Posted on 07/06/2018 3:31:55 AM PDT by ShadowAce
A while ago, we have covered about OSBoxes, a website that offers a collection of free, ready-to-use Linux and Unix VMs. You can download and try them on your Linux system using VirtualBox or VMWare workstation. Today, I stumbled upon a similar service named DistroTest. Unlike OSBoxes, DistroTest allows you to try the live Linux and Unix operating systems for free. You can test 100+ Linux and Unix operating systems online without having to install them locally. Just visit the website, choose the Linux/Unix distro of your choice and fire it up!
Two good Samaritans named Andy Klemann and Tobias Forster have hosted this web service using Debian using Qemu. There is no restrictions to use the public distros listed here. You can use all functions of the system as the way you do in your local system. You can install and uninstall software. You can test installed programs and
even delete or format the hard disk or system files. In a nutshell, DistoTest lets the distro hoppers to decide,
As of writing this guide, DistroTest offers more than 200+ (including different Linux variants and versions). I have been using Linux for years, however I never heard some of the Linux distros listed here. To be honest, I dont even know this much of Linux operating systems exists. Here is the list of available Linux distributions in DistroTrest website.
To test any operating systems, just navigate to the following link:
In this website, you will see the list of available OSes. Click on the any distributions link you want to explore.
For the purpose of this guide, I am going to test Arch Linux.
Once you clicked on the distributions link, you will be then redirected to the next screen where you can start the OS by clicking on System start button.
Now, the live system will start in a new browser window and you can access it from the built-in noVNC viewer. Please enable the pop-ups for this site, otherwise you cant see the noVNC application.
Hit ENTER to boot into the live system.
Here is the Arch Linux live system:
You can use this system for an hour for free. You can now test the live OS, install applications, remove applications, delete or modify system files, and test a configuration or script. After every shutdown, everything is back to the default settings.
Once youre done, go back to the DistroTest page and stop your test system. If you dont want to enable the pop-ups in DistroTest page, just use any locally installed VNC client applications in your system. The VNC client login details are given in the same page itself.
DistroTest service can be useful for those who wants to test a Linux/Unix operating system online or for those who dont have the live ISO of the preferred OS. It works just fine as far as I tested in 4G Internet connection.
And, thats all for now. I dont know how the DistroTest team managed to host this much of operating systems. I am sure it would have taken a lot of time. It is really a commendable work. I really appreciate the self-less act of the project members. Kudos to you guys. More power to you!
Cheers!
Thanks!
This looks way cool. I am surprised, though, that they don’t feature MSLinux.
Very interesting site.
Thanks.
Ping
Ditto.
Bkmk
A post like this is probably why linux doesn’t hold more “market share” in households. if there were just, say, 10 distros and the linux community worked to make those 10 the absolute best....but no, they let their egos get in the way of a superior product. Any time you have to go to a command line, you’ve lost me. But that’s just me.
Thanks for posting this site. Going to give it a visit.
Exactly. I actually prefer the command line. That is why there are so many different distros. Because there are so many different kinds of users. It's not a "one size fits all" mentality like Windows is. It's a "here's a collection of tools to use as you see fit" mentality.
thanks for noting that MSLinux is not included. that said, i am very happy to know of this very intriguing site!
Instead we get 100+ different OSes. What good is that? Will a program I write for OS Number #37 work on OS #78? Maybe. Maybe not.
The same nonsense is going on with regard to computer languages: rather than expanding around existing proven languages we get a plethora of languages with a mixed bag of advantages and downsides that don't constitute real advancement. C++ makes sense as an expansion of C. Python is just a scripting language gone mad.
I know. I know. Python is popular and "powerful". But so is Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga.
You thought incorrectly.
Computer languages, like OSes, are created to fill specific needs. Neither one can be all things to all people. That concept is foreign to IT, and computers in general.
COBOL is geared towrds business / large amount of data in multi-user environments. Fortran is geared towards scientific computing. PHP is programming for web sites, while SQL is aimed at databases. It would be impossibly clunky, if not downright impossible, to design and implement a computer language that would be good at every task.
The same thing goes for an OS. Windows is aimed at people who don't know anyting about computers, don't want to know anything about computers, or just want a plug and play system and they don't care how the computer works. Linux is aimed at people who care about how the code runs, who want the ability to do tasks that cannot be done on Windows, who interact with datacenters, mobile devices, and desktops at the same time.
Different OSes for different needs.
Yes.
200+ flavors? Ridiculous.
As for the command lines, that reminds me of the days of MSDOS. I quit using that, except for special needs, nearly 25 years ago.
I have been playing around with a Linux-only Mint laptop. Mint is okay, it has problems. Going from 18.2 to 18.3, something started screwing up the icons in the system tray and menu items occasionally. I have to reboot to get them back.
Also, they still cannot find a way to get FoxSportsPro to work because of Digital Media Rights. I even tried several browsers via Wine and that was an effort in futility. Ironically, NBCSports plays without any problem.
I still revert to Win7 when I want to so some serious computing. I can load and have a project completed in Word or Excel 97 before the embedded Word/Excel even load. Windows still has its problems, too.
I’ve been using Linux Mint, for years and I love it! I wasn’t impressed with earlier versions such as 10 or 13, bit 16 up is excellent. The earlier versions had issues with overheating, and not being able to utilise headphones properly among other things. I’m using 18.3 right now on an Acer laptop, and it’s excellent. I have zero issues. 19 is on it’s way out any minute, and I hear it’s a bit faster than 18 which is a good thing. When my PC had a fresh version of Windows 8.1 on it, it was slow as mud. So, I wiped it off and installed Mint 18.1. it’s worked like a charm. I have 2 other Acer laptops with mint 16 on one, and 17 on the other. No issues with those, either.
Linux is the base is on Android phones, too.
I've noticed in the Ubuntu versions of Firefox, the latest versions of Firefox, you sometimes have to go in to Preferences and on the General page, you have to check mark, "Play DRM-controlled content". Though not a guarantee but maybe that will help.
I know DRM content can be a pain on some websites but in Linux Firefox, you have to enable it for it to work in some cases.
CGato
Just tried the preferences in the lastest Firefox.
Did the same thing: acts like it recognizes the provider, shows current live features.
As soon as I click on one, the flash video screen spinner acts like it is going to load, but the spinner just spins.
I have searched some of the Linux help forums and that seems to be the likely result. It is funny that NBCSports will play, but FoxSportsGo won’t.
Remember back in 1994 when Microsoft acquired the Catholic Church?
No I don’t! I’ll have to look into that. Would explain Franky, though, he’s sort of the Windows ME of popes.
Not sure if these instructions are applicable anymore, but I had to install HAL-flash in order to get HULU to work, from here:
https://askubuntu.com/questions/799481/how-to-install-hal-in-16-04lts
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