SliTaz Forum
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Here's what I like about SliTaz:
* It's small, it's fast and it's not bloated. For me to make SliTaz everything I need it to be probably takes an hour of my time with me installing more than I remove (I probably remove probably 5 applications I don't use). Try that with anything else.
* I can update it quickly, even on an slow dial up connection. 30MB on a slow dial up connection takes about 20 minutes to download. Puppy about an hour (120MB). I shudder to think how long it would take to download the massive 700MB Lubuntu CD...
* It's not ugly. In fact, SliTaz looks pretty good compared to other light distros (save maybe the current Lupu Pyppy theme which is about par with ours).
* But most importantly, it works... most of the time 
I've been thinking. Puppy still tries to hold on to a older kernel version to keep compatibility up with older hardware. So I thought... why couldn't we? Why can't we use the old kernel version SliTaz 3 used, fix it up (like add Bluetooth support) and rebuild the majority of the packages on it. Most new applications and libs should still work and we'll get a working kernel again, which does fix the one major issue holding back SliTaz 4. We could probably also move it to use the udev method that makes cooking's drive detection work.
Just a thought though 
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Hi everyone,
First time posting. I have been using slitaz for a couple of years now, and would like to put my two cents in on what I like about it and what I think could use some improvement.
Completely agree with Trixar on the small, compact and fast aspects of the distribution. One of my favorite things about this distribution is the incredibly low resources used on a default install and how fast everything run from RAM. It demolishes the other distros in this respect and is my distro of choice for virtualization client and host (virtualbox). The ability to easily roll your own flavors is awesome. I also love that for my main install (programming and scientific computing) I can install full packages of replacements of builtin busybox tools like awk/sed where needed and additional packages like R/numpy/etc. Everything is up and running quickly and easily with tazpkg and the distribution destroys other distribtions in terms of resource use and performance even after I have installed all the programs I want.
Claudinei had some great suggestions for the development pipeline and regarding user submitted flavors. For the dev pipeline a Wok=>Testing=>Cooking=>Release on a time schedule will give more usable and up to date package selections. I like the idea of identifying more used packages so that they can take higher preference for those wanting to improve the distro in general (although I would like to help improve the distro from a scientific computing standpoint). I also agree with Trixar that the kernel doesn't *have* to be the most up to date as long as we include patches for the most useful functions (eg bluetooth)... And splitting up groups (kernel, busybox, bugs, art, tools, documentation etc) with a leader of each group would be great... That way if someone comes to the site and says "I want to help with X." They can be given some "getting started helping" directions and a leader contact -- maybe with more of a wiki based site.
In my opinion keeping the core system compact with the available package base 1) up to date (but not bleeding edge) in cooking and 2) rock solid in stable release should be priorities.
One other thing I have had problems with in the past that I think should be a priority is the availability of a searchable list of packages, files in packages, dependencies, etc.
To sum up I would say, in my opinion, priorities should be:
1) compact system
2) regular release cycle to update tested package set
- identify package set for cooking - separate and prioritize the core system
- set testing / freeze / bugfix / cooking release dates -- revert to old
non-core packages to avoid major bugs (inability to use system / data loss, etc)
- identify package set for stable - separate and prioritize the core system
- set testing / freeze / bugfix / stable release dates -- same revert to old
non-core packages plan even for minor bugs
3) a place for user flavors and a working package search site
Thank you guys for making this an awesome distribution! Regardless of the delayed release this is still the most usable, reliable and efficient linux distribution out there!
I have been struggling with slitaz for about more than 1 year.
First I tried slitaz on my laptop(Intel Core2 Duo with 4GB ram)
1. First of all what I got was a blank screen. So I booted into text mode and installed xorg-xf86-video-intel package. It worked but then I never boot into graphics mode. I have to login as root in text mode and then type slim to get graphics. But startx and X never works. Only way is to use slim. Even after all that I never get the right resolution. Generally I get 1024x768 resolution instead of 1366x768. I have to quit xorg and type slim again and again until I get the right resolution.
2. Bluetooth didn't worked. But after following the guide it worked.
3. Touchpad didn't worked. To do so I have to boot slitaz with boot parameter i8042.nomux=1 i8042.reset and then install xorg-xf86-input-synaptics package to make it smooth.
Then I tried Slitaz on my netbook(Intel ATOM with 2GB ram)
1. Again I didnt get the right resolution. But after installing xorg-xf86-video-intel it worked
2. Touchpad was moving very fast. I installed xorg-xf86-input-synaptics. It worked but whenever I touch touchpad with two fingers mouse cursor starts moving randomly on screen.
