Sparky Bonsai is a GNU/Linux distribution based on Debian/Sparkylinux in a portable form. Taking advantage of the experience of portable distros such as Slax, Porteus, Puppy and DebianDog, we made a remix of our favor Debian-based distro SparkyLinux. The idea was to make a portable version of the linux distro having already installed at home, in cases we can’t, don’t need or wish to install it properly.

Sparky Bonsai lives in a USB flash 4GB minimum and run with 512 MB of RAM on x86 processors. At the moment it’s only available in 64bit version. It fits on a DVD or CD optical disk and runs in ext2/3/4, fat32, xfs, exFAT file systems. In order to load it to RAM, 1GB is recommended.

It is a minimal Debian Buster file system using Debian linux kernel v. 4.19.0.6 with the BusterDog’s modules for porteus boot, live-boot-3x and aufs support. Kernel updates are not available the way they are on a properly installed linux system. As you may know, BusterDog uses the Antix Linux init system. Sparky Bonsai uses systemd as pure Debian and Sparky Linux. If you don’t wish to use systemd, check the BusterDog (based on Antix) or Beowolf (based on Devuan).

Sparky Bonsai use PCmanFM as file/desktop manager and JWM as windows manager. JWM’s menu construction is based on sparkybonsai menumaker. It comes with Pale Moon as the default web browser, Mousepad as the default text editor and LXterminal as default terminal emulator. All DebianDog’s module and remaster scripts are included as well.

Synaptic package manager is present and you can install all Debian and Sparkylinux packages. The BusterDog’s repository is inactive because of some Antix packets incompatible with Debian. You can use some packets if you’re sure they are compatible but DONT update your system with this repository enabled.

We’ve test it in Debian Stretch version on troubleshooting and repairing other systems, booting diskless machines, checking used PCs for buying, hacking windows-locked office PCs, using machines with no traces and many more. We found it useful, we enjoyed it a lot and we decide to distribute the new Debian Buster based version.

Hope to enjoy this floral pup as we did. If you do, consider sending a donation to our favor Debian distribution, Sparkylinux. https://sparkylinux.org/donate/

Forum threads: https://forum.puppylinux.com/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=2572 https://forum.sparkylinux.org/index.php/topic,5143.0.html