438 lines
21 KiB
HTML
438 lines
21 KiB
HTML
<!DOCTYPE html>
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<html lang="en">
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<head>
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<meta charset="utf-8">
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<title>Minimal Linux Live</title>
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<meta name="description" content="Minimal Linux Live">
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<meta name="keywords" content="minimal minimalistic tiny linux live tutorial howto kernel busybox cd usb iso image" />
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<meta name="author" content="Ivan Davidov - davidov (dot) i [at] gmail {dot} com">
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<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
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<link rel="stylesheet" href="css/normalize.css">
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<link rel="stylesheet" href="css/skeleton.css">
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<link rel="icon" type="image/x-icon" href="./images/favicon.ico" />
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<script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript">
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function menuSwap(itemIndex) {
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for(var i = 1; i <= 5; i++) {
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var strItem = "item" + i;
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objItem.style.display = (i == itemIndex) ? "block" : "none";
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function logSwap(itemIndex, show) {
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}
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</script>
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</head>
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<body>
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<div class="container">
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<div class="row">
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<div class="twelve columns" style="text-align: center;">
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<h2><a href="/" style="text-decoration: none; color: #000;">Minimal Linux Live</a></h2>
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</div>
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</div>
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<div class="row">
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<div class="twelve columns" style="text-align: center;">
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<a class="button button-primary" href="#" onclick="javascript:menuSwap(1); return false;">Home</a>
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<a class="button button-primary" href="#" onclick="javascript:menuSwap(2); return false;">Changes</a>
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<a class="button button-primary" href="#" onclick="javascript:menuSwap(3); return false;">About</a>
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<a class="button button-primary" href="#" onclick="javascript:menuSwap(4); return false;">Tutorial</a>
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<a class="button button-primary" href="#" onclick="javascript:menuSwap(5); return false;">Download</a>
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<hr />
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</div>
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</div>
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<div id="item1" style="display:block;">
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<div class="row">
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<div class="twelve columns">
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<h4>Home</h4>
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</div>
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</div>
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<div class="row">
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<div class="twelve columns">
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<strong>Minimal Linux Live</strong> is a set of Linux shell scripts which automatically build minimal Live
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Linux OS based on <a target="_blank" href="http://kernel.org">Linux kernel</a>
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and <a target="_blank" href="http://busybox.net">BusyBox</a>. All necessary source codes are automatically
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downloaded and all build operations are fully encapsulated in the scripts.
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</div>
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</div>
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<div class="row">
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<div class="twelve columns">
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If you want to build your own Minimal Linux Live ISO image file, all you need to do is the following:
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</div>
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</div>
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<div style="font-size: 10%;"> </div>
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<div class="row">
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<div class="twelve columns">
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<ul>
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<li>
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Get the latest scripts from the <a href="#" onclick="javascript:menuSwap(5); return false;">download</a> section.
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</li>
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<li>
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Extract the scripts to some folder.
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</li>
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<li>
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Just for convenience, make sure that all scripts are executable (<code>chmod +x *.sh</code>). If you decide to skip this step you
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can still run the scripts like this (example): <code>sh build_minimal_linux_live.sh</code>
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</li>
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<li>
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Depending on which Linux OS you are using, there might be one or more (or none, or even more) build dependencies that you
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need to resolve before you start the build process. If you work with <a target="_blank" href="http://ubuntu.com">Ubuntu</a>,
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the following commands should resolve all necessary build dependencies:
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<ul>
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<li>
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<code>sudo apt-get install wget</code>
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</li>
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<li>
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<code>sudo apt-get install make</code>
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</li>
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<li>
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<code>sudo apt-get install gcc</code>
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</li>
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<li>
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<code>sudo apt-get install bc</code>
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</li>
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<li>
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<code>sudo apt-get install syslinux</code>
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</li>
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<li>
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<code>sudo apt-get install genisoimage</code>
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</li>
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</ul>
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</li>
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<li>
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Execute the script <code>build_minimal_linux_live.sh</code> and wait. If you have resolved all build dependencies, the whole
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process should take less than 30 minutes on a modern computer. If the build fails for some reason, most probably there
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are unresolved build dependencies. Several users reported that the <code>build-essential</code> package resolves all unexpected
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build dependencies for Ubuntu. If you are using <a target="_blank" href="http://linuxmint.com">Linux Mint</a> try to
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install the package <code>g++</code> and if you still have troubles then try the <code>build-essential</code> package. On
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<a target="_blank" href="http://fedoraproject.org">Fedora</a> you might need the static 'glibc' package <code>glibc-static</code>.
