Last Updated on: 20th July 2023, 01:06 pm
Web site: sunsite.unc.edu/Sep-29-1996/docs/distributions/yggdrasil/announcement (not active)
Origin: USA
Category: Desktop
Desktop environment: GUI ?
Architecture: x86
Based on: Independent
Wikipedia: Yggdrasil
Media: Install
The last version | Released: May 1995
Yggdrasil – a Linux distribution developed by Yggdrasil Computing, Incorporated, a company founded by Adam J. Richter in Berkeley, California. Adam J. Richter started the Yggdrasil company together with Bill Selmeier. Yggdrasil was the first company to create a live CD Linux distribution. Yggdrasil Linux described itself as a “Plug-and-Play” Linux distribution, automatically configuring itself for the hardware.
Yggdrasil was a bootable Linux/GNU/X-based UNIX(R) clone for PC compatibles, tentatively named LGX. The system uses version 0.99.5 of the Linux kernel, which is being developed from scratch by Linus Torvalds and an international group of skilled contributors working over the internet to complete the GNU project.
The first release was published in 1994 (an alpha in 1992) as a single CD, the second (and the last) release of Yggdrasil was in 1995 as 4 CD.
Here are some system requirements of Yggdrasil “Case 1993”:
– at least 386 CPU
– 4 MB RAM
– a supported CD-ROM drive
– ethernet card
– IDE or SCSI hard disk
Data of the distribution:
– Linux kernel 0.99.13 (released on September 20, 1993 as the first kernel with ELF support)
– size of the kernel image: 362 kbytes
– X-Window 11 release 5
– incl. TCP/IP and NFS
– software u.a. Andrew System version 5.1 (ez), Emacs, Ghostscript, Kermit, Z-Modem, Postgres 4.1, gcc
Thank you very much for this piece of history.
Do think is possible to bring it back life and try to make new release ?
Then COL Keith Alexander and I sparred regularly over how we were going to get troops familiar with UNIX since Warlord Notebook only ran on Solaris and he was a fancy PhD type. We all wanted to use the SPARC Tadpole notebooks, but no one wanted to sign for one for a jump. We were already busting up every 286 you could fold on airborne ops. Solution: Yggdrasil v0.99.5 which would maybe install from the 2 3.5″ floppies I received it on – even at home on that Packard Bell from the PX.