SageDebianLive is a Debian Live-based USB key for the Sage mathematics software. Additional work aims to be minimalistic and non-forking to ease maintenance and upgrade.
Contact (comments, suggestions, need help, feature requests, bugs, translations, get involved, ...):
Here are some additional features that are not provided by Debian Live:
Clone/Upgrade/Share : the USB key can replicate itself on any other plugged USB key, indefinitely, to ease spreading the software without internet connection (e.g. in a classroom/workshop). No personal data is duplicated to the cloned/upgraded key. However, it is possibile for the user to share specific chosen data from her key to the cloned one (e.g. pdf lecture notes, worksheets, pictures of the workshop,...).
Straightforward home persistence : the changes made on the user home directory are kept for next reboots, but no additional partitionning or customization is needed, the data can be accessed from any other OS directly on the USB key. Such data is preserved during upgrades.
Self repair : the live USB drive can try to self-repair its own filesystem, which can be useful if the user removed it while running.
Keep : the user can keep some changes made on the system to still take effect after reboot (a specific file, a specific directory, an installed package, system update, system upgrade).
Bootloader : if a computer BIOS is not able to boot from a USB key, the user can easily burn a small kexec-based CD that allows to boot on the USB keys (also works for Mac UEFI uncompatible boot system).
Language switcher : the user can change the system language easily (this feature apparently does not exist in xfce nor lxde).
Keyboard switcher : the user can change the system keyboard layout easily (this feature is not available in simple WM such as jwm or oprnbox, and kbdd seems not to work with them).
Mathematics : the default USB key contains Sage, boosted with most optional and experimental packages, as well as octave, scilab, geogebra, an extensive R distribution, a comprehensive LaTeX distribution, profiling tools, etc. In particular, it provides:
- all software that can be used at the french agregation,
- the SciPy Stack.
Huge : the default USB key contains quite a lot of softwares allowing a remote user without a good internet connexion to experience an autonomous Linux system: editors, gimp, vlc, libreoffice, dictionaries, chat, backup, rescue, collaboration tools, wireless and printers drivers, ...
Kiosk self-service (not in the sources yet) : a simple computer (e.g. raspberry pi) can be used as a kiosk that allows user to get their key automatically upgraded when they plug their USB key into the kiosk.