CRUX is a lightweight, i686-optimized Linux distribution targeted at experienced Linux users.

The primary focus of this distribution is "keep it simple", which is reflected in a simple tar.gz-based package system, BSD-style initscripts, and a relatively small collection of trimmed packages.

The secondary focus is utilization of new Linux features and recent tools and libraries. CRUX also has a ports system which makes it easy to install and upgrade applications.

There are many Linux distributions out there these days, so what makes this distribution any better than the others? Well, it's all about taste really. I can give you a hint about my taste, and perhaps we share the same taste, or we don't.

First of all, I want a distribution made with simplicity in mind from beginning to end. Further, I want my packages up-to-date, not the latest bleeding-edge-alpha version, but the latest stable version. I want to easily create new and update old packages (updating a package in CRUX is often just a matter of typing pkgmk -d -u).

I want packages optimized for my processor (think -march=i686). I don't want my filesystem cluttered with files I never use (think /usr/doc/*, etc). If I need more information about a specific program, other than information found on the man-page, I'll find it on the net. And finally, I want to use new features offered by recent Linux kernels (think devfs, reiserfs, ext3fs, etc).

If you are a somewhat experienced Linux user that wants a clean and solid Linux distribution as the foundation of your installation, prefers editing configuration files with an editor to using a GUI, and doesn't hesitate to download and compile programs yourself, then this distribution might suit you well.

What's New in This Release: [ read full changelog ]

Toolchain updates:

· CRUX 2.6 includes glibc 2.10.1, gcc 4.4.1 and binutils 2.19.1

Kernel:

· Linux 2.6.30.x

Xorg:

· CRUX 2.6 ships with Xorg 7.4.

Important changes:

· xz/lzma support has been added to libarchive, it's possible to use .xz and .lzma source-archives in our ports now
· libusb has been updated to version 1.0, to keep compatibility to version 0.1 a new port libusb-compat has been added to core
· libblkid, blkid, findfs and fsck are now provided by util-linux-ng instead of e2fsprogs
· libuuid, uuidd and uuidgen are now provided by util-linux-ng instead of e2fsprogs
· using the file /etc/modprobe.conf to configure modprobe is deprecated, use *.conf files in /etc/modprobe.d/ instead
· rdate has been replaced by openrdate
· libdevmapper, sudo and xz have been moved from opt to core
· tcsh, rpm2targz, strace and expat have been moved from core to opt
· lvm2 is now available during install