SadOS For Linux

SadOS is an open source distribution of Linux based on the powerful Arch Linux operating system and dedicated to artsy hackers. It is inspired by a fictional OS used in some comic books starring Don Depresso and uses the Xfce desktop environment.

The project can be downloaded from Softpedia or its official website (see link above) as a single, bootable Live DVD ISO image or approximately 2GB in size and tagged only for the i686 (32-bit) instruction set architecture. This means that while the OS will also run on 64-bit hardware platforms, it supports only 32-bit applications.

When booting the Live DVD from the BIOS of the computer, the user will be prompted by a standard boot menu à la Arch Linux, but with a funny background image of a Tux penguin with a sad face. Default boot options include the ability to start the live environment, boot an existing OS, run Memtest86+ for testing the RAM, run the HDT (Hardware Information Tool) for viewing detailed hardware information, as well as to reboot or power off the computer.

Unfortunately, the ISO does not boot directly into the graphical session, so in order to use the desktop environment you must type the “startx” command on the shell prompt and hit the Enter key on your keyboard. The Xfce desktop will load pretty fast and will offer a lightweight and traditional graphical environment comprised of a top panel and a bottom dock.

Default applications include the Dia diagram editor, Blender 3D graphics renderer, Ekiga softphone, FileZilla file transfer client, Pidgin multi-protocol instant messenger, Skype VoIP client, Tor Browser Bundle, Transmission torrent downloader, Audacious audio player, AbiWord word processor, VLC Media Player, Cheese webcam viewer, Audacity audio player and Mozilla Firefox web browser.

In conclusion, SadOS is a decent operating system that uses the latest upstream Arch Linux version and includes numerous penetration testing tools, as well as interesting 3D and 2D graphics tools specifically designed for creating fractal art.