Not long ago we talked about OSBoxes, a free, out-of-the-box collection of Linux and Unix virtual machines. You can download these virtual machines on your Linux system and try them out on VirtualBox or VMWare Workstation. Today, I came across a similar service called DistroTest. Unlike OSBoxes, DistroTest lets you try live versions of Linux and Unix operating systems for free. You can try out more than 200 Linux and Unix operating systems online without having to install them locally. Just go to the site, select the Linux/Unix distribution you need and start trying it out!
Two well-wishers, Klemann Andy and Forster Tobias, ran the web service on Debian using Qemu. The public distributions listed here have no restrictions on their use. You can use all the functionality of the system as if it were a native system. You can install and uninstall software. You can test installed programs, even delete or format hard drives, and delete system files. In short, DistroTest lets people who like to try different distributions decide for themselves:
- The distribution that suits them best
- What kind of graphical interface do you want
- They can choose which configurations
At the time of this writing, DistroTest is available in 711 versions for 227 operating systems. I’ve been using Linux for years, but I’ve never heard of some of the distributions listed here. I honestly didn’t even know there were so many versions of the Linux operating system.
The DistroTest website provides a list of Linux distributions below. (LCTT also includes some non-Linux operating systems like FreeBSD and FreeDOS, or partitioning tools like Gparted.)
- 4mLinux
- AbsoluteLinux
- AlpineLinux
- Antergos
- antiX Linux
- Aptosid
- ArchBang
- ArchLabs
- ArchLinux
- Archman
- ArchStrike
- ArtixLinux
- AryaLinux
- AvLinux
- BackBoxLinux
- BigLinux
- Bio-Linux
- BlackArch
- BlackLab
- BlackPantherOS
- blag
- BlankOn
- Bluestar
- Bodhi
- BunsenLabs
- Caine
- Calculate Linux Desktop
- CentOS 7
- Chakra
- ChaletOS
- ClearOS
- Clonezilla
- ConnochaetOS
- Cucumber
- Damn Small Linux
- Debian
- Devil-Linux
- Devuan
- DragonFly BSD
- Dragora
- Dyne:bolic
- Edubuntu
- elementaryOS
- Elive Linux
- Emmabuntüs
- Emmabuntüs
- Endless OS
- EnsoOS
- Exe GNU/Linux
- ExTiX
- Fatdog64
- Fedora
- FerenOS
- FreeBSD
- FreeDOS
- Frugalware
- Frugalware
- G4L
- GeckoLinux
- Gentoo
- GNewSense
- GoboLinux
- Gparted
- GreenieLinux
- GRML
- GuixSD
- Haiku
- Heads
- Kali Linux
- Kanotix
- KaOS
- Knoppix
- Kodachi
- KolibriOS
- Korora
- Kwort
- Linux Lite
- Linux Mint
- LiveRaizo
- LMDE
- LXLE OS
- Macpup
- Mageia
- MakuluLinux
- Manjaro
- MauiLinux
- MenuetOS
- MiniNo
- Modicia
- Musix
- MX Linux
- Nas4Free
- Neptune
- NetBSD
- Netrunner
- NixOs
- NuTyX
- OpenIndiana
- OpenMandriva
- openSUSE
- OracleLinux
- OSGeo live
- OviOS
- Parabola
- Pardus
- Parrot
- Parsix
- PCLinuxOS
- PeachOSI
- Peppermint
- Pinguy
- PinguyOS
- plopLinux
- PointLinux
- Pop! _OS
- PORTEUS
- Puppy Linux
- PureOS
- Q4OS
- QubesOS
- Quirky
- ReactOS
- Redcore
- Rescatux
- RevengeOS
- RoboLinux
- Rockstor
- ROSA
- Runtu
- Sabayon
- SalentOS
- Salix
- ScientificLinux
- Siduction
- Slax
- SliTaz
- Solus
- SolydK
- SparkyLinux
- Springdale
- Stresslinux
- SubgraphOS
- SwagArch (18.03)
- Tails
- Tanglu
- Tiny Core
- Trisquel
- TrueOS
- TurnKey Linux
- Ubuntu and its official derivatives
- Uruk
- VectorLinux
- VineLinux
- VoidLinux
- Voyager
- VyOS
- WattOs
- Zentyal
- Zenwalk
- Zevenet
- Zorin OS
How to use it?
To try out any operating system, click on the link below: distrotest.net/
On this site, you’ll find a list of operating systems available. Click on the distribution name you want to know about.
Try more than 200 Linux and Unix operating systems with DistroTest
I’ll try Arch Linux in this article.
After clicking the distribution link, click the System Start button on the page to which you jump to start the selected operating System.
The live operating system launches in a new browser window. You can access it through the built-in noVNC Viewer. Please enable/allow the DistroTest site popup window in your browser, otherwise you will not see the noVNC window that pops up.
Press Enter to start the field system.
This is Arch Linux Live:
You can use this system for free for one hour. You can try out the live OS, install and uninstall applications, delete or modify system files, and test configurations or scripts. After each shutdown, everything is restored to its default configuration.
Once the trial is over, go back to the DistroTest page and stop the system you’re trying. If you don’t want to enable the DistroTest page popup, use any VNC client you have installed on your local system. The VNC login information can be found on the same page.
The DistroTest service is useful for two types of users: those who want to try Linux/Unix online, or those who don’t have a preferred OS live ISO image file. My test results on the 4G network were fine.
In fact, I can’t install new software in this virtual machine
One problem I noticed during the trial was that the VIRTUAL machine was not connected to the Internet. There is no network interface except the loopback interface. I can’t download and install new software without an Internet connection or a local image source. I don’t know why the site claims to be able to install software. Maybe I’m missing something here. All I could do on DistroTest was look at the off-the-shelf system and try out the live version without installing any software.
Recommended reading:
- Learn and practice Linux commands online for free!
- Running Linux and other operating systems in a browser
That’s all for now. I don’t know how the DistroTest team managed to host so many operating systems. I’m sure it’ll take a while. This is indeed commendable work. I am very grateful to the project members for their selfless actions. Glory to you. Come on!
Via: www.ostechnix.com/test-100-li…
Sk Selected by Lujun9972
This article is originally compiled by LCTT and released in Linux China