The 50 MB figure is history, not the current download
The 50 MB number describes the original project. The revived DSL 2024 is a very different size. DistroWatch describes the original DSL as a business card size (50MB) live CD Linux distribution, based on Debian and Knoppix. It also notes that after a 12 year break (from 2012 to 2024), the Damn Small Linux (DSL) project was relaunched.
The new edition is based on Debian and antiX with the goal of fitting on live media 700MB or smaller (in order to be usable in CD-ROM drives). Tom's Hardware put it this way: DSL inflating from 50MB in 2008 to today's 700MB. Download listings show the real images sitting just under that limit. DistroWatch listed the RC4 image at 689 MB, and TechSpot lists RC7 at 684 MB.
On the official project site, maintainer John Andrews explains the jump. A bootable 50 MB desktop is still possible today, he says, but it would be missing many drivers and would come with only a few very basic applications. To get a working desktop under 700 MB, he cut language support down to a handful of locales and removed source code, many man pages and documentation. He also provides a script that restores the missing files.
Section summary: DSL 2024 is roughly 700 MB, which is still tiny next to Windows 11. If you want the real 50 MB experience, the legacy release is still offered on the project site as a separate download.
What you actually get
The official site describes DSL 2024 as a compact distribution for low-spec x86 computers, built on antiX 23 i386. The maintainer is open about the risks: DSL is a "derivative" and "reductive" work, and some antiX components may be broken or missing. It's FOSS reported that the early builds used Linux kernel 5.10 and Debian 12 'Bookworm' at its core thanks to the antiX base that it uses.
The officially listed software includes:
- Window managers: Fluxbox and JWM (there's no full desktop environment)
- Browsers: Firefox ESR, NetSurf GTK, Dillo and Links2
- Office and productivity: AbiWord, Gnumeric, the Sylpheed email client and the Zathura PDF viewer
- Media: MPV and XMMS
- Utilities: mtPaint, gFTP, Leafpad and the zzzFM file manager
- Terminal tools: Ranger, VisiData, FZF, tmux, Mutt, cmus, htop, Vim, Nano and the W3M and Links2 text browsers
- Games: a few lightweight GUI and terminal titles
The original DSL had no full package manager. This version has APT fully enabled, so anything you miss can be installed from the repositories, as long as you don't mind that every package eats into the lightweight advantage.
Release status: still a release candidate
This is the detail that matters most before you trust an internet-connected PC to DSL. The official download page says this version of DSL 2024 should be considered a "release candidate". The newest build is RC7, offered as dsl-2024.rc7.iso (the CD version) and dsl-2024.rc7.lz4.iso. The lz4 image uