Tiny Core Linux is an open source project that provides users with a collection of minimal and modular Linux distributions that can be used to create full featured desktop and server operating systems, as well as appliances.
The project comprises of three main editions, Core, Tiny Core, and Tiny Core Plus. While the first one is the most tiny of them all and has no graphical interface, the second and third ones use a minimal window manager and various applications.
Distributed as 32-bit Live CDs
All three editions are available for download from the dedicated section (see above) as ISO images, supporting both 32-bit and 64-bit hardware platforms. They can be written to USB sticks or burned onto CD discs.
Boot options
The boot prompt is different for each Tiny Core Linux edition. For example, the Core version has a minimal shell prompt where you can press the Enter key to start the live environment or use the F2, F3 and F4 keys for advanced boot options.
On the other hand, the boot menu of the Tiny Core edition allows users to boot the live environment with default settings, configured for low-end machines, as well as to boot the Core flavor (command-line only).
The Tiny Core Plus edition comes with a more complex boot prompt that lets users to boot the live environment with various window managers, among which we can mention JWM (Joe’s Window Manager), Fluxbox, IceWM, Openbox, FLWM, and Hackedbox.
The latter is the biggest of them all and includes a plethora of community build extensions, providing a straightforward way to get started using the Tiny Core philosophy, enabling users to effortlessly install a supported desktop.
Bottom line
All in all, the Tiny Core Linux project provides a wide range of GNU/Linux distributions that boot extremely fast into a graphical or command-line interface, offering basic functionality.
