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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.
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.
Since SimplyMEPIS 6.0, SimplyMEPIS is no longer directly based on Debian, but is rather based on Ubuntu.
Distributions
MEPIS LLC works with a private company, [http://www.tafusion.com TaFusion], to provide commercial versions of its products. Products that are not free are bundled with other for-pay software such as [http://www.codeweavers.com/ CrossOver Office], [http://www.win4lin.com/ Win4Lin], and [http://www.hiatlantis.com/ HiAtlantis] as well as additional Windows-to-Linux migration utilities.
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 current version of SimplyMEPIS is 6.0.
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.
Popularity
MEPIS gained attention from well known sources including TechTV and Slashdot.
The [http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=mepis MEPIS page] on DistroWatch has been the fourth most frequently accessed of a comprehensive list of Linux distributions for more than a year behind Ubuntu, openSUSE, and Fedora Core.
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