AntiX-Core is the minimalist version of AntiX, which is a debian/mepis spin on linux. The AntiX-Core contains all the essentials that a budding user would need to create his or her own flavor of linux. However, the user must be well-accustomed to the terminal and figure out what packages that need to be installed for a functional system. This includes knowing which window manager, audio and video drivers or packages to install. Another prerequisite is that the user must have wireless drivers/deb package available if one desires to install and configure the system exclusively with wireless internet.
Besides these two factors, I found it incredibly easy to install a fully functional linux system in just about ten minutes. The documentation is well written in the required files for moderation. On a side note, it is very handy to the user to have a handwritten list of repo sources on hand for easy access.
The only gripe I have with this distribution is that AntiX does not have any images optimized for 64-bit machines. All in all, AntiX-Core is my main go-to distribution for 32-bit systems, because it is minimalistic, contains no bloat, and easy to install and individualize. I am very satisfied with community’s work on this distribution and would highly recommend this to experienced linux users who want a minimalistic 32-bit machine.
Thanks for sharing this review. I had never heard of this distro. I find that this type of distro, one which requires a seasoned CLI user, to be a scary task for me. I tried to install Arch Linux with nothing but failure. (even though their wiki is phenomenal) I would like to ask you, where would you point a noob like myself (current #! user and loving it!) to get further CLI experience?
Just use any distribution, your current #! for example, and start doing tasks with the terminal. After you get yourself familiar with the basic CLI tools there’s nothing that you couldn’t do in a CLI environment. Don’t be afraid of it, it’s a valuable tool.
#! is a good starting point for learning CLI. Heck, #! was my introduction into linux and helped me get to where I am now. I would recommend gradually weaning yourself from GUI applications and replacing them with CLI alternatives. By the time you have migrated most of your applications to CLI and effectively use them, building a distro from the ground up with AntiX-Core is a pretty simple task.
#! forums has some excellent threads on CLI applications and getting familiar with the terminal. Before you know it, the terminal will replace most of your common tasks and save you lots of space and memory in the long run.