3. Bluetooth never works. I tried installing bluez, blueman and other related packages. Bluetooth got detected, I can search other networks pair with them but sending and recieving files always fails.
4. Still not getting sound.
5. Wifi didn't worked. Installed broadcom-wl module. After little trying I got my wifi card detected. I can see wifi networks and connect with them. But cannot surf internet. Strangely when I ping I get results but when I open site in midori, tazweb, and retawq, sites never open.
And the biggest drawback I find in slitaz is that I can not retain my changes and to do so every time i have to regenerate iso. Since I have to work around lot of tweaks reatining my changes is must. Right now my rootfs.gz is about 300MB and takes 1GB ram. I have to think several times before generating iso because it takes so much time as it is too big in size.
I have worked around several problem but still I am not satisfied.
But surely slitaz has something in it. Although I have ubuntu, fedora, openSUSE, linuxmint, I still prefer slitaz.
So, I would love a slitaz which is minimalistic but modern. As today netbooks are increasing and lot of people have laptops instead of desktops, I would slitaz with in-built support for latest hardware and smooth performance. As netbooks have limited resources slitaz can be the best option for them but only if it works out-of-box on them. I have little knowledge so I managed but new users might not be able to do so.
I want slitaz to be
1. Modern i.e. supporting all the hardwares specially netbooks and laptops
2. Minimalistic which it is already
3. Nice looks. Although slitaz looks better than puppy and tinycore but still inspirations can be taken from Lubuntu
4. Easy so that new user can easily use it.
5. Some work around to retain the changes
In the era of 3G/4G and high speed broadband we can increase the size of slitaz atleast I guess we can afford a size inbetween 50MB and 100MB
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Congratulations for this wonderful project. I am a college student. My only machine is a very slow and low memory AAO110L. I have tried most of the small distros that run in memory. Slitaz is my favorite. I wish stuff most of us use daily could be easier to get going, stuff like, Flash, Java, spreadsheet, text editor, Skype, all that. I know nothing about linux, I am aware that this distro is not intended for the purpose I need or for people like me. But SliTaz could be a real lifesaver. Thank you for this OS. I hope I will be able to use it as my sole OS soon.
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On most of the beatiful advantages of SliTaz (footprint, speed, flexibility, versatility) there isn't anything to add. I fell in love with SliTaz so much, that when my wife needs a windows-only embroidery program for her embroidery-machine I start XP in Virtualbox under SliTaz for her. So, guys, from my point of view you are exactly on the right track.
Instead of blowing everything up ever more with more and more eyecandy I just need a system, thats fast and reliable.
With a frugal installation (that is quite easy to produce using tazlito) you are on the safe side when surfing the internet or plugging in any device that might contain virae.
What else?
Since I like fiddling around as a hobby I just got a WeTab for my birthday last week (300 €). So now I am trying to achieve a fast and stable SliTaz with multitouch support and all those easy to use packages on it. Maybe with this speed and low resource needs the WeTab might step up in the direction of the IPad some more ??!? WeTabOS already improved a lot, or so it seems on reading the fatal impression reports from last year...
SliTaz as a free tablet-alternative to iOS and Android appears really attractive for me...
On the way I might be missing one thing: compilation of generic linux-programs often leads me to dependency problems where I strand searching for suiting libraries. Maybe an dxtended library-database would be helpful?
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Some people have a modern PC/notebook. It would be great, if you guys create 2 version of Slitaz. One for modern and one for older PC. Maybe changing to the latest kernel and better hardware support for modern one. And of course RAM and hd space is not a problem for modern PC.
Sorry for my bad english
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My 2 cents.
I think the first thing to do is ensure updates of packages so that they work (some dependencies need updates) and that current packages are available, specially for browser and mail, which we use all the day (at least I do, but frankly, who does not). Because of the certificate, i see a security risk in NOT doing it. And, in general, i would like to be sure that the system can be upgraded if there is a know security issue (which I do not believe it is, at this time).
I have been trying to use linux as a replacement of XP since 2006 and only in the last year does it start too look as feasible: with mint lxde....
Slitaz is very very close, but to solve some issues ends up going through the forum and through the documentation a lot. This is not so easy because when i do a google search i can never be sure that the page of the documentation applies to the version i am using.
(I already suggested that each documentation page should have in its header the version of Slitaz to which it applies: wouldnt you want to be sure that the doc of your microwave belongs to the microwave and not to the dishwasher ? or to the previous microwave you had 2 years ago)
Second, I am finding some problems that make me wonder how much slitaz OSes are really used by you fellows, or if they are used at all.
