Last Updated on: 20th September 2023, 01:54 pm
There is a development version of SparkyLinux 4.3-dev1 MinimalISO available for testing.
New iso images provide the live system and Sparky Advanced Installer, which lets you install the base system and a desktop of your choice, and a very small set of applications.
Sparky MinimalISO is available in two editions:
– MinimalGUI
– MinimalCLI
Sparky MinimalGUI is based on the Openbox edition with a few applications for system configuring and the Iceweasel web browser preinstalled only.
Sparky MinimalCLI is based on the CLI edition, which works in text mode, means no X Server.
It’s targeted to more advanced users and owners of old machines without a DVD drive (CD drive required).
Applications preinstalled on the MinimalCLI iso image:
– Midnight Commander
– Ceni network manager
– eLinks web browser
The live user name is: live
The live user password is: live
The system root (admin) user password is empty.
To run the text based installer (called: Sparky (Advanced) Installer now) in the CLI edition, do:
1. Log in to the live user.
2. Re-log in to the root account:
sudo su
sparkylinux-installer
or run the installer as a super user:
sudo sparkylinux-installer
If you are connected to the network via a wireless (wifi) device only, run the Ceni to configure the connection before running the installer:
sudo ceni
Some of wifi devices need an exact kernel module to be loaded before running the Ceni.
Both editions feature text (Dialog based) installer, and the MinimalGUI iso features GUI (Yad based) installer as well. Both lets you install the live system only (as before) or the live system and a desktop of your choice.
There are a few desktops available to install (in on-line mode) of the 4.3-dev1 edition:
– Budgie
– Enlightenment
– JWM
– LXDE
– LXQt
– Openbox
More desktops will be added to a next release.
Additionally, the MinimalGUI (Openbox) edition features the present, Python based Live Installer (as before), which installs the live system to a hard drive too.
A few reasons made that the Sparky Minimal has been created:
1. I received some emails asking me to make more Sparky editions with other desktops – it is not possible, there are many Sparky spins already exist.
2. Managing so large number of existing spins is hard and takes much time.
3. A suggestion and still open talk on our forums started by The Black Pig about a mini iso made me more clear about that.
Your suggestions and other things post on our forums, please.
The testing iso images can be download from the page: download/development
Additional info:
– ‘Sparky-Polkit’ issue massage popped up after the first log in to the Enlightenment desktop can be ignored.