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ZDNET’s key takeaways
- Peropesis is a special kind of Linux distribution.
- This command-line-only OS can help you learn the CLI.
- Peropesis is free to download and install.
I review a lot of Linux distributions.
Over the many years, I’ve come across more variations on the Linux theme than I can count. I’ve experienced Linux distros with the most amazing desktop environments that are sure to blow those fancy socks right off your feet. I’ve also used distributions with old-school desktops, that are a fun way to harken back to those early days of learning Linux. And I’ve seen everything in between.
Also: The first 5 Linux commands every new user should learn
Recently, I ran into a rather interesting distribution called Peropesis. The name Peropesis comes from Personal Operating System, and it takes a different path than the traditional Linux distribution.
Peropesis is a command-line-only OS. On top of that, Peropesis can only be run as a live instance. You boot it up, log in with the root user (no password), and the first thing you should do is change the password.
But there’s no GUI! What do you do?
You use the passwd command.
I downloaded the Peropesis ISO and spun it up as a virtual machine. When I was presented with the login screen, I took a guess and typed root. I was granted access and could do whatever I wanted, as long as it was from the command line.
What good is that? Let me tell you.
It’s all about learning Linux
What I immediately realized was that this distribution doesn’t hold your hand in any way and doesn’t even allow you to install apps. In other words, Peropesis is what it is and nothing more. It doesn’t pretend to be something it’s not.
What it is, however, is a wonderful tool for learning the Linux command line interface.
I think that is a great idea.
Also: My 8 must-use Linux commands, and how they can make your life easier
Consider this: you spin up a virtual instance of Peropesis, log in, and immediately create a snapshot. Once you’ve done that, you have a working instance of the OS saved. You can now work with the command line to learn the ins and outs of how it works and what you can do with it. Mess something up, and you can pull up the snapshot you created and start from scratch.
Or, you could simply shut the VM down, reboot, and you’re back to a clean slate.
You see, Peropesis doesn’t even include the ability to use persistence, so nothing is saved.
You could even use the curl or git commands to pull source for an app, compile it, and run it (so long as the app doesn’t have a GUI).
In my humble opinion, that’s what Peropesis is all about… learning Linux. Sure, you could use it as a portable command-line OS from which you could do various things. For example, Peropesis includes the S-nail command-line email client, as well as the Links text-based web browser. There’s even the lighttpd web server, so you could create a portable, LAN-based website with Peropesis.
Also: 5 Linux network-related commands every new user should know
To test this, I enabled the web server with the command:
This command will start the Lighthttpd server.
Jack Wallen/ZDNET
Next, I created an index.html file with:
nano /var/www/htdocs/index.html
In that file, I typed:
Hello, ZDNET! I hope you are having a great day.
After saving the file, I located the IP address of Peropesis with the command:
ip a
Then, I opened a web browser on my LAN and pointed it to the Peropesis IP address and was greeted with the index.html page.
Huzzah! My tiny website worked.
Jack Wallen/ZDNET
How much fun is that? From that little test, you would have learned:
How to start a service.
How to create and save a file with the nano editor.
How to locate the IP address of a Linux machine.
Not a bad start.
I know a strange little distribution like Peropesis might seem useless at first blush, but it’s actually very handy to have around (especially if you’re hoping to get up to speed with the Linux command line).
If this sounds like something you might want or need, download the Peropesis ISO image, spin it up as a VM, and go to town on those commands.