Instead of issuing a new version 4.0 i would have preferred the problems to be fixed in 3.0 first. If they are not, then i do not beleive they will be solved in 4.0 out of the box (eg still no icon in the application bar for a terminal...), for one, and second, i view a painfull upgrade path...
As an example, i had to modify the skype script so that skype can use the webcam.
There was also a dependency missing for being able to print from libreoffice (i think that problem existed with OO too, but i could not solve it back then). I had to convert the dependency from a deb file. That one specially made me wonder who really uses Slitaz in real life ie with OO or libreoffice.
Another thing i am missing is playonlinux: that allows to install MS OFFice, and i view that as a must must must (the last version of libreoffice looks promising but still has problems that do not exist with office 2003).
And last i am having a problem with connecting my scanner (parallel port) (which works with mint or crunchbang).
I still prefer Slitaz (V3) for the interface, the speed, and guarantee i will not kill my system when playing (frugal boot that i save with a tazusb writefs when i want too)
But Mint LXDE has play on linx (ie, msoffice runs on it), supports my scanner, and pretty much everything works.
Oh ! i prefer the logout menu of 3.0 rather than 4.0 which has an extra (unecessary) pulldown menu.
And i had it running for 3 weeks as my main OS once about a year ago.
With the recent changes i introduced, i am feeling ready for another marathon of this kind (well maybe 40 days )
I would think that if (we) want to go to a next stage, ie, jump form the slot of <nice 30mB toy> to <nice beautifull usefull small fast everyday's tool>, then it is time to take a more proactive approach, establishing a small panel of users who try to use Slitaz as there main OS, and, conversely, make sure the problems of these people get solved for the benefit of the mainstream...
To me, the differentiator with other linuses is the small size (/ is 1GB here and i have pretty much everything i need) and the frugal mode. I love that.
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How about something that no distro is focusing on, yet can be a very valuble tool? A live secure distro oriented for online use. Now only would you attract Linux crowd, but the Windows and Mac crowd. It would protect their hard drives, because it runs in ram. Cant' catch a virus, because it's not installed. Load it with interent apps and lock it down tight. No ones doing really. Except me, but not with SliTaz. I still haven't had you guys ell me how I can add a user to the remaster so it won't auto signe in as root.
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People will need to be able to remaster their lived dvd with a easy to use gui the idea is to be taken seriously.
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@christophe: PlayOnLinux will never work with SliTaz. Why do you ask? Let me put this nicely. It only works on Ubuntu and Ubuntu-derivatives (like Mint and CrunchBang). It's heavily dependent on having the ability to download several version of Wine, because different Windows software seems to work better on only certain versions of Wine. Office is one of these culprits. If you want something that might run PlayOnLinux and is small try Lupu Puppy Linux. Otherwise, stop making it a requirement for SliTaz, because sadly, you will be disappointed because SliTaz was created from scratch and isn't based on Ubuntu like 90% of all the distributions out there.
@Surfer Linux systems can't catch Windows Viruses anyway...
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@Surfer: not sure if the adduser cmd now creates a valid home directory but if not, i installed additional users by:
# su (pw: root)
# cp -r /home/tux /home/[new_user]
# adduser [new_user] (entering new pw)
# chown -R [new_user].[new_user] [new_user]
If you use tazlito for creation of a new live-cd then (or tazusb respectively) then you are done.
For change of autologin you might have to edit /etc/slim.conf.
P.S.: normally you auto-login as user tux, not as root...
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Wide language support ...
I don't know what do i want out of SliTaz, you make needed things before i think of them.
Slitaz is great distro, i use it since version 2.0 and like it because it's not Ubuntu...
It runs perfectly on most barebones and thin stations, Slitaz is small, Slitaz is fast, Slitaz is modular and easy to use ... Love it ...
I wish you every success!
Guys, you are great!
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Hello Trixar,
Just to make it clear, MSOffice is not a request of mine, it is a request of the vast majority of (business) PC users. Except for that reason, I could not care less for playonlinux, and maybe we should just ensure we have the 2 or 3 packages for wine that allow to run office as required. For that would largely be enough. I still want to try the appropriate version for office 2003 on Slitaz, just a time issue...
Furthermore i have seen (but not tested) the new options of winetricks which help in the whole process. I tried it on slitaz with the default wine version but i was not successfull.... will let you know if it works with another version
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winetricks is a bash script that downloads the right Ubuntu packages so Wine can have a better support for certain Windows functions. If I remember correctly, it downloaded Samba, the MS Fonts and several dlls. I haven't used it in years, so I can't be more specific.
