In case some of you want to test it...
Instead of repeating what fsmithred said, i simply quote him
fsmithred wrote:refracta-6.0.6_beta2 is available for download and testing. I think most of the major bugs from beta1 are fixed, but no guarantees on that. Here's the link:
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Refracta is a Debian remix desktop system that can be run as a live CD and installed to hard drive. Refracta attempts to provide a basic desktop system that has everything you need but still maintains a low profile. Currently, the iso is about 650mb, so it fits on a CD, and the desktop uses 80mb of memory, according to ps_mem.py. I think the installation uses 1.8GB of hard disk space. There are also a lot of command-line tools installed that can be used for hardware diagnosis and data rescue/recovery.
This version is a lot like the last version (6.0.5) - built on Debian Squeeze with stock kernel (2.6.32-5-686), Xfce-4.6, gdm (the old one), grub2 (if you install to hard drive or use the usb image), gimp, abiword, gnumeric, evince, other stuff the same.
What's different:
-xfburn replaced with brasero
-ristretto replaced with gthumb
-removed icewm (if someone out there really misses this, talk to me.)
-removed kazehakase
-vlc replaced with gnome-mplayer (good-bye, qt)
-Firefox 6.0.2 is in /home/user/firefox now, instead of /usr/local/firefox. You can accept updates as a normal user, but if you create a second user, you'll need to do something for them to have a browser. See the release notes if you need ideas on how to solve this.
-Refracta Installer and Refracta Snaphot have been re-written in bash and expanded with new features.
What makes Refracta different from other live-CD/live-usb systems:
Refracta Installer provides a simple and fast way to install a complete desktop system from live media without requiring an internet connection. There are also options for more complicated and slower installs (multiple partitions, encryption, other fun stuff.) Any changes you make to the system while running from live media will be copied to the installed system.
Refracta Snapshot allows you to create your own live-CD from your running system.
Boot the CD, install to hard drive, change the system to the way you want it by adding or removing software or customizing the configurations, then create a live-CD that's a copy of your customized system. If your customizations include removing the desktop environment, there are cli versions of refractainstaller and refractasnapshot.
Credit goes to meandean for creating these tools and starting Refracta. I've re-written the installer and snapshot tool in bash and dressed them up a bit with more features.
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there is a link to a -tiny- forum, where you can post in case you got trouble, find bugs, etc. Else email fsmithred.
If my humble opinion is asked for:
to me refracta is a pre-configured and quite lightweight Debian, with xfce. It offers some of the cli-tools i use (cryptsetup and such), and i mainly like the snapshot utility, to create my own iso for home usage (with _all the tools i need at home, including my ssh-keys and all).
As far i can tell this beta is quite"ready", like in bug-free. But it is like it is, and i can't promise anything.
I am only the full-time guinea-pig (aka just a user), which is kinda fun.