August 25, 2010, 7:28 AM — by Brent Huston, Microsolved, Inc. - Lucid Puppy Linux 5.0 was released back in May of 2010, but as one of my favorite distros, I have been playing with it heavily since then. I have been so impressed with the new version that I wanted to take a moment and write a quick review of this release.
[ See also: Getting started with Linux: Try a live CD version ]
You can find the official release page here, along with download information.
First, let me say that I have really come to love Puppy Linux over the last several years. I use it as a LiveCD/USB platform for secure on the go browsing, a Linux OS for old hardware that I donate to a variety of folks and causes, and as a platform for using HoneyPoint as a scattersensor. I like the ease of use, wide range of hardware support, and small footprint. All of these make this a very workable Linux distro.
This version especially seems to be stable, fast, and capable. I have taken to running it from a bootable USB drive and the performance has been very nice. Being able to drop these onto untrusted systems and use them as a browser, VPN client, and productivity tool has been handy. Using HoneyPoint Personal Edition, the nmap plugins and some other Puppy installs of security tools gives me a great platform for working incidents, gaining visibility and catching rogue scans, probes and malware that are in circulation when I pull in to help a client. Over and over again, the distro has proven itself to be a very powerful tool for me.
I suggest you take a look at the distro, LiveCD or USB and see how it can help you. I think you'll find it fun, easy to use, and quite addicting. The pictures of the puppies dont hurt either.
Check it out!
Review of Puppy Linux 5.0 [State of Security]
Brent Huston is CEO and Security Evangelist for Microsolved, Inc., a leading provider of security assessments and penetration testing, as well as, the developer of the HoneyPoint line of security software products.
