Knoppix
Points and comments are a snapshot, not live.
Knoppix is a GNU/Linux live system that boots from CD, DVD, or flash disk without installation.
Knoppix is a bootable live GNU/Linux system that runs entirely from CD, DVD, USB flash disk, or over the network without hard disk installation. It includes automatic hardware detection and preinstalled software such as LibreOffice, Firefox, and GIMP. On-the-fly decompression allows up to 2 GB of software on CD and over 9 GB on the DVD edition. It also features ADRIANE, a desktop system for blind users with speech output and braille support, and LINBO, a network boot console.
What commenters are saying
Commenters overwhelmingly expressed nostalgia for Knoppix, with many calling it their first Linux distro or a tool that saved broken systems. Several discussed its lineage, noting that Kali Linux descends from Backtrack, which was built on Whax, not directly from Knoppix. Others recalled related distros like PHLAK, Knoppix STD, and Kanotix. A correction noted that the official Knoppix website is knopper.net, not knoppix.net. Multiple users shared memories of using Knoppix to rescue data from Windows machines, run clusters with clusterknoppix, or boot university lab computers.