The Forgotten Secrets of the First Linux LiveCD (Yggdrasil Linux)

If you know anything about early Linux, you probably know what Linux LiveCDs are. But if I were to ask you what the first Linux LiveCD was, what would you answer?

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Chapter Marks:
00:00 – Prelude
01:30 – Chapter 1 – The First Linux LiveCD
11:08 – Chapter 2 – Popping The Hood
18:24 – Chapter 3 – And The Install Script I Rode In On
25:53 – Chapter 4 – The Root Of The Matter …

If you said Yggdrasil Plug and Play Linux, then you know either like pain, or you know your Linux history. In either case, you are in good company. Yggdrasil Linux is often one of those things that comes up in conversation, but little actual information can be found about it. That’s because for many years, it was a lost media distribution, meaning it was known to exist, but no copies were properly preserved.

After a lot of effort, I did actually manage to find additional copies of Yggdrasil that had been saved properly, as well as reconstruct the December 1994 release. Next, I found a lot of surprising features, such as the ability to use DOS MSCDEX drivers, and more, and an automatic phone home device powered by UUCP.

This lead to an adventure in exploring the ins and outs of ancient Linux compatibility, and determining what, if anything Yggdrasil Incorporated had patched and changed, and trust me when I say it was *a lot*.

Music provided under license by Epidemic Sound (https://www.epidemicsound.com/)

Tracks used in order:
– Incomplete – Gavin Luke
– Enigma – David Celeste
– A Key Figure – David Celeste
– We Still Have Courage – Bonnie Grace
– Particle Emission – Silver Maple
– Enigma – David Celeste
– Me and My Horse – Sight of Wonders
– Progressive Progress – Howard Harper-Barnes
– Superior – Silver Maple
– Paradigm Shift – Gavin Luke
– The Road Less Travelled – Christoffer Moe Ditlevsen
– Acceleration – Dream Cave
– Dreamed of This – Dream Cave
– Just Playing – Jules Gaia
– Progressive Progress – Howard Harper-Barnes
– For the Many – Jon Bjork
– Never Forgotten – Christoffer Moe Ditlevsen
– Observations – From Now On
– Colossal Logic – Rand Aldo
– Sacred Waters – Gabriel Lewis
– The Unforgettable – Gavin Luke
– Just Playing – Jules Gaia
– Particle Emission – Silver Maple

#linux #ncommander #retrocomputing #yggdrasillinux