Puppy Linux vs PsychOS

Puppy Linux requires 128MB of RAM and 333Mhz of CPU, although 256MB of RAM is recommended.

Since Puppy Linux is completely loaded and run off of RAM instead of HDD, it's read/write speed is not a factor.

A portable version, that can be carried on a thumb drive without requiring installation, weighs less than 100MB; a Live CD - less than 150MB. You can even save your settings and files for Puppy on the external device/media.

Running off a live CD also has security benefits, as your system will reset to the known config after each boot.

Puppy Linux offers a few different releases.

The first is an Ubuntu based release called Tahrpup, by using this version the user is able to take advantage of all software and support from Ubuntu.

The second version is called Slacko, which is built upon the Slackware binaries.

The third is called Wary and it is built to support older hardware than the rest.

And the fourth is called Quirky, which is used as a base to explore new ideas.

Puppy Linux offers an LTS release called Precise.

Sometimes, Puppy Linux is the only distro that works on an old machine: all other distros are more demanding.

JWM is a low resource window manager that is used in most Puppy Linux installs.

PsychOS is designed for older/lighter, 32-bit, i686 hardware with plans to go even further back with i486 (PsychOS486), i386 and older (PsychDOS), and so on and so forth as opposed to always trying to run on the latest hardware, not that it could in most cases anyway since 32-bit i686 operating systems will run on most x86_64 ones.

It lets you install old software for use with emulators like DOSBox but run them as if they were normal programs from the normal applications menu.

A lot of the programs are already set up for you. Just boot it and go. This is definitely one of the better SHTF distro's.

There's a yad-based tool you do not see on any other GNU/Linux distro in which you can simply right-click pretty much any file and then use the "QuickEdit" option to quickly edit small things about a file such as size if it's an image or video, convert the file, or even render the file if it's a Blender project. It's nice not having to open an image with GIMP every time I want to resize or convert something.

Most GNU/Linux distributions that include IceWM as a desktop environment option don't do too much to it, if a t all. PsychOS seems to have a customized or themed version that actually doesn't feel you with dread and still uses many of the keyboard shortcuts from XFCE.

Lots of command-line tools and I really like the CLIMax thing. It's a good tool to have if you want to spend time in the command-line but aren't that experienced. Also, it plays a quick, one-time ascii animation when you go into the tty for the first time.

PsychOS comes with a lot of Thunar Custom Actions, many of which as disabled, but they are there none the less; most probably just in case. Right-click on a DOOM WAD shows there's a menu item to play it directly using LZDoom.