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On <a target="_blank" href="http://www.archlinux.org/">Arch Linux</a> and <a target="_blank" href="http://debian.org">Debian</a>
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you might need to locate <code>isolinux.bin</code> and copy it to <code>/usr/lib/syslinux/isolinux.bin</code>.
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<div style="font-size: 10%;"> </div>
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Please have in mind that the build dependencies can vary a lot depending on the Linux OS which you use and the software
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which you have already installed.
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<div style="font-size: 10%;"> </div>
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If you still have troubles then examine the failure message and google it. If you are unable to find solution, then you
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can ask someone more experienced Linux guru (if you know any) or as alternative you can contact me. Please, make sure that
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you have researched your problem in advance before you send me your question.
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</li>
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<li>
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When the scripts finish their job you will find newly created <code>minimal_linux_live.iso</code> in the same folder where you
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executed the scripts. You can burn the ISO image file on CD/DVD, install it on USB flash drive via
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<a target="_blank" href="http://www.pendrivelinux.com">Universal USB Installer</a>,
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or run it directly via PC emulator like <a target="_blank" href="http://virtualbox.org">VirtualBox</a>.
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</li>
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</ul>
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</div>
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</div>
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<div class="row">
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<div class="twelve columns">
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The produced ISO image file contains Linux kernel compiled with default options, BusyBox compiled with default options and very simple
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initramfs. This means that you don't get Windows support out of the box, nor you get any fancy desktop environment. All you
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get is a simple shell console which supports all BusyBox applets and... well, that's all. This is why it's called "minimal".
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</div>
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</div>
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<div style="font-size: 10%;"> </div>
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<div class="row">
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<div class="twelve columns">
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The good news is that even though the OS is small and simple, the build scripts are also very small and very simple. You can
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quite easily learn from the scripts and later modify them to include more stuff (I encourage you to do so). After you learn
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the basics you will have all the necessary tools and skills to create your own fully functional Linux based operating system!
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Entirely from scratch! Isn't it great?! :)
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</div>
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</div>
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<div style="font-size: 10%;"> </div>
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<div class="row">
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<div class="twelve columns">
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The <a href="#" onclick="javascript:menuSwap(4); return false;">tutorial</a> provides more details about the inner structure
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of the scripts and the overall build process. I encourage you to go through this document when you have the time.
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</div>
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</div>
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<div style="font-size: 10%;"> </div>
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<div class="row">
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<div class="twelve columns">
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Below you can find several screenshots which show what the environment looks like when you boot your newly generated
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Minimal Linux Live OS.
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</div>
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</div>
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<div style="font-size: 10%;"> </div>
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<div class="row">
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<div class="four columns">
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<a href="./images/screen1.png" target="_blank" title="Minimal Linux Live - screenshot 1">
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<img alt="Minimal Linux Live" id="screenshot1" width="100%" height="100%" border="0" src="./images/screen1.png" />
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</a>
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</div>
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<div class="four columns">
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<a href="./images/screen2.png" target="_blank" title="Minimal Linux Live - screenshot 2">
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<img alt="Minimal Linux Live" id="screenshot1" width="100%" height="100%" border="0" src="./images/screen2.png" />
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</a>
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</div>
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<div class="four columns">
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<a href="./images/screen3.png" target="_blank" title="Minimal Linux Live - screenshot 3">
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<img alt="Minimal Linux Live" id="screenshot1" width="100%" height="100%" border="0" src="./images/screen3.png" />
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</a>
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</div>
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</div>
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</div>
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<div id="item2" style="display:none;">
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<div class="row">
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<div class="twelve columns">
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<h4>Change Log</h4>
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</div>
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</div>
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<div class="row">
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<div class="twelve columns">
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<div id="show4" style="display:none;">
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<strong>14-Sep-2015</strong>
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<a href="#" onclick="javascript:logSwap(4, true); return false;">show</a>
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</div>
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<div id="hide4" style="display:block;">
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<strong>14-Sep-2015</strong>
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<a href="#" onclick="javascript:logSwap(4, false); return false;">hide</a>
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</div>
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<div id="text4" style="display:block;">
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<ul>
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<div style="font-size: 10%;"> </div>
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<li>
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<strong>Minimal Linux Live</strong> is now based on <strong>Linux kernel 4.1.6</strong> and <strong>BusyBox 1.23.2</strong>.
