Bio-Linux 8 – Released July 2014
About Bio-Linux:
Bio-Linux 8 is a powerful, free bioinformatics workstation platform that can be installed on anything from a laptop to a large server, or run as a virtual machine. Bio-Linux 8 adds more than 250 bioinformatics packages to an Ubuntu Linux 14.04 LTS base, providing around 50 graphical applications and several hundred command line tools. The Galaxy environment for browser-based data analysis and workflow construction is also incorporated in Bio-Linux 8.
Bio-Linux 8 represents the continued commitment of NERC to maintain the platform, and comes with many updated and additional tools and libraries. With this release we support pre-prepared VM images for use with VirtualBox, VMWare or Parallels. Virtualised Bio-Linux will power the EOS Cloud, which is in development for launch in 2015.
You can install Bio-Linux on your machine, either as the only operating system, or as part of a dual-boot set-up which allows you to use your current system and Bio-Linux on the same hardware.
Bio-Linux can also run Live from a DVD or a USB stick. This runs in the memory of your machine and does not involve installing anything. This is a great, no-hassle way to try out Bio-Linux, demonstrate or teach with it, or to work with it when you are on the move.
Bio-Linux is built on open source systems and software, and so is free to to install and use. See What’s new on Bio-Linux 8. Also, check out the 2006 paper on Bio-Linux and open source systems for biologists.
Great news if you are handling biological data!
Not to mention being a good example of multiple delivery methods, you can use Bio-Linux 8 as your OS, run it from a VM, DVD or USB stick.
How is your software delivered?