kinda new to linux

[KGIII]

Puppy is the smallest, likely.

Nope! At least I don't think so? I could be wrong...

While this veers off-topic, there are some very tiny Linux distros out there. Tiny Core can be had for a mere 17-ish MB. There are still several that will fit on a 1.44 MB floppy disk. They're usually 'fit for purpose' and not 'general use' distros, but they're out there.

Of all of those, I believe Tiny Core is the only one that comes with a GUI.

I did not look long. The smallest that I saw (with just one click) is 44 MB. (They have other downloads available.)

The last time I checked on the Puppies, they were getting pretty fat. Google says they vary between 300 MB and 800 MB. The largest of those won't even fit on a regular CD.

I could be wrong, and there could be an even smaller Puppy.

This is also a bit of a digression, though OP might find it interesting.

Come to think of it, I believe we have/had a forum user who used Tiny Core as their desktop.

Ah well...

I decided to dig deeper and started it in a VM. It's amazingly fast, even in a VM.

 

[desk]

though OP might find it interesting.

i had a look at it in a vm too its pretty cool but but i don't see any other use apart from it being small but its pretty fun to play with

 

[beanburrito]

While this veers off-topic, there are some very tiny Linux distros out there.

And to veer even further, there's stuff like this:

KolibriOS: The Operating System That Fits On A 1.44 MB 3.5″ Floppy Disk​

"While most operating systems are written in C and C++, KolibriOS is written in pure x86 assembly and as a result small and lightweight enough to run off a standard 1.44 MB floppy disk, as demonstrated in a recent video"

"As a fork of 32-bit MenuetOS back in 2004, KolibriOS has since followed its own course, sticking to the x86 codebase and requiring only a modest system with an i586-compatible CPU, 8 MB of RAM and VESA-compatible videocard. Unlike MenuetOS’ proprietary x86_64 version, there’s no 64-bit in KolibriOS, but at this level you probably won’t miss it.

In the video by [Michael], the OS boots incredibly fast off both a 3.5″ floppy and a CD-ROM, with the CD-ROM version having the advantage of more software being provided with it, including shareware versions of DOOM and Wolfenstein 3D."

"Although web browsers (e.g. Netsurf) are also provided, [Michael] did not get Ethernet working, though he doesn’t say whether he checked the hardware compatibility list. Quite a few common 3Com, Intel and Realtek NICs are supported out of the box.

For audio it was a similar story, with the hardware compatibility left unverified after audio was found to be not working. Despite this, the OS was fast, stable, runs DOOM smoothly and overall seems to be a great small OS for x86 platforms that could give an old system a new lease on life."

Both KolibriOS and MenuetOS are worthy of their own thread in Off-Topic.. hmm...

 

[MikeRocor]

Come to think of it, I believe we have/had a forum user who used Tiny Core as their desktop.

Yeah, there's always -somebody- like that. Aaaannnndd it's usually me. I hesitate to recommend Tiny Core to new users because I don't hold with the "just burn the ISO to a USB stick" idea, but I rather lean toward a more traditional install. Sadly the traditional install, while (in my opinion) better in the long term, is much less friendly to new users - especially if they are starting from an MS Windows-only environment. For those with more patience and/or a bit of Linux experience, there's the two-stage transition - burn an ISO to a USB stick then boot into linux and do a proper install to another USB stick.

 

[KGIII]

"While most operating systems are written in C and C++, KolibriOS is written in pure x86 assembly and as a result small and lightweight enough to run off a standard 1.44 MB floppy disk, as demonstrated in a recent video"

Yeah, plus there are a few Linux variants that fit on a floppy. I don't think any of them are really suited for a desktop, and I don't know if any of them even have a GUI. There's a guy on YouTube who does some Kolibri stuff now and again, but I can't recall the channel's name.

Aaaannnndd it's usually me

Ha! I knew it was somebody, but I couldn't remember who. I believe there was somebody else who used it, but they didn't stick with it for all that long. They were 'distro-hopping' at the time, as memory serves.