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</li>
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<li>
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The build process is now parallelized between all available CPU cores, therefore the overall build time is significantly
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reduced.
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</li>
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<li>
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There is DHCP network support for all network devices detected by the kernel. Note that DNS is not working due to well
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known static linking issues caused by glibc.
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</li>
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<li>
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The ISO image is now generated by using <strong>genisoimage</strong>. This fixes some issues with Debian and Arch based
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host operating systems.
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</li>
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<li>
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In addition to the above changes, if you <a href="#" onclick="javascript:menuSwap(5); return false;">download</a> the latest
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stable build scripts, you will notice a folder named <strong>experimental</strong>. This folder contains some interesting
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scripts which produce ISO based on Linux kernel and <a href="http://landley.net/toybox" target="_blank">ToyBox</a> instead of
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BusyBox. Please have in mind that this is work in progress and these scripts may not work on your host OS.
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</li>
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</ul>
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</div>
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<div style="font-size: 10%;"> </div>
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<div id="show3" style="display:block;">
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<strong>07-Feb-2015</strong>
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<a href="#" onclick="javascript:logSwap(3, true); return false;">show</a>
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</div>
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<div id="hide3" style="display:none;">
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<strong>07-Feb-2015</strong>
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<a href="#" onclick="javascript:logSwap(3, false); return false;">hide</a>
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</div>
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<div id="text3" style="display:none;">
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<ul>
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<div style="font-size: 10%;"> </div>
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<li>
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<strong>Minimal Linux Live</strong> is now based on <strong>Linux kernel 3.18.6</strong> and <strong>BusyBox 1.23.1</strong>.
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</li>
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</ul>
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</div>
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<div style="font-size: 10%;"> </div>
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<div id="show2" style="display:block;">
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<strong>25-Aug-2014</strong>
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<a href="#" onclick="javascript:logSwap(2, true); return false;">show</a>
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</div>
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<div id="hide2" style="display:none;">
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<strong>25-Aug-2014</strong>
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<a href="#" onclick="javascript:logSwap(2, false); return false;">hide</a>
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</div>
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<div id="text2" style="display:none;">
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<div style="font-size: 10%;"> </div>
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<ul>
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<li>
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<strong>Minimal Linux Live</strong> is now based on <strong>Linux kernel 3.16.1</strong> and <strong>BusyBox 1.22.1</strong>.
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</li>
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<li>
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The boot process is now based on <strong>/sbin/init</strong> and <strong>/etc/inittab</strong>. There are four
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available consoles. You can switch between them with <strong>Alt + F1</strong> up to <strong>Alt + F4</strong>.
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</li>
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<li>
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Shell scripts have been updated. Now the downloaded source bundles are stored in separate folder.
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If the download process is interrupted, it will continue the next time the scripts are executed.
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The most notable change is in <strong>5_generate_rootfs.sh</strong> which now generates root file system with
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structure compatible with <strong>/sbin/init</strong> and <strong>/etc/inittab</strong>.
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</li>
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</ul>
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</div>
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<div style="font-size: 10%;"> </div>
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<div id="show1" style="display:block;">
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<strong>28-Jul-2014</strong>
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<a href="#" onclick="javascript:logSwap(1, true); return false;">show</a>
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</div>
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<div id="hide1" style="display:none;">
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<strong>28-Jul-2014</strong>
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<a href="#" onclick="javascript:logSwap(1, false); return false;">hide</a>
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</div>
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<div id="text1" style="display:none;">
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<div style="font-size: 10%;"> </div>
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<ul>
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<li>
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<strong>Minimal Linux Live</strong> is now based on <strong>Linux kernel 3.15.6</strong> and <strong>BusyBox 1.22.1</strong>.
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</li>
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<li>
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The boot process is based on simple <strong>/init</strong> script.
