Hello I am looking for a Linux Distribution which I can use in a Live CD/DVD mode and dedicated to Educational Resources and Games (like Puzzles) for children. I would like to use it as a teaching aid for my son, who is about 5 years old. I have heard about Edubuntu, but the trouble is I can not use it in Live CD/DVD mode and installing Linux will not serve my purpose. Please suggest. Thank you.

Sorry for asking a perhaps plump question, but why doesn't Edubuntu work? If it does not work, which types of LiveCD's do?

Have you tried Knoppix? Did it work? The DVD edition of Knoppix does have a lot of software on it, also some that might fit your need.

One solution if you feel like getting your hands dirty would be to use Knoppix or Morphix to make your own LiveCD with the software you'd like?

For a five-year old a slim system would be the way to go, I've set up a system with the Fluxbox WM and a tailor-made menu for my son, which is five in a couple of months, and he's already gotten quite used to it. Having less buttons and icons in the menu makes it easier for them to recognize the different options and software, and he's booting the pc, logging in and playing movies/games like a pro...

I think that if you take the time, a self-made disc would give you the most value, since you can choose what you put on there, and it would always work when you turn it on/off. That being said, the new Knoppix (6) is a breeze to install on a USB-stick, and you could then install the software you need, and not have to worry about the kid breaking your pc..

What software do you view as essential for what you want to do?

Hello Retrievil_Knievil

Thank you for your thoughtful post

Now let me try to answer all your questions/ doubts one by one

I had Edubuntu 8.04, but it never worked as a stand alone Live CD. I got it through ShipIt and it required Ubuntu to be installed as a base system. As I mentioned I would like to use it strictly as a Live CD, not only that will be easier to handle for me, but also for my wife who is not that Computer savvy to handle any system related problem if occurs. In case of Live Cd, she can just switch the system off in case there is any trouble.
BTW, I am looking for 32bit version.

Now I was unable to assure myself whether the latest ubuntu DVD will serve this purpose (I mean in terms of software requirements), and I could not find any stand alone version of Edubuntu 8.10 which can work as a live CD. If I've missed it, then do point it please.

Just today morning I tried Knoppix CD. But as soon as I boot with that media in my DVD Drive, knoppix gave me an error that "No Supportive File System Could Be Found, Press Reset key to exit"- so my first Knoppix experience was rather bad
I wish I could make it work and try Knoppix. :|

All my HDD partitions are formatted to NTFS, which I thought should be accessible to Knoppix by default. :?: :!:

Incidentally, I never heard about Morphix.


Great to hear about your son, he must be a very sweet boy.
I would exactly like to do it, something clean and interesting for my son so that he can experience the joy of learning without the burden of it, besides get comfortable with computer too. But unfortunately I do not have the necessary computer skill to do it. Like I have no idea what a Fluxbox WM is and how exactly can I set it up.

Again I agree with you whole heatedly, but my inept computer skill is the real hinder.

Regarding the packages that I would like to include, I am not really sure. But I can tell you the areas: something that will increase his Math, English and logical skills. BTW, as your son is somewhat same age as mine may I ask your advice in this regard please?

Thanks again...

Hi again,

I did some reading, and it seems that Edubuntu stopped being shipped as a stand-alone distribution when 8.04 came out, which also means that the Live-CD version disappeared. Bad call, if you ask me, but then again, I don't work with the project.. On the flipside, I also found this link: http://old-releases.ubuntu.com/releases/edubuntu/ which gives you access to the previous versions, 7.04 being the latest with a Live-version. You could give that a try, although it probably is getting a little outdated, I'm sure your son won't mind until he gets a little older...

Your Knoppix error is new to me, is this an error Knoppix comes up with, or is it your computer which cannot boot the cd? I would advise you to try the new version first (6.0.1) even if it's in testing, it looks really cool, and I've already started using it for work, as it seems fairly stable (I installed it to a USB-stick, which I then updated and installed all the packages I needed, it's pretty slim at first start and does not have many programs installed), but the new way of installing to a stick is actually point-and-click. If you only want it as a CD/DVD and using a stick is not an option, I'd say the Knoppix version you should use would be the 5.3.1 DVD, since it has a lot of software installed. Knoppix should be able to read NTFS just fine, but I think write access is disabled by default. (Should be, anyway)

Morphix is a derivative of Knoppix which is focused on making your own disc, and selecting packages yourself. Might be a bit too technical though, no point in making it harder than it needs to be.. But if you want to, I can help guide you through it, as it will probably give the best result in the end. Here is a fast introduction to what you would need to do, if it doesn't look too scary; http://www.morphix.org/doc/how_tos/d...html#id2504676

Fluxbox is simply a Window Manager without a too advanced user interface which is easy to "scale down" - for my son's computer I removed everything that he didn't need from the menu, so that when he right-clicks on the desktop, he only gets things he knows, like movies, games, typing software, etc. without everything else that he doesn't need. Kids have a tendency to press every button they can find, so the nasty system stuff is smart to remove/protect... (He's actually shown me a couple of things I didn't know, since pressing every available button in every type of software is something I rarely do any more..

The software that has been a success for my son has been Tuxpaint (really a big hit, "kids-paint" with stamps and a lot of ready graphics), Tuxtype (typing tutor made like a game), GCompriz Educational Software (math/english/etc for kids, a package with a GUI and several small programs), Mahjong (really his favourite these days, and I think it's good for visual training also).

Other than that, Tuxkart, Tuxracer (Planet Penguin Racer) and Stormbaancoureur (did I write it correctly this time?) have been favourites for periods, and I also installed OpenOffice and Gimp which he uses now for writing and drawing, since he's growing tired of tuxpaint and the typing games. I used rox-filer for a file-browser, and gqview for browsing pictures. They are both easy to use, and he has no problem navigating the files and starting movies, for instance.

I used an old 800 Mhz computer that a client was throwing out to win back my laptop, now he has his own machine to play around with. (Still hogs the laptop though, better graphics...

Thank you so very much Retrievil

Ok, I shall go through your suggestions one by one and lets see which suites me best

Now I only have one PC, so I have to very cautious when I let my son handle it, and hence the Live CD version. in the mean time I have started downloading the Ubuntu Live DVD latest version- 8.10, lets see how much of software does it contain.

I have noted down all your software recommendations- and that I think would be enough. I have also checked out Childsplay (www.schoolsplay.org), another great piece of software which you may also try for your kid. There is one more painting software which your kid should like a lot (my son just fell in love with the windows version which I have installed) is Kea Coloring Book.

Regarding Knoppix, my PC boots fine, the trouble seems to be with the Knoppix itself. I have also posted in their forum, I shall let you know if any solution is obtained.

Thanks again

No problem, and good luck