Tiny Core Linux

Last updated
Tiny Core Linux
Tcl logo.png
Tiny Core Linux 7.1 screenshot.png
Tiny Core Linux 7.1
OS family Linux (Unix-like)
Working stateCurrent
Source model Open source
Initial releaseJanuary 5, 2009;16 years ago (2009-01-05)
Latest release 16.0 [1] / 31 March 2025;3 months ago (31 March 2025)
Available inEnglish
Package manager appbrowser (GUI) / tce (CLI)
Instruction sets x86
x86-64
armv7
Raspberry Pi
Kernel type Monolithic
Userland BusyBox
Default
user interface 		FLWM
License GNU GPLv2
Official website tinycorelinux.net

Tiny Core Linux (TCL) is a minimal Linux kernel based operating system focusing on providing a base system using BusyBox and FLTK. It was developed by Robert Shingledecker, who was previously the lead developer of Damn Small Linux. [2] [3] [4] The distribution is notable for its small size (11 to 16 MB) and minimalism; additional functions are provided by extensions. Tiny Core Linux is free and open-source software licensed under the GNU General Public License version 2. [5]

Contents

Types

System requirements

Minimal configuration: Tiny Core needs at least 46 MB of RAM in order to run, and (micro) Core requires at least 28 MB of RAM. The minimum CPU is an i486DX. [9]

Recommended configuration: A Pentium II CPU and 128 MB of RAM are recommended for Tiny Core. [9]

Design philosophy

The developers describe TCL as "a nomadic ultra small graphical desktop operating system capable of booting from cdrom, pendrive, or frugally from a hard drive." [10] As of version 2.8.1, the core is designed to run primarily in RAM but with three distinct modes of operation:

Release history

VersionStabilityRelease date
1.0 [12] [3] Older versionJanuary 5, 2009
2.0 [13] June 7, 2009
3.0July 19, 2010
4.0 [14] September 25, 2011
4.7.7May 10, 2013
5.0 [12] [15] September 14, 2013
5.0.1October 1, 2013
5.0.2October 18, 2013
5.1November 28, 2013
5.2January 14, 2014
5.3April 19, 2014
5.4September 10, 2014
6.0January 5, 2015
6.1March 7, 2015
6.2May 3, 2015
6.3May 30, 2015
6.4September 8, 2015
6.4.1November 4, 2015
7.0 [16] February 23, 2016
7.1May 22, 2016
7.2July 4, 2016
8.0April 10, 2017
8.1September 3, 2017
8.2September 22, 2017
9.0February 26, 2018
10.0January 20, 2019
10.1June 11, 2019
11.0February 9, 2020
11.1April 1, 2020
12.0February 17, 2021
13.0January 31, 2022
13.1May 8, 2022
14.0April 12, 2023
15.0Supported versionFebruary 22, 2024
16.0 [17] Supported versionMarch 31, 2025
16.1 [18] Latest versionJune 16, 2025

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Tiny Core v16.0". 31 March 2025.
  2. ↑ "Interview with Robert Shingledecker, creator of Tiny Core Linux". DistroWatch Weekly. March 30, 2009. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  3. 1 2 "Review of Tiny Core Linux 1.2 and 1.3 RC2". DistroWatch Weekly. March 23, 2009. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
  4. ↑ "Robert Shingledecker's Projects". Archived from the original on July 16, 2012. Retrieved June 6, 2012.
  5. ↑ Shingledecker, Christopher. "Frequently Asked Questions". Tiny Core Linux. Archived from the original on 2013-01-15. Retrieved 2013-07-07.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Robert Shingledecker (2012). "Downloads - Tiny Core Linux". Archived from the original on January 8, 2023. Retrieved September 13, 2012.
  7. 1 2 Juanito (2016). "Forum Post - tinycore vs. tinycore64". Archived from the original on 27 March 2024. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  8. ↑ Juanito. "dCore-5.0.alpha1 released". Archived from the original on June 19, 2015. Retrieved May 30, 2013.
  9. 1 2 Robert Shingledecker. "Frequently Asked Questions: What are the minimum requirements?". Archived from the original on October 23, 2022. Retrieved September 13, 2012.
  10. ↑ Robert Shingledecker (December 1, 2008). "Welcome to The Core Project - Tiny Core Linux". Archived from the original on July 30, 2020. Retrieved June 6, 2012.
  11. ↑ Robert Shingledecker. "Tiny Core: Core Concepts". Archived from the original on May 31, 2012. Retrieved June 6, 2012.
  12. 1 2 Final Releases Archived 2015-05-08 at the Wayback Machine – Release Announcements and Change log from Tiny Core Linux Forum
  13. ↑ Smart, Christopher (2009-08-06). "Tiny Core: The Little Distro That Could | Linux Magazine". Linux Magazine. Archived from the original on 2019-02-02. Retrieved 2020-09-11.
  14. ↑ "DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 440, 23 January 2012". Archived from the original on 27 June 2018. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  15. ↑ "DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 527, 30 September 2013". Archived from the original on 26 June 2018. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  16. ↑ "Tiny Core Linux 7.0 [LWN.net]". Archived from the original on 2018-06-26. Retrieved 2018-06-26.
  17. ↑ Juanito (March 31, 2025). "Tiny Core v16.0". forum.tinycorelinux.net. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
  18. ↑ Juanito (June 16, 2025). "Tiny Core v16.1". forum.tinycorelinux.net. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
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