FaunOS: The Portable Operating Environment
FaunOS is a portable (easy-to-carry), fully integrated Linux operating system with over 600 preinstalled packages. It is specifically designed to run from a portable USB memory device (such as a USB flash drive). It can also be configured to boot from other media, such as DVD, and even the internal hard drive, but we mainly focus on detachable media.
FaunOS is a live system. It's designed to run without setup on most modern x86-based systems (see minimum requirements). Because it allows you to save changes back to the USB, i.e. to customize and make it your own, FaunOS can be your primary OS. We call it your "portable operating environment", or POE, for short.
The system boots straight into graphical mode. This makes for a gentle, and largely intuitive, "getting started" learning curve for most any user--Windows users, included. (We think it's a great way to wet one's feet in Linux, even if one isn't planning on becoming a "power user.") And best of all, you'll get to keep running your POE (and all your customizations) on that new notebook you're planning to buy, for example.
FaunOS doesn't read, change or install anything on the computer's internal hard drive--unless you specifically ask it to. This means it's safe to take your USB to a computer you don't own and boot from it (see minimum requirements). When you finish, shutdown, and detach your USB key, there is no trace of any of your activity on that computer. So using FaunOS, you're protected from malware, spyware, viruses and the like that may exist on the host machine's hard drive.
Features & Package Highlights
The following table highlights features and installed software packages that ship with the latest version of FaunOS.
| Description | |
|---|---|
| General | |
| Session save | FaunOS employs an in-memory file system: when you make changes to files these changes are stored in volatile memory. On shutdown, you're asked whether you'd like the changes to be saved permanently. If you answer "yes", the system saves the changes on the USB during the shutdown process. If you answer "no", the system takes a shortcut and, depending on how the shutdown was specified, either powers down or reboots. |
| File system support | FaunOS recognizes many types of file systems, including Windows. When booted from a USB, in order to access files on the hard drive (or any other device), use the "Storage Devices" shortcut on the desktop. |
| FaunOS Installer | Use the FaunOS Installer to make additional copies of your customized environment on another USB, or onto a hard drive. |
| Advanced USB suspend | Once your computer (e.g. laptop) is in "suspend mode" (e.g. after you've closed the laptop's lid in the middle of work without shutting down), you can detach the USB; to resume work where you left off, stick the USB back into the same port, and then wake up the system (e.g. open the laptop's lid and/or hit the power button). |
| PacTrac | Use this graphical front-end to the pacman package manager, in order to find, locate, update, or install software packages. PacTrac's search dialog narrows down the more than 4200 packages available in the combined FaunOS and standard Arch repositories by matching package names and descriptions to your keyboard input in real time. |
| Graphics drivers | Graphics driver with 3D acceleration for Intel based cards, as well as numerous other drivers. |
| Linux kernel 2.6.24 | Based on vanilla kernel with the fbsplash patch, aufs required patches, and usb suspend persistence patch. |
| Networking | |
| iwl driver | Intel 3945 A/B/G wireless driver. |
| ndiswrapper | Wrapper for Windows network drivers. |
| wcid | Graphical network manager. |
| wlassistant 0.5.7 | Another graphical network manager for wireless devices. You can also use wcid and "Wireless Assistant" (wlassistant) interchangeably. |
| Web, internet, multimedia | |
| Firefox 2.0.0.12 | Web browser with plug-in support (see below). |
| JRE 1.5 | Java runtime environment and integrated Firefox plug-in. |
| flashplugin 9.0.115 | Plays flash in Firefox from sites like YouTube. |
| mplayer 1.0rc2 | Multimedia/video Player. Includes codecs. |
| mplayer-plugin 3.50 | Firefox multimedia plugin. |
| Kopete | IM/IRC/ICQ client. |
| ktorrent 2.2.5 | KDE BitTorrent application. |
| Amarok 1.4.8 | Multimedia player. Includes full visualization package. |
| Codeine | Mutlimedia player capable of playing DVD menus. |
| Audacity | Music file editor. |
| Gimp | Image manipulation program. |
| ThunderBird 2.0.0.12 | Standalone mail/news reader. |
| GoogleEarth 4.2.205.5730 | 3D Earth Map. |
| K3B | CD/DVD creation and burning software. |
| StreamRipper | Save internet radio streams to MP3s. |
| Frostwire 4.13.4 | P2P Gnutella/Bittorrent client based on LimeWire. |
| Productivity apps | |
| Openoffice 2.3.1 | Office productivity suite. |
| kmobiletools | Access mobile phone address books and more. |
| SuperKaramba | Desktop widgets. |
| Utilities | |
| k9copy | Backup DVDs. |
| kdebluetooth | KDE bluetooth utilities. |
| ntp | Synchronize host machine's clock with public time servers (using Network Time Protocol). |
| ntfs-3g | Read/write mount NTFS drives. |
| For fun.. | |
| Comiz-fusion | OpenGL 3D Desktop |
| Stellarium | Astronomy Software. |
| Tuxracer 0.61 | Arcade Game. |
The complete package list is available here.
Latest News
The FaunOS Shop
4 July 2008
From the website:
We created the FaunOS shop in order to provide a convenient, one-stop solution for getting FaunOS pre-installed on a USB flash key.
Our motivation behind creating the service was two-fold. First, because some of our users had already suggested it, we perceived its need. The shop helps expand the already growing community of FaunOS users to a larger base. Second, proceeds from sales are used to support FaunOS and/or 3rd party open source software development. While, as a project, FaunOS is dependent on the mostly voluntary contributions of others in the open source community, having resources to throw at new features and defects (which are often boring to fix) will certainly help shorten release cycles.
FaunOS shadow-0.5.4-stable Released
14 March 2008
The FaunOS team is pleased to announce the release of FaunOS shadow-0.5.4-stable. (More)
FaunOS Reviewed at Linux.com
25 September 2007
Susan Linton at Linux.com writes:
"As it is, FaunOS 42 is a remarkable achievement, especially considering this is only the distro's second release. It's attractive, with customized wallpaper, modern icons, agreeable fonts, tranparency, and an unconventional panel arrangement. It performs exceptionally well. Hardware support is very good. It comes with an ample and intuitive suite of software. But most importantly, it just works."
FaunOS fortytwo-0.3.2 Released
5 September 2007
The FaunOS team is pleased to announce the release of FaunOS fortytwo-0.3.2. (More)
FaunOS Version 02b Released
3 June 2007
Version 02b was the first GA of the distro. At this time, this version is archived offline in order to save disk space at the web site.