Elive is a non-commercial
Linux distribution
A Linux distribution, often abbreviated as distro, is an operating system that includes the Linux kernel for its kernel functionality. Although the name does not imply product distribution per se, a distro—if distributed on its own—is oft ...
based on
Debian
Debian () is a free and open-source software, free and open source Linux distribution, developed by the Debian Project, which was established by Ian Murdock in August 1993. Debian is one of the oldest operating systems based on the Linux kerne ...
. It uses the
Enlightenment desktop environment, offering a
live DVD and a persistent USB image for 32- and 64-bit computers with Intel or AMD x86 processors.
History
Elive was established in early 2005 as a customized
Knoppix Live DVD running the
Enlightenment desktop. The first version to appear publicly was called Elive and referenced multiple times by
DistroWatch's Ladislav Bodnar and Susan Linton. It was also distributed by UK-based
LinuxFormat magazine in 2007, as well as being offered on their cover-disc.
In July 2007, Susan Linton wrote for
Distrowatch, "I love Elive and version 1.0 is a wonderful first full release. Just about everything works and works well." At the time, the review was somewhat mixed, with certain criticisms pertaining to laptop usage, such as (at that time) lack of
CPU throttling
A central processing unit (CPU), also called a central processor, main processor, or just processor, is the primary processor in a given computer. Its electronic circuitry executes instructions of a computer program, such as arithmetic, log ...
, or
WEP when connecting to WiFi.
Controversy regarding payment model
In 2010, version 2.0 was released with improvements like upgrade mode, the "nurse" and more.
Linux Magazine and
Linux Journal
''Linux Journal'' (''LJ'') is an American monthly technology magazine originally published by Specialized System Consultants, Inc. (SSC) in Seattle, Washington since 1994. In December 2006 the publisher changed to Belltown Media, Inc. in Hous ...
especially touted the tight integration of the
E17 window manager in their reviews.
However, this version required a payment for installation to hard disk which seriously impacted the initial popularity and was subsequently changed to a voluntary donation. A March 2010 article by Koen Vervloesem of LWN.net criticized Elive 2.0 for requiring payment partway through installation to a hard drive.
Eight years after 2.0, version 3.0 was released. Elive was no longer pay-to-install, but its prolonged development cycle and certain other factors lead to mixed reviews of the project.
Releases
Three separate versions are currently available, as of 1 July 2023:
* Stable (version 3.0.6), based on Debian Wheezy and E17. It has a 32-bit release only.
* Beta (now at version 3.8.30), which offers a 32- and 64-bit release. It is based on
Debian Bullseye and uses the E16 desktop environment.
* Retrowave Stable based on 3.8.32 Beta
Related pages
*
List of Linux distributions
*
Enlightenment (window manager)
See also
*
Comparison of Linux distributions
Technical variations of Linux distributions include support for different hardware devices and systems or software package configurations. Organizational differences may be motivated by historical reasons. Other criteria include security, includi ...
References
External links
Official Website*
{{Authority control
Free software culture and documents
IA-32 Linux distributions
Operating system distributions bootable from read-only media
X86-64 Linux distributions
Linux distributions