create a forked knoppix - what do you think about this ?

[Werner P. Schulz]

... why not read the list itself and write to it (after subsribing)?

[Capricorny]

While I am open to the possibility that a fork might turn out to be good for the project as a whole, what I have suggested amount to a direct derivative. It might take a life on its own later, but the actual steps starts with standard Knoppix. And for my own part, I would like to keep it that way for a while.

This is about trying out things and ideas, catering for different needs, developing missing routines, and so on. It has not necessarily much to do with "mainstream Knoppix", it has to do with using the resources in an optimal way for some users. Basically, it is about utilizing the stengths and potentials of free (not solely as in free beer) software. Therefore, I think it may be wiser to discuss on the "official" mailing list after we have worked on this and gained experience. There is not really anything speculative or controversial about my suggestions.

As for squashfs, what may be considered one of the closest relatives of Knoppix, Ubuntu, is using it. And I think its introduction might make the remastering process more robust - and surely simpler. For running off CD/DVD, cloop might possibly have an edge - but how much of total Knoppix use today is that?

I think arguments about short-lived derivatives are quite interesting, in the light of Klaus K effectively forking the whole project himself with the introduction of MicroKnoppix and 6.X. I myself would not have used 5.X-type versions for other than "forensic" purposes today, but on this forum we have seen quite a few longtime users preferring the old ways. The changes brought Knoppix closer to mainstream Linux, as will a change from cloop to squashfs. I have never considered "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" a typical open source-attitude. The attitude as I know it, is rather "If it's broke, fix it, and if it ain't broke, great! Experiment with it."

What may be somewhat controversial, is something underlying this: The idea that "if you want more than this, go for the full Debian install." This has clearly been true in the past, but from my ventures into full installs over the last years, I have quickly returned to Knoppix poor man's installs. Even for simple server use, I find Knoppix-derivatives quite good, but this is something to look more closely into.