INX.. "is not X"

INX is a "Live CD" distribution of GNU/Linux, derived from Ubuntu 8.04.1 LTS, but using "ubuntu-minimal" and "ubuntu-standard" as a base. It is console only, without any graphical "X" programs.

INX is intended as a "tutorial" and introduction to the Bash command line, but is a fully capable, portable GNU/Linux system in its own right. It has a collection of easy-to-use menus, colour themes, easy configuration tools, music (and video on the frame buffer), some games, and several surprises for those who are not aware of what can be done in a console/tty.

INX is fun, and not intimidating for console beginners.

INX 1.0 also includes new features; you can now set up wireless with the "Ceni" tool from the INX "Net & Web" menu. You can use your mouse with programs like xlinks2, elinks, mc, and the jed text editor. In addition to the powerful GNU Screen program, INX now sports the "Dvtm" Dynamic Virtual Terminal Manager, a "tiled terminal manager".

http://inx.mainconte...ce-inx-1.0.html

http://inx.mainconte...ce-inx-1.0.html

thanx nuno
this looks oldScool
'interesting, useful and fun experience _without X_.'

inx-1.0.iso size:(188.50MB)

+ inx.maincontent.net/files/
inx-1.0-vbox.vdi.bz2
inx-1.0-qemu.bz2

Please join the torrent swarm if you can, and seed generously!
Torrent (direct link)

https://launchpad.net/inx
https://launchpad.ne.../ announcements

Yes, almost seems like a parallel dimension where text based programs continued to evolve free of any disturbance caused on their natural habitat by round buttons or mouse driven clicks over the past 15 years..

I miss some of the fun from the DOS days when things somewhat looked simpler without need for multi tasking our brain with multiple tabs and such..

In fact, this is not only old-school. There are mainly two advantages of console based software that are still valid nowadays.

1) Disabled users.

First of all, blind users. There are screen readers and braille displays that can somehow cope with graphical applications, but a blind person can never be fully confident it "sees" everything on screen. With console applications, this can be tedious but is completely possible. For that reason, a lot of blind people prefer console-based applications.

But also some sighted people benefit from console applications. There are many different motoric disabilities that make it impossible for you to operate a mouse, but there are usually ways to operate a keyboard instead. As console applications tend to be more keyboard friendly than mouse applications (just try not to touch your mouse for 10 minutes from now, while continuing surfing or whatever you do now and you will notice what I mean).

2) System diagnosis. Live CDs are fine, but it is quite embarassing when an IBM system diagnosis boot CD (for an IBM server) crashes at the moment it tries to enable the graphics mode (which could be graphics problem, but in "my" case it was a problem with the network chipset). Diagnosis is easier if you do not care about fancy graphics and show text status messages instead.


Another text-based Linux live-CD (that, however, contains a few X programs like PartEd and firefox) is GRML, which is my favourite general-purpose rescue CD. It is not that console-newbie friendly, but if you already have some command line experience and have a soundcard which is supported in Linux (most are), give it a try and boot it with the swspeak options. Then run speechd-up manually when you are asked, switch off your monitor as soon as you hear sound and try to use it without seeing anything. Quite confusing, isn't it? (for us sighted people)

mihi

i know afew fokes who work delivering IT on one form or another to many difrently disabled users , one directly dilivering computers to the users then teaching how to use the systems (im told at times this can be rather challenging for all involoved) ,
and the other in making the web more acessable to users .

thax for the info mihi
ill be passing it along
fosho