New version 4.0 brings changes

**UnderScore** · 06-20-2005, 07:33 PM

This post is designed to bring awareness to the future of knoppix. I want ideas & thoughts from everyone. A change is coming.

From http://www.knoppix.com/ last week:

This will be probably be the last "single CD" version of KNOPPIX. Starting from Version 4.0 (coming soon), the project will be split into a "Light" CD version, and a "Maxi" DVD release.

Knoppix 4.0 is coming this week.

I am able to help out on the forums because I have the freedom to experiment at my job. I have free time & 6 PCs at home to experiment & test out solutions. I help out because it is my way of giving back to the community. With a future separation of Knoppix into Light & Maxi, I will not be able to help out with the Maxi DVD version unless I buy a DVD burner, DVD media & DVD drives to replace the CDROM drives on my machines. I will not be able to update my remastering HOWTO without buying new hardware. I guess I won't be able to keep up the same level of support in the near future.

The DVD Maxi version of knoppix will reduce the amount of support I can give. I think I am not the only one who will be impacted by splitting Knoppix into concurrent 2 versions and I would like some feedback about this.

I see that Harry is also impacted by this http://www.knoppix.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=19689
Harry I will help out if I can.

**UnderScore** · 06-20-2005, 08:08 PM

I am using this thread as a place to put my thought & shopping list.

Based on the reports & reviews I read last year, I bought a DVDROM drive for a quiet PC. Its not dirt cheap but quiet speedy nice looking DVDROM drive is the Sony DDU1621/DDU1612/DDU1611 drive. I may have to get 3 more of those.

**UnderScore** · 06-20-2005, 08:18 PM

I found the Asus DVD-E616P2 16X DVD-ROM that has a feature called QuieTrack to limit noise & vibration. Currently selling at about $27 - $30.

**Harry Kuhman** · 06-20-2005, 09:08 PM

Originally Posted by UnderScore

I found the Asus DVD-E616P2 16X DVD-ROM that has a feature called QuieTrack to limit noise & vibration. Currently selling at about $27 - $30.

James,
If you want a read-only drive, I think you can shop around and find one less expensive than that.

I got my dual layer DVD Writer (+R/-R/+RW/-RW) for $40 after rebate. OK, it was the big Black Friday sale at Staples the day after Thanksgiving and I had to stand in line in the cold and dark before the store opened for a long time to get it, but I've seen similar prices on other drives since then. And I would expect to see even lower prices if you don't insist on dual layer (there is no reason to go for dual layer, the media is insanely over priced and I expect I'll never write a DL DVD. Will likely have blu-ray or other technology before the media price becomes reasonable. More likely, like 24x CDRW media, it never will become reasonable and will just dry up and be hard or impossiable to find).

You may still be able to find inexpensive single layer writers for the price you quote above. Just watch out for the ones that don't support both +R and -R formats. It's hard to say in advance which you'll want. For the Knoppix ISO it shouldn't matter but for things like home made DVDs it does matter and is a DVD player compatability issue. While most sources claim that DVD-R is the more compatable media for stand-alone DVD players, I found that my Apex DVD player will read DVD+R media I burn just fine, but it can't see DVD-R media at all. So I'm very happy I held out for a burner that will burn either.

A very quick search found this item as an example at Newegg. I don't know enough about this drive to make a recommendation, it's just offered as as example of what is available. Rather than $30 for a DVD reader, you could get a DVD-writer for under $40, shipped. This one is dual layer, writes Both +R/RW and -R/RW media, as well as CDR and CDRW. There may be better deals out there, this is just the first place I looked. Oh yea, this is a "one day sale", or so they call it, but the price is effective until 5 PM tomorrow. And I see prices in this range frequently. I didn't even look at the other drives Newegg offers, you might want to do that too.

**Harry Kuhman** · 06-20-2005, 09:16 PM

PS: Look here for some more price examples. The drive I have is an "I/O Magic" repackage of this Benq drive, selling here for a penny less than I paid and no rebates or sales tax on the "before rebate" price to deal with, so would still be cheaper than what I paid.

