DeLi Linux


Desktop Light Linux is a discontinued desktop Linux distribution for old PCs.

Release history

Versions of DeLi Linux prior to 0.6.1 are based on Slackware 7, using Linux 2.2.
DeLi Linux version 0.7 was developed from scratch with Linux 2.4.33.3. Despite being no longer based on Slackware, it still uses the Slackware package management. Additionally, a port system based on CRUX was added. This release of DeLi Linux also includes uClibc instead of the GNU C Library. A port of OpenBSD's Korn shell is included as the default shell.
Version 0.8 introduced the Pacman package manager, with a focus on internationalisation. Version 0.8.0 also switched the web browser to NetSurf and Skipstone, having previously been Konqueror Embedded, and Dillo before that.
VersionDate
0.1November 2, 2002
0.2March 19, 2003
0.3July 9, 2003
0.4November 26, 2003
0.5December 16, 2003
0.6June 16, 2004
0.6.1September 9, 2004
0.72006-09-15
0.7.12006-10-17
0.7.22007-05-18
0.8.02008-05-28

Software

DeLi Linux is pre-packaged with Abiword and Siag Office as the office suites. For the web browser, there are NetSurf and Skipstone. Included email clients are Mutt and Sylpheed. Window managers IceWM and Fluxbox are included. For editing, DeLi Linux offers e3, elvis and Beaver.
Since DeLi Linux includes only lightweight software, many popular open source packages are not included, such as GNOME, KDE, Emacs and Mozilla Thunderbird.

Requirements

DeLi Linux needs a 386 with 32 MB RAM as a minimum. However, a Linux Swap partition needs to be selected during setup to run DeLi with less than 48 MB RAM. It should work smoothly with a 486. A full installation with all packages requires nearly 750 MB of hard disk space.

Successor projects

In August 2010, the developers announced that DeLi Linux will be discontinued. Instead there are two successor projects: ConnochaetOS and Deli.
ConnochaetOS was created in 2010 as an Arch Linux derivative targeting i586 processors, and trying to follow the GNU Free System Distribution Guidelines. It was discontinued in July 2013, due to the maintainer's lack of time, the project's financial situation, and the project's failure to get an endorsement from the Free Software Foundation as being FSDG-compliant. However, in June 2015, development of ConnochaetOS resumed, no longer as a derivative of Arch Linux, but as a derivative of Slackware and Salix OS.
Another project is Deli, which runs on 386, 486 and Pentium-class machines.