Tiny Core Linux
Lightweight Linux distribution
Tiny Core Linux (TCL) is a minimal Linux based operating system focusing on providing a base system using BusyBox and FLTK. It was developed by Robert Shingledecker, who was previously the lead developer of Damn Small Linux. The distribution is notable for its small size (11 to 16 MB) and minimalism; additional functions are provided by extensions. Tiny Core Linux is free and open-source software licensed under the GNU General Public License version 2.
01Types
- Tiny Core (23 MB) is the recommended option for new users who have a wired network connection. It includes the base Core system and a dynamic FLTK/FLWM graphical user interface.
- Core (17 MB) (also known as "Micro Core Linux") is a smaller variant of Tiny Core without a graphical desktop, though additional extensions can be added to create a system with a graphical desktop environment.
- Core64 is a port to the x86_64 architecture with a 32-bit user land, i.e. it uses a 64-bit kernel and 64-bit modules, but it can use the same extensions as Core.
- CorePure64 is a port of "Core" to the x86_64 architecture. 64-bit kernel and 64-bit extensions.
- dCore (12 MB) is a core made from Debian or Ubuntu compatible files that uses import and the SCE package format, a self-contained package format for the Tiny Core distribution since 5.x series.
- Core Plus (248 MB) is "an installation image and not the distribution". It is composed of Tiny Core with additional functionality, most notably wireless support and non-US keyboard support.
- piCore is the Raspberry Pi port of "Core".
02System requirements
Minimal configuration: Tiny Core needs at least 46 MB of RAM, and (micro) Core requires at least 28 MB of RAM. The minimum CPU is an i486DX.
Recommended configuration: A Pentium II CPU and 128 MB of RAM are recommended for Tiny Core.
03Design philosophy
The developers describe Tiny Core as "a nomadic ultra small graphical desktop operating system capable of booting from cdrom, pendrive, or frugally from a hard drive." As of version 2.8.1, the core is designed to run primarily in RAM but with three distinct modes of operation:
- "Cloud" or Internet mode, A "testdrive" mode using a built-in appbrowser GUI to explore extensions from an online application extension repository loaded into RAM only for the current session.
- TCE/Install, A mode for Tiny Core Extensions downloaded and run from a storage partition but kept as symbolic links in RAM.
- TCE/CopyFS, A mode which installs applications onto a Linux partition like a more typical Linux installation.
04Release history
| Version | Stability | Release date |
|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | Older version | January 5, 2009 |
| 2.0 | June 7, 2009 | |
| 3.0 | July 19, 2010 | |
| 4.0 | September 25, 2011 | |
| 4.7.7 | May 10, 2013 | |
| 5.0 | September 14, 2013 | |
| 5.0.1 | October 1, 2013 | |
| 5.0.2 | October 18, 2013 | |
| 5.1 | November 28, 2013 | |
| 5.2 | January 14, 2014 | |
| 5.3 | April 19, 2014 | |
| 5.4 | September 10, 2014 | |
| 6.0 | January 5, 2015 | |
| 6.1 | March 7, 2015 | |
| 6.2 | May 3, 2015 | |
| 6.3 | May 30, 2015 | |
| 6.4 | September 8, 2015 | |
| 6.4.1 | November 4, 2015 | |
| 7.0 | February 23, 2016 | |
| 7.1 | May 22, 2016 | |
| 7.2 | July 4, 2016 | |
| 8.0 | April 10, 2017 | |
| 8.1 | September 3, 2017 | |
| 8.2 | September 22, 2017 | |
| 9.0 | February 26, 2018 | |
| 10.0 | January 20, 2019 | |
| 10.1 | June 11, 2019 | |
| 11.0 | February 9, 2020 | |
| 11.1 | April 1, 2020 | |
| 12.0 | February 17, 2021 | |
| 13.0 | January 31, 2022 | |
| 13.1 | May 8, 2022 | |
| 14.0 | April 12, 2023 | |
| 15.0 | Supported version | February 22, 2024 |
| 16.0 | Supported version | March 31, 2025 |
| 16.1 | Latest version | June 16, 2025 |
| 17.0beta1 | Preview / public beta testing | January 24, 2026 |
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Tiny Core Linux”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Tiny Core Linux 7.1 screenshot.png by Tiny Core Linux developers, GPL
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