Anti-x 14.3 LiveUSB features

[utu]

.
After using MX-14.3 for a little while, I'm quite impressed with it.
The following is an attempt to compare it with Knoppix and other LiveUSBs.
I'd be pleased to get other folks perspective on any of this.

MX-14.3 LiveUSB Characteristics vs Other liveUSB Configurations & Comments
                                   
Major & Moderate differences:
persistence on fat32 partition  vs reiserfs   filesize limited to ~4 Gb. 
menu-driven persistence modes   vs cheatcodes built-in more desirable.
built-in re-mastering mode      vs none       built-in more desirable; rollback is essential.
cd-size iso                     vs dvd-size   cd-size is better to build on;
developer(s) often on forums    vs not        frequent contact can be helpful.
wl driver for Broadcom wifi     vs b43        more difficult wifi install if wl is chosen default.
32-bit pae kernel               vs 64-bit     64-bit may be essential to uefi.
no uefi boot support            vs uefi       having both uefi & legacy support may be more desirable;
                                                          depends on competence of uefi firmware.
no systemd                      vs systemd    no systemd may be more desirable; 
                                                          fewer regressive surprises likely w/o systemd.
squashfs for persistence        vs cloop      rolling release may be impossible with cloop
hard-drive install option       vs 0wn        rolling release fundamentally enables version upgradability.
rolling-release distro          vs not        rolling-release is more desirable.
single partition configuration  vs not        ... good & bad ...
 

Small differences & identicalities:
xfce graphical cpu monitor      vs lxde's     lxde much superior.
use made of .bashrc             vs not        this is a useful feature.
xfce                            vs lxde       xfce frame controls don't crash like lxde's.
analog desktop clock            vs digital    analog clock may be too small to read. 
whisker menu                    vs ????       whisker menu easier to search for apps.
install usb from iso            vs same       equivalent options, roughly so.
mkliveusb option(s)             vs same       equivalent options, roughly so.
thunar                          vs pcmanfm    equivalent file managers. 
synaptic, geany, gparted        vs same       identical applications.
iceweasel, NetworkManager       vs same       identical applications.
leafpad, ttf-mscorefonts        vs same       identical applications.     
libreoffice & many others       vs same       identical applications.

[Werner P. Schulz]

Thank you for this comparison!

You mention the "hard-drive install option ". For many people in the MX & MEPIS forum the HD install is the standard and the use of antiX/MX as a Live system on CD or USB is the option. The other way to remaster is to create a snapshot of your HD installation and to build a new USB stick by "live usb".

For me the big advantage of antiX/MX is, it's a "rolling-release distro" and you have not the different version problem as with Knoppix.

"single partition configuration" - you can always use additional partitions: edit the '/etc/fstab' and use a sysmlink to this partition.

"analog desktop clock" - change the setting from analog to digital or use DateTime clock in the panel (and the panel for example at the top instead of at the left side).

Greetings Werner

[utu]

.
Thank you for your comments, Werner.

The rolling release is a big improvement. However, I just found out
from anti himself that I cant upgrade the kernel with a liveUSB.

I'd be just as happy with a small non-persistence /home partition,
maybe not even squashed.

You can scale the analog clock simply by widening the Xfce panel width
just a little, so that's not really a problem.

My remaining hangup with MX is: I only have a hazy feeling for the configuration.
Somehow, I've remastered half a dozen times and it's still intact and working.

I don't know why the antis don't just copy Klaus' uefi scheme which allows
an either/or approach to legacy/uefi.

I have decoded the MX initrd.gz and put its init in geany for browsing.
Nice looking code by BitJam, about 4000 lines of bash. Still could use a
roadmap.

MX also has an aufs dependence like Knoppix which may be in danger if
aufs gets thrown out of the kernel.

[utu]

You mention the "hard-drive install option ". For many people in the MX & MEPIS forum the HD install is the standard and the use of antiX/MX as a Live system on CD or USB is the option. The other way to remaster is to create a snapshot of your HD installation and to build a new USB stick by "live usb".

I had in mind some comparison with Knoppix's 0wn 'HD install' which always required some caveats.
It is clear the MX 'live' approach is an extension of the poor-man's (HD) install as a means of making a LiveUSB.