About antiX Linux

antiX is a fast, lightweight and easy to install systemd-free linux live CD distribution based on Debian Stable for Intel-AMD x86 compatible systems. antiX offers users the “antiX Magic” in an environment suitable for old and new computers. So don’t throw away that old computer yet! The goal of antiX is to provide a light, but fully functional and flexible free operating system for both newcomers and experienced users of Linux.

The name ‘antiX’ is written with the first alphabet ‘a’ being a small letter and the last alphabet ‘X’ being a capital letter. That is how it has been named and recognized. The name antiX is pronounced like the word antics, which means amusing, frivolous, or eccentric behavior.

antiX is compiled to work with Pentium-class Intel and AMD processors or better. antiX will not work with 386 and 486 class processors. To install antiX Full edition on a hard drive, at least 4 GB of free space is required. As explained in the article The Most Extensive Live-usb on the Planet, hard disk installation is entirely optional some antiX users choose, instead, to continually use liveboot + persistence.

Editions
antiX is available for IA-32 and x86-64 architectures, and comes in 4 Editions:


 * Full, which installs a full range of applications, including Synaptic Package Manager and the full Libreoffice Suite.
 * Base, a smaller edition with fewer apps but the same desktop session. It allows the user to choose their own application suite.
 * Core, a very small edition which does NOT include any graphical environment. It enables the user to build a system from the ground up, and is recommended for those who want to start with the bare minimum. It includes non-free firmware, which means that most wireless devices will be supported.
 * Net, similar to Core, but doesn't include any non-libre firmware. It is recommended for those who want to build their own systems with only ethernet access or on virtual machines

The Full edition contains preinstalled multiple window managers (JWM, iceWM, fluxfox) and multiple desktop managers (spaceFM, and rox aka rox-desktop aka "rox pinboard"). At the login screen, users can choose which "desktop session" to launch. Also, during a session (a somewhat rare feature, across myriad linux distributions) a user can -- without logging out -- easily click to switch between using the various window managers.

MX Linux relationship
MX Linux began in a discussion about future options among members of the MEPIS community in December 2013. Developers from antiX then joined them, bringing the ISO build system as well as the Live-USB/DVD technology. The name “MX” was chosen to combine the first letter of Mepis with the last of antiX, thus symbolizing their collaboration. In order to be listed on DistroWatch, MX Linux was presented as a version of antiX and released its first version in March of 2014. It received its own DistroWatch page as a separate distribution with the release of the first Public Beta of MX-16 on November 2, 2016.

The relationship between antiX and MX Linux is tight, where they share some tool and even the same community. To this day, one of MX Linux leaders, dolphin_oracle still presents help and videos for both antiX and MX Linux, and other developers from the MX Linux team also help with their programming skills and knowledge.