14 DAY TRIAL // The first antiX 16 (stable) and antiX 17 (testing) net images have been published today, January 25, 2017, for both 64- and 32-bit platforms, allowing power users to fully customize their antiX Linux installations.
antiX is a Debian-based operating system for desktops and servers, and today's net images allow users to install the GNU/Linux distribution from network. They are also called netboot images or barebone, and can be used by experienced users to build a fully custom antiX OS, with packages of their choice, including the desktop environment.
While the antiX 16 (stable) net images are based on the Debian GNU/Linux 8.7 "Jessie" operating system, the new antiX 17 (testing) ones use packages from the Debian Testing repositories, which, in time, will become Debian GNU/Linux 9 "Stretch." Both variants ship without the systemd init system and use the long-term supported Linux 4.4 kernel.
"Want to build up from the bare minimum to create your own personalized antiX Debian systemd-free install? Then, try our net.iso install images," reads today's announcement on the distribution's homepage. "Available for 32- and 64-bit processors for Debian jessie and Debian stretch."
SysVinit is used as default init system
A custom Linux kernel 4.4.10 is used in these new net images, along with a CLI (Command-Line Interface) installer, antiX live system and persistence capabilities, CLI remastering tools, the GNU nano text editor, rsync file copying tool, SysVinit as default init system, as well as the live-kernel-updater and live-usb-maker in-house built tools.
eudev, the device file manager for the Linux kernel is also shipped in these new antiX net images, and if you want to use the MATE desktop environment, you should know that you'll have to rebuild it to remove any of its systemd/libsystemd0 dependencies. UEFI installations are not supported by the antiX 16 and 17 net images, which you can download right now from our website.