Frugalware Linux For Linux

Frugalware is an open source distribution of Linux based one the popular and powerful Slackware Linux, but with some elements borrowed from the Arch Linux operating system. It contains almost all the important desktop environments, such as GNOME, KDE and Xfce.

This independent operating system is available for download on Softpedia as two installable-only DVD ISO images of approximately 2GB in size each, one for each of the supported hardware platforms (32-bit/i386 and 64-bit/x86_64).

A GRUB bootloader will appear when you boot the DVD or USB media from the BIOS of a computer, allowing you to start the Frugalware versatile bootable environment directly from the bootable medium or by copying the contents of the ISO image to RAM.

You can change video resolutions, switch to a different locale (default is English), as well as to select another keyboard layout (default is English US).

When users selects the “Frugalware Versatile Bootable Environment” or “Frugalware Versatile Bootable Environment (RAM)” options, the text-mode installer will start, requiring them to select a language for the installation process and a keyboard layout. You must manually partition the disk, select which package groups you wish to install, configure the network, add a password for the root (system administrator) account, set up users and passwords, enter a hostname, choose the default text editor and login screen, select a timzone and install the bootloader.

Frugalware comes with three main desktop environments, GNOME, KDE Plasma and Xfce, which can be installed all together or individually during the installation process on the software selection step. If you choose to install all three of them, you can easily switch between them from the login screen.

Summing up, Frugalware is a geek-friendly distribution of Linux that borrows some functionality from the well known Slackware and Arch Linux operating systems, and it is designed from the ground up for users who are not afraid of the command-line.