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well since my first attempt with it it largely changed. There seems to be a relevant option to install msO2003 though I cannot tell what special it does.
With PoL the relevant wine version is 1.1.30 (different from the one available on slitaz)
I already tried other versions, but not that one, and not with winetricks (PoL uses winetricks)
Last i tried pol i hit a number of problems (with python prerequisite it seems) but i could give it another try.I will let you know, when i try, if it gets me anywhere....
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MSO2003 "it is a request of the vast majority of (business) PC users".
Slitaz is the best Live system, needed to repair data, internet connection, work on old hardware or use it like personal mobile usb-flash system ... If you want to run MSO you will need 30Mb Slitaz ISO + 500Mb MSO + 100Mb depending packages, that's not mobile variant and it will not work on old hardware...
Why don't you try others distros for that purposes, such as Elive with wine preinstalled or take full system: OpenSuse, Ubuntu and others???
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Like so many others, I want to use my computer (hardware, and connections). I want a (software) base I can build on: not only pre-compiled tools I can add, but also a toolset and standards for making what isn't available pre-compiled. I want to be able to find out more about what I'm using: version-specific (hyperlinked?) documentation, or effective directions on where to find it. Of course, I also want to be able to negotiate hiring someone to tackle challenges I wish to avoid, and to contribute directly to what works for me.
'On The Other Hand', what I do not want is hardware I can't use, software broken by updates, data (including my OS) I can't restore or adapt, endless politics or monopoly abuse.
SliTaz is a set of ideals, a community, a system of software base and tools, and more.
It's modular, documented, supported, elegant and effective. May such a light shine forever.
Sorry, I got carried away.
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What I expect out of SliTaz is a very minimal system that can be tailored for just about any intended application one may have in mind. This said, I would also expect that basic hardware recognition and support would be one of your strong points - keyboard & mouse, video, internet connectivity, and any connected devices such as storage drives, USB devices, and so on. Only the most basic and necessary software applications should be included. In other words, the ability to begin working with the system and tailoring it for my needs. In my opinion, SliTaz is very close to this goal.
I've been an avid follower of Slitaz for a very long time, and have been checking the site almost daily over the last year to watch for news of 4.0.
To me, Slitaz seems to be in its own league. Gentoo generally builds a rather large system, and doesn't have support for uclibc. Tinycore has far too few packages in its database, and terrible video driver support.
The great thing about Slitaz for me is that it's the ideal Linux distribution to place on a USB key. It does more things right than any other mini distro.
But what I would really love to see in Slitaz, is for it to borrow more good ideas from other distributions, so long as they don't increase the size:
-Something similar to Tiny Core's dynamic package loading and unloading system. (to save even more ram on older pc's,)
-A more user-friendly way to turn a currently running slitaz session into a new liveCD or USB install.
-A Slitaz Studio version, that would include ardour and keep more up-to-date versions of gimp, blender, inkscape, etc (going to try to tackle this last one myself after 4.0 final is out)
Slitaz is a truly amazing distro, and can't really be compared with any other.
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A small, handy distro one can start with, that can be ,,enlarged" with some of the often needed bigger-sized programs with ease, that runs quick even on older hardware (up to 500 MB RAM)-and as a basic requirement a nice, polite and friendly communitry that helps to iron out problem that one will face in case new programs are brought into Slitaz. I am no nerd and want to go deeper into technical details only in case it is necessary to make things run that I want, not a very intrinsic motivation then.
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Second thought :
Why Would I want to use Slitaz (instead of, say, Ubuntu) ?
- because it small, fast, can run in memory, has the frugal install capability, which means, i cant really destroy it if playing with it (i would destroy the copy in memory, which obviously is no big deal). Clearly, these are major differentiators
- because i get good support when asking questions here: the community is small enough that the problems end up 'in the right hands'
Bottom line:
- keep it small (which is the case); keep it fast;
- improve everything which has to do with tazlito, tazusb, frugal install: there are a number of issue that make either of these break (i had to struggle to get tazlito do what i want, and still cannot get tazusb to work, i might be wrong but i assume i am not the only one here).
That should include a better way to handle "personnal" tazpkg (eg converted from deb packages), which could help for upgrades also...
- make sure the basics work and/or get fixed. EG, once it is found that a dependency was forgotten when building a package, or that a package needs fixing, fix it in the repos (eg, abiword, get_openoffice and get_flashplayer, and others). This includes also the documentation.
3.0 was 2 years ago, 4.0 will be out soon. I view this (2 years) as an advantage: I like stable environments. It is very hard for a small community to support several versions at a time.
in other words, keep on the good work....
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