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Damn Small Linux 2024 is a compact Linux distribution aimed at older, low-spec x86 computers, but Jenny List’s March 2024 test found both promise and practical limits. The tested alpha ran on two older laptops; one had no recognized Wi-Fi, and getting the ISO to boot from a flash drive required a workaround.
What Damn Small Linux 2024 is designed to do
The DSL project describes its 2024 system as a desktop distribution for low-spec x86 computers. It is based on antiX 23 i386, which in turn draws on Debian, and includes apt so users can install additional software. The project’s aim is to fit a usable desktop into a single-CD image, with a stated hard limit of 700MB. That is a design target, not a performance measurement or a claim that every downloadable build has a particular size. The project describes that goal and its software.
This is not the old 50MB version of DSL: the 2024 project prioritizes including a broader desktop environment and useful applications while retaining a compact image. Its official application list includes the Fluxbox and JWM window managers; Firefox ESR, NetSurf GTK, Dillo, and Links2 browsers; and AbiWord and Gnumeric, alongside email, media, graphics, file-management, and terminal tools.
What Jenny List found in the March 2024 test
Hackaday writer Jenny List tested an alpha build and reported a short, two-laptop hands-on experience—not a broad hardware compatibility survey. Her observations are specific to those machines and that build. Read the March 5, 2024 Hackaday test.
#1 Best Overall
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Booting from a flash drive took a workaround
The ISO initially failed to boot when List put it on a flash drive. She used isohybrid, included in the syslinux package, to make the image bootable from flash media. This describes her experience with that ISO; it does not establish that every DSL image or USB-writing method will fail or need the same fix.
The HP netbook felt responsive but had no recognized Wi-Fi
On a late-2000s HP netbook with a 32-bit, single-core Atom processor, List found DSL snappy. Its wireless network was not recognized, however, so the system’s compact footprint did not guarantee that the netbook’s wireless hardware would work.
Rank #2
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The Dell laptop could network, but performance was modest
List continued on an Intel Core Duo Dell laptop, where networking worked. Using BadWolf—the default browser in the tested alpha, unlike the official project page’s browser list—she accessed Hackaday and its WordPress backend. She described the experience as “perfectly usable though understandably not fast,” and said BadWolf compared favorably with Firefox on Lubuntu on the same hardware. That is a qualitative comparison on one laptop, not a benchmark or a general speed ranking.
Apt let her add software
The tested alpha did not include GIMP. List updated the system and installed her preferred graphics package through apt. This illustrates the practical value of the package manager, but does not by itself establish the present health of DSL’s repositories or the availability of any particular package today.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
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- 【Mini Retro “Computer” Speaker for Your Desk】This 90s-inspired mini PC-style speaker sits right on your desk, nightstand, or gaming setup. Real 5W near-field audio gives clear vocals and warm bass for music, podcasts, study or chill time.
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What to check before trying DSL on an old computer
- Confirm the machine is x86. DSL 2024 is described as an x86 distribution based on antiX 23 i386; the supplied project description does not establish support for other processor architectures.
- Plan for the machine’s boot options. The project targets very old computers, including systems that may lack DVD drives or USB boot support. Its CD-sized-image goal may suit an optical-drive setup, but List’s test did not require an optical drive.
- Check Wi-Fi and other device support on your exact hardware. The HP netbook’s wireless adapter was not recognized, while the Dell laptop networked successfully. Two different outcomes are not enough to predict compatibility for another machine.
- Expect to install missing applications if needed. Apt enabled List to update the alpha and add software absent from the image, but package availability and repository status should be checked rather than assumed.
- Treat the alpha label as time-specific. List’s March 2024 article calls the tested build an alpha and cautions that some things may not work. That describes the version she tested then; it does not verify the project’s release or support status today.
What this test can—and cannot—tell you
The article provides useful evidence that DSL 2024 could run as a desktop on two older x86 laptops, with distinct results for Wi-Fi and perceived speed. It does not establish broad hardware compatibility, current release cadence, security-patch coverage, present-day repository health, or a head-to-head ranking against other lightweight distributions. For a decision about a particular computer, the most relevant checks are architecture, boot method, the drivers for its exact hardware, the applications it needs, and whether the project is currently maintained.
Quick Recap
Best Value
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