On October 23 I published an article about a new Linux Genealogy Live CD. A "live CD" is an excellent method of taking software for a test drive without writing any data to your computer's hard drive. Now the same group has announced the release of an "install CD."
The Linux Genealogy Install CD provides the same environment as the Live CD, but is a permanent setup that allows a user to install Linux and genealogical software onto the hard drive. Everything works out of the box, and everything stays, including the data.
If you have a second, older computer that you would like to use for experimenting with Linux, I'd suggest that you first obtain the Live CD and use it for a bit. If you are happy with the results, you can then obtain the Install CD and create a permanent installation.
Both CDs may be downloaded free of charge. If you prefer to not download these large files, you can purchase them via mail order for about ten dollars each.
Here is the announcement from the GRAMPS Project:
The GRAMPS Project is proud to announce the first release of the Linux Genealogy Install CD. This disc contains complete Linux installer and added Linux Genealogical software.
In contrast with the Live CD, this disk allows permanent installation of Linux and the genealogical software on your computer's hard drive. This way you achieve adequate speed and the ability to save your data, and can do real work with your Linux software. In particular, it makes a perfect gift for genealogists who want to do work on Linux.
This Install CD is based on Ubuntu 5.10 (Breezy Badger) Install CD and, in addition to the regular Breezy, features pre-installed GRAMPS, GeneWeb, and LifeLines applications, as well as GraphViz program to draw pretty graphs in GRAMPS. Everything is similar to the Live CD, except that this is a permanent setup.
Downloads are available via http, ftp, rsync, and bittorrent, see http://gramps-project.org for details.
An alternative to the downloading and burning a 625MB CD image is purchasing the physical a CD. The CDs are currently available for purchase:
Australia: http://www.cdfhs-aus.com/catalog/index.php
USA: http://store.roitman.org