**UnderScore** · 06-20-2005, 09:30 PM

Cool. Thanks for all the info. I used to buy bargain HW (DVDROM for $8 bucks. CDRW for 12). Now I tend to not buy cheaper products since I have been "burned" (HA! horrible pun!). I had a good experience with a particular Lite-On model back in 2001 with a CDRW. I had horrible experiences with the rest of their line. Since then I search for quiet/silent & overall quality features over best bargain or lowest price. I have 6 PCs & we have a total of 9 working PCs in my house. If I do not choose to get quiet parts then I will suffer from a louder office & bedroom.

I will have to do more reading from forums at anandtech.com & silentpcreview.com.
Thanks again.
James

**Harry Kuhman** · 06-20-2005, 09:42 PM

Originally Posted by UnderScore

Cool. Thanks for all the info. I used to buy bargain HW (DVDROM for $8 bucks. CDRW for 12). Now I tend to not buy cheaper products since I have been "burned" (HA! horrible pun!). I had a good experience with a particular Lite-On model back in 2001 with a CDRW. I had horrible experiences with the rest of their line. Since then I search for quiet/silent & overall quality features over best bargain or lowest price. I have 6 PCs & we have a total of 9 working PCs in my house. If I do not choose to get quiet parts then I will suffer from a louder office & bedroom.

I will have to do more reading from forums at anandtech.com & silentpcreview.com.
Thanks again.
James

I understand your quiet concerns, but most of the time my DVD and CD drives just sit there dead quite and not spinning. I actually find it somewhat comforting to hear them when they do spin. A different issue, to me, than say fans or hard drive motors.

As to brands and Lite-on, I have had good results with my current CDRW (a rebagged Lite-on) and even bought another Lite-on when I saw a sale so I would have a back-up or a drive for that "next computer". It's hard though to find anything one feels can be recommended highly, too many reports of lemons even from good hardware makers. I generally stick to bad mouthing the manufacturers and resellers that I know I don't ever want to deal with again. It's not a small list, but IOmega would be near the top.

**eco2geek** · 06-22-2005, 10:11 AM

You know, UnderScore, I don't think you have much to worry about as far as giving advice goes, because the guts of Knoppix will most likely be exactly the same regardless of whether you're running the DVD version or the CD version. That said, having a DVD burner is nice, especially when you're installing a distro that gives you the choice of installing from 5 CDs vs. 1 DVD.

My bias: I'm sorta cheap. I probably should be embarrassed to admit it, but there you are.

With that in mind, I've had good luck with LiteOn drives. They have a reputation for making fast, inexpensive products. But if you want something more expensive and high-end, Plextors have always been highly rated.

They were clearing out the 8x, single-layer DVD+/-RW's when I bought one from Fry's. I bought an "Emprex" (no idea who actually manufactured the drive). Luckily, it's actually performed better with CDs than the Sony CD-RW drive I bought, in that it's much quieter, and it seems to have faster access times. It also came with a full copy of Nero Burning ROM.

Curiously enough, Fry's now has an Emprex-branded internal dual-layer, 16x DVD+/-RW drive for less ($55) than I paid for my 8x single-layer model. (For comparison, they have a Plextor 16x for $130.)

**Fabianx** · 06-22-2005, 12:36 PM

Originally Posted by UnderScore

This post is designed to bring awareness to the future of knoppix. I want ideas & thoughts from everyone. A change is coming.
[...]
I guess I won't be able to keep up the same level of support in the near future.

The DVD Maxi version of knoppix will reduce the amount of support I can give. I think I am not the only one who will be impacted by splitting Knoppix into concurrent 2 versions and I would like some feedback about this.

Hi,

you'll have no problem.

I described what to do on:

http://www.knoppix.net/forum/viewtop...?p=86969#86969

cu

Fabian

**gildedlink** · 06-23-2005, 12:23 AM

I bought a $40 DVD writer by Cyberhome around the end of the holidays. I found it to be worth the while. The only way this change'll impact me is the download time. I started downloading the iso 4 hours ago, and it's only at 5.5% on torrent. Ack. Updating this every now and then when a new version comes out will be really annoying for me, but I'll get over it eventually.