Tiny Core Linux
Logo of TCL
Tiny Core Linux 7.1 screenshot.png
Tiny Core Linux 7.1
OS familyLinux (Unix-like)
Working stateCurrent
Source modelOpen source
Initial releaseJanuary 5, 2009; 14 years ago (2009-01-05)
Latest release13.1 / May 8, 2022; 10 months ago (2022-05-08)[1]
Available inEnglish
Package managerappbrowser (GUI) / tce (CLI)
Platformsx86
x86-64
armv7
Raspberry Pi
Kernel typeMonolithic
UserlandBusyBox
Default
user interface
FLWM
LicenseGNU GPLv2
Official websitetinycorelinux.net

Tiny Core Linux (TCL) is a minimal Linux kernel based operating system focusing on providing a base system using BusyBox and FLTK. It was developed by Robert Shingledecker, who was previously the lead developer of Damn Small Linux.[2][3] The distribution is notable for its small size (11 to 16 MB) and minimalism; additional functions are provided by extensions. Tiny Core Linux is free and open-source software licensed under the GNU General Public License version 2.[4]

Types

System requirements

Minimal configuration: Tiny Core needs at least 46 MB of RAM in order to run, and (micro) Core requires at least 28 MB of RAM. The minimum CPU is an i486DX.[7]

Recommended configuration: A Pentium II CPU and 128 MB of RAM are recommended for Tiny Core.[7]

Design philosophy

The developers describe TCL as "a nomadic ultra small graphical desktop operating system capable of booting from cdrom, pendrive, or frugally from a hard drive."[8] As of version 2.8.1, the core is designed to run primarily in RAM but with three distinct modes of operation:

Release history

Version Stability Release date
1.0[10][2] Stable version January 5, 2009
2.0[10][11] June 7, 2009
3.0[10] July 19, 2010
4.0[10][12] September 25, 2011
4.7.7[10] May 10, 2013
5.0[10][13] September 14, 2013
5.0.1[10] October 1, 2013
5.0.2[10] October 18, 2013
5.1[10] November 28, 2013
5.2[10] January 14, 2014
5.3[10] April 19, 2014
5.4[10] September 10, 2014
6.0[10] January 5, 2015
6.1[10] March 7, 2015
6.2[10] May 3, 2015
6.3[10] May 30, 2015
6.4[10] September 8, 2015
6.4.1[10] November 4, 2015
7.0[10][14] February 23, 2016
7.1[10] May 22, 2016
7.2[10] July 4, 2016
8.0[10] April 10, 2017
8.1[10] September 3, 2017
8.2[10] September 22, 2017
9.0[10] February 26, 2018
10.0[10] January 20, 2019
10.1[10] June 11, 2019
11.0[10] February 9, 2020
11.1[10] April 1, 2020
12.0[10] February 17, 2021
13.0[10] January 31, 2022
13.1 [10][1] Latest version May 8, 2022

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Tiny Core v13.1". 2022-05-08. Retrieved 2022-12-09.
  2. ^ a b "Interview with Robert Shingledecker, creator of Tiny Core Linux". DistroWatch Weekly. March 23, 2009. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  3. ^ Shingledecker, Christopher (July 4, 2020). "Prof. Dr. Christopher N. Shingledecker, Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Benedictine College". shingledecker.org. Benedictine College. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  4. ^ Shingledecker, Christopher. "Frequently Asked Questions". Tiny Core Linux.
  5. ^ a b c d Robert Shingledecker (2012). "Downloads - Tiny Core Linux". Retrieved September 13, 2012.
  6. ^ Juanito. "dCore-5.0.alpha1 released". Retrieved May 30, 2013.
  7. ^ a b Robert Shingledecker. "Frequently Asked Questions: What are the minimum requirements?". Retrieved September 13, 2012.
  8. ^ Robert Shingledecker (December 1, 2008). "Welcome to The Core Project - Tiny Core Linux". Retrieved June 6, 2012.
  9. ^ Robert Shingledecker. "Tiny Core: Core Concepts". Retrieved June 6, 2012.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af Final Releases – Release Announcements and Change log from Tiny Core Linux Forum
  11. ^ Smart, Christopher (2009-08-06). "Tiny Core: The Little Distro That Could | Linux Magazine". Linux Magazine. Archived from the original on 2019-02-02. Retrieved 2020-09-11.((cite web)): CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  12. ^ DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 440, 23 January 2012
  13. ^ DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 527, 30 September 2013
  14. ^ Tiny Core Linux 7.0 [LWN.net]