Jack Wallen / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET
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ZDNET's key takeaways
Gnoppix is a Linux distribution that is free to install and use.
Gnoppix runs smoothly, offers tons of apps, and is user-friendly.
The gnoppix-ai package seems to be broken, so I'd avoid it.
I've used, tested, reviewed, suggested, recommended, and just generally experienced more Linux distributions than I can remember. Most always, those distributions kind of blend together, as if the only thing to differentiate them is the combination of base, desktop environment, and theme.
Every so often, however, I run into a general-use Linux distribution that makes me think, "Wow, this would be a great operating system for anyone!" That thought hit me upside the noggin when it came time to review the latest release of Gnoppix.
If you've never heard of Gnoppix, it's another Debian-based distribution that is aimed at the average user. And although the developers extol Gnoppix ability to use AI, I've found that to be secondary to its more general purpose.
What about Gnoppix and AI?
Over the past year or so, I've discussed using AI on Linux quite a bit. I'm not saying that you should use it, but for the right purpose, it makes for a compelling argument. With most Linux installations, I've defaulted to Ollama to run AI locally, and it has served me well. I would go so far as to say that Ollama is the choice for probably 95% of my AI needs. Soon, I would imagine that figure will hit 100% because the more I use local AI, the less I need a cloud-based solution.
Also: I tried Sanctum's local AI app, and it's exactly what I needed to keep my data private
All of this to say that when I read about the Gnoppix team adding AI into the mix, I was intrigued. To that end, I downloaded the latest release of Gnoppix (v25) and installed it as a virtual machine on Pop!_OS. After the installation, I immediately went looking for whatever AI tools were included, only to find the Core version (read: free) doesn't include the applications.
I grabbed the KDE Plasma version of Gnoppix 25, but you can grab an Xfce version from the official download site. Both desktop environments are highly configurable, but I believe KDE Plasma is the right DE of choice
It only took me a few seconds to find out that AI can be added to Gnoppix with a single command:
sudo apt-get install gnoppix-ai -y
Before you jump in and run the above command, know that it will download approximately 30GB over the internet, so make sure you have a reliable network connection, the necessary storage space, and plenty of time. Also note that, in order to install the gnoppix-ai app, you'll need at least the following:
4 Core CPU 2+GHz
8 GB RAM
30GB free space on an SSD
Sadly, I could not get gnoppix-ai to install completely, due to a gnoppix-gpt dependency issue, but gnoppix-gpt is part of the gnoppix-ai package. After a quick poke around the menu hierarchy, I did run into the Gnoppix AI Installer. I ran that package to see what would happen. The GUI initialization window popped up and didn't seem to do anything.
Also: How I made Perplexity AI the default search engine in my browser (and why you should too)
The good news is that the apt-get command did install Ollama, which was usable out of the box. I could pull an LLM and start using it from the command line (or I could install the Msty or Alpaca GUI and have at it). I went ahead and installed Alpaca to see how the AI would run on Gnoppix.
My results were fairly typical of AI on Linux. I ran my usual query, What is Linux? and the results were fairly "accurate" and were given fairly quickly. I say "fairly" accurate because the last thing it said was that Linux had some drawbacks, such as a steep learning curve, may require technical expertise, and offered limited support. Although some might believe those statements, I find them to be misleading.
Alpaca is becoming my go-to UI for Ollama. Jack Wallen/ZDNET
With a bit of work, you can get AI functioning on the Gnoppix desktop. Given how the developers promote AI on the site, one would think it should work out of the box. It is possible that the reason I was unable to get the Gnoppix AI to install properly was that I was using the free version of the OS. If that's the case, the developers might want to remove the Gnoppix AI installer from the menu.
Beyond AI
One thing that bothered me a bit was that, once the installation was completed, I logged in to find an Install Gnoppix icon on the desktop. That could confuse new users, so I decided to click it and see what would happen.
Nothing.
Delete that icon.
Note: The icon reappeared after a reboot.
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There was also a ReadMe.txt file on the desktop. I opened it and found it to be a nice addition, one that would greatly benefit new users. There is one section that I think is important to mention, where it said:
There are false reports about Gnoppix circulating on the internet, specifically due to incorrect journalistic reporting. This, along with Wikipedia's refusal to list Gnoppix as a Linux project, is why we need to set the record straight.
Said straightened record is that the name Gnoppix was derived by replacing the "K" in Knoppix with a "G" for GNOME, to honor Klaus Knopper's original work on a Debian-based LiveCD.
Also: 5 reasons I use local AI on my desktop - instead of ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude
And there you have it. The record has been set straight.
Out of the box, Gnoppix includes a lot of software. You'll find apps for just about anything. I'd go so far as to say that Gnoppix includes the largest amount of software of any Linux distribution I've recently tested. You'll find LibreOffice, Bleachbit, Catfish (file search), Dia, Dragon Player, Elisa, FileZilla, Firefox ESR, GDebi Package Installer, Gnoppix Tor Control, HomeBank, ISO Image Writer, JuK, KGpg, KGet, KMail, KOrganizer, Kate, KeePassXC, and so on.
The Gnoppix KDE Plasma menu has tons of software for you to use. Jack Wallen/ZDNET
There's a lot of software packed into Gnoppix.
One smooth OS
Even with the AI issue, I found Gnoppix 25 to be a smooth operating system. Although I did bump up the system resources to meet the needs of the AI system (which meant I gave this VM more RAM than I usually do), I found KDE Plasma just sang on Gnoppix. From my extensive experience working with KDE Plasma, I've found that it is one of the best-performing full desktop environments available for Linux, and Gnoppix proves that theory. Not only did the desktop perform well, but it also looked the part of a modern Linux desktop. Although it defaulted to a dark theme (come on!), I quickly customized the desktop and had it exactly how I preferred.
With the combination of the well-oiled AI I had running (Ollama and Alpaca) and KDE Plasma, Gnoppix was a real treat to use.
Who is Gnoppix for?
Because Gnoppix is based on Debian and offers a KDE Plasma desktop option, I would say that this Linux distribution is well-suited for just about any user type (from zero experience to years of experience). I would suggest, however, that if you want to add AI into the mix, you should skip the gnoppix-ai package and go straight for Ollama and Alpaca. I'm guessing the developers will solve the gnoppix-ai installation issues soon, but until then, avoid that installation.
If you're not interested in AI, ignore those entries in the menu system, and enjoy a well-balanced, high-performing, easy-to-use Linux distribution.
Also: My two favorite AI apps on Linux - and how I use them to get more done