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</li>
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</ul>
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</div>
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</div>
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</div>
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</div>
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<div id="item3" style="display:none;">
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<div class="row">
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<div class="twelve columns">
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<h4>About This Project</h4>
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</div>
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</div>
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<div class="row">
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<div class="twelve columns">
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My name is <a target="_blank" href="http://linkedin.com/in/ivandavidov">Ivan Davidov</a> and I currently
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live and work in <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sofia">Sofia</a>,
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<a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulgaria">Bulgaria</a>.
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</div>
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</div>
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<div style="font-size: 10%;"> </div>
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<div class="row">
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<div class="twelve columns">
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I am professional Java software engineer (yes, Java developers tend to know some Linux stuff) and I've
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been trying to create my own Linux OS for a very long time. There are some good tutorials which you
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can find online but almost none of them are simple to follow and almost none of them explain in details
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what has been done and why it's done in this particular way. In most cases the tutorials are incomplete and
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there is high chance that you end up with something broken.
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</div>
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</div>
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<div style="font-size: 10%;"> </div>
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<div class="row">
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<div class="twelve columns">
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Don't get me wrong, you can learn a lot from these tutorials, as I did. In fact the scripts which I created
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(did you take a look at them?) are based on the same information resources which you might have already found.
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The difference is that this site provides you not only with detailed tutorial, but also with fully functional
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set of shell scripts which automatically build fully functional live Linux OS. And the tutorial explains it
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all for you!
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</div>
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</div>
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<div style="font-size: 10%;"> </div>
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<div class="row">
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<div class="twelve columns">
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If you'd like to contact me, my e-mail is: <strong>davidov [dot] i (at) gmail {dot} com</strong>
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</div>
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</div>
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<div style="font-size: 10%;"> </div>
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<div class="row">
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<div class="twelve columns">
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My LinkedIn profile is here: <a target="_blank" href="http://linkedin.com/in/ivandavidov">http://linkedin.com/in/ivandavidov</a>
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</div>
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</div>
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</div>
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<div id="item4" style="display:none;">
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<div class="row">
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<div class="twelve columns">
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<h4>Minimal Linux Live Tutorial</h4>
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</div>
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</div>
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<div class="row">
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<div class="twelve columns">
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Would you like to learn how to build your own minimal live Linux OS?
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</div>
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</div>
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<div style="font-size: 10%;"> </div>
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<div class="row">
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<div class="twelve columns">
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<a target="_blank" href="./the_dao_of_minimal_linux_live.txt">The Dao of Minimal Linux Live</a> explains in details
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what steps are involved in creating simple live Linux OS entirely from scratch, the inner structure of the
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build scripts (I assume you have already downloaded them) and provides you with more information on how to
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improve/upgrade the generated OS with other generic stuff (e.g. users & groups, /etc/inittab).
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</div>
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</div>
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</div>
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<div id="item5" style="display:none;">
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<div class="row">
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<div class="twelve columns">
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<h4>Download Section</h4>
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</div>
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</div>
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<div class="row">
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<div class="twelve columns">
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The latest stable scripts (14-Sep-2015) can be downloaded as ZIP archive
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<a href="./download/minimal_linux_live_14-Sep-2015_src.zip" title="Minimal Linux Live - shell scripts">here</a>.
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</div>
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</div>
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<div style="font-size: 10%;"> </div>
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<div class="row">
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<div class="twelve columns">
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Pre-built ISO image files generated with the latest stable scripts are available for
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<a href="./download/minimal_linux_live_14-Sep-2015_32-bit.iso" title="Minimal Linux Live - ISO image file for 32-bit CPUs">32-bit</a>
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and
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<a href="./download/minimal_linux_live_14-Sep-2015_64-bit.iso" title="Minimal Linux Live - ISO image file for 64-bit CPUs">64-bit</a>
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CPUs.
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</div>
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</div>
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<div style="font-size: 10%;"> </div>
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<div class="row">
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<div class="twelve columns">
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You can also <a target="_blank" href="./download">browse the download directory</a>.
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</div>
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</div>
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<div style="font-size: 10%;"> </div>
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<div class="row">
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<div class="twelve columns">
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You can take a look at the latest development sources in
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<a target="_blank" href="http://github.com/ivandavidov/minimal">GitHub</a>.
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</div>
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</div>
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</div>
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<div style="font-size: 10%;"> </div>
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<div style="font-size: 10%;"> </div>
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<div class="row">
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