The tech landscape has changed so much that both smartphones and tablets can manage Linux, Windows and MacOSX systems remotely. From Air Droid to very easy remote access, even the most devout supporter of LiveCDs, LiveUSBs and dual booting Linux systems will give pause. Apps these days are extremely powerful and I encourage students and users alike to try out great Android and iOS apps for managing their hardware.
For Linux users, the availability of fast wireless Internet, efficient network installs, rolling releases and Android renders some of the classic advantages of Linux LiveCDs and LiveUSBs somewhat irrelevant. Does it still make sense to burn a LiveCD, LiveUSB or set up a dual boot in machines?
Linux LiveCDs
Apple has dispensed with optical drives in most of their machines and most Apple users don't even have a Super Drive along with their Macbook Air. Windows users may not be completely aware of it but some of them haven't pressed their optical drive eject button in awhile even before netbooks were introduced to the market. Ultraportables like the Acer Aspire S7 and hybrids like the Lenovo Yoga have prospered without optical drives. Why should users pop out their drive trays when games can be downloaded via a service like Steam or install applications and games directly to an iPad or Android phone via an app store?
I love LiveCDs. I used to have tons of LiveCDs of old releases of Mandriva, openSUSE and Fedora just for reference. I even have the old Ubuntu disc Canonical used to ship for free. These days, however, I test new releases using a LiveUSB instead. I haven't totally abandoned LiveCDs, however, and use them in the following scenarios:
1. When repurposing old laptops and PCs, I run old versions of Ubuntu or Fedora LiveCDs especially if the portable doesn't have enough USB ports for a LiveUSB. I still have a Knoppix LiveUSB for those days when you have to exert a bit of effort to fix a Windows system. Linux Mint and openSUSE LiveCDs have also proven useful to have around too when working with legacy machines.
2. Imaging desktops and portables are better done using a Clonezilla LiveCD if your target device is a USB external drive or even a network drive.
3. When traveling or moving from country to country, I always have a Linux LiveCD (and a LiveUSB) packed somewhere in case my laptop dies, Windows hiccups or (knock on wood) I have to buy a new laptop.
LiveUSBs
LiveUSBs serve the same purpose as a LiveCD in many ways, but both the medium and USB sticks are less common now due to tablets and SD cards. Most people are probably content with the prodigious power of iOS, Android and Windows 8 for their tasks. I may be in the minority but I still feel uneasy going to work without a LiveUSB and use them for the following scenarios:
1. Extracting files from Windows and Apple machines is a cinch with a Linux LiveUSB. Your IT department may frown on the practice but sometimes it takes forever when a system breaks down.
2. I was shopping for a portable early this year and while hunting I had three LiveUSBs with me to test various hardware components. One had OpenSUSE KDE to test hardware compatibility and performance. Another had Fedora Xfce for even stricter tests on hardware/network compliance and the last LiveUSB carried ever dependable Lubuntu.
3. LiveUSB is the best way to test a newly released distribution. I've long retired as a distro-hopper and I've stopped being an early adopter. Before upgrading to a new openSUSE or Ubuntu release, I have to test the distribution on my netbooks and laptops first. Creating a LiveUSB is less wasteful than burning a DVDR and it's fairly easy to do over the Terminal or using a GUI like Unetbootin. I'm a huge fan of VirtualBox but testing out a distribution via LiveUSB or LiveCD is a different (and occasionally more accurate) experience altogether.
4. When fixing that laptop, a LiveUSB is one of the best tools to have around. My Windows 7 Lenovo machine recently started crashing all of a sudden and I needed to check if it was a hardware fan issue (the machine was running hot) or a recent Windows update conflicting with Lenovo's proprietary utility. I reached for my friendly Knoppix LiveUSB for a quick diagnosis. I ran also the same test with my beloved Acer Aspire 5500Z when its optical drive refused to load an openSUSE LiveCD.
5. Teaching or introducing Linux to kids is extremely fun. It's great to see their eyes grow wide as they watch you pop in a USB drive and completely change their machine. The effect actually works on adult Mac and Windows users too. LiveCDs aren't nearly as impressive as LiveUSBs when spreading the Linux experience.
Continued in Do you still use a LiveCD, LiveUSB or set up a Dual boot? Part 2
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