MEPIS

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**SimplyMEPIS**
SimplyMEPIS 6.5 default desktop
Website:	mepis.org
Company/ developer:	Warren Woodford
OS family:	Linux
Source model:	Open source
Latest stable release:	6.5 / April 4, 2007
Kernel type:	Monolithic kernel, Linux
Default user interface:	KDE
License:	Various
Working state:	Current

MEPIS refers to a set of Linux distributions distributed as LiveCDs which can be installed onto a hard disk. The most popular of these distributions is SimplyMEPIS. MEPIS distributions are based on Debian, some of them indirectly (for example, SimplyMEPIS is based on Ubuntu, which is in turn based on Debian). MEPIS distributions are created by Warren Woodford.

It can either be installed onto a hard drive or used as a LiveCD, which makes it a boot disc for troubleshooting many operating systems. It includes a free anti-virus scanner, ClamAV, and KDE, the K Desktop Environment.

1 History
2 Distributions
3 Name
4 Popularity
5 External links

[edit] History

MEPIS was first designed for the purpose of creating Warren Woodford's vision of a Linux distribution that did everything he wanted. Warren wanted an alternative to SUSE Linux, Red Hat Linux, and Mandriva Linux (formerly Mandrake) which, in his opinion, were too difficult for the average user. On November 21, 2002, Warren Woodford understood that if he wanted things done according to his taste, he would have to do them himself. MEPIS's first official release was on May 10, 2003.

MEPIS transitioned from using Debian packages to using Ubuntu packages in 2006. Released in July 2006, SimplyMEPIS 6.0 is the first version of MEPIS to incorporate the Ubuntu packages and repositories.

[edit] Distributions

The most popular MEPIS distribution, SimplyMEPIS, is designed for everyday desktop and laptop computing. SOHOServerMepis is intended to be a simple workstation/server combination for small and home offices. MepisLite is a slightly stripped down version for older hardware, and ProMepis is designed for programmers and developers. A final distribution, ForensicMepis, is available only to qualified security professionals.

The latest version of SimplyMEPIS is 6.5.

[edit] Name

According to Warren Woodford, the name MEPIS is pronounced like "Memphis" with the extra letters removed and of course not pronounced. Originally, the word "MEPIS" didn't mean anything in particular, it came about by mistake. Woodford misunderstood a friend over a bad Skype connection, he decided to use the name because it was a simple five-letter word and there were no other companies or products with that name.

Woodford has said that MEPIS is a multipurpose acronym that can represent, among other things, Managerial/Medical/My Educational/Entertainment and Personal/Private Information/Infrastructure Systems/Society/Security.

[edit] Popularity

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This article has been tagged since January 2007.

MEPIS gained attention from well known sources including TechTV and Slashdot. The MEPIS page on DistroWatch is currently the fifth most frequently accessed of a comprehensive list of Linux distributions behind Ubuntu, openSUSE, Fedora Core, and PCLinuxOS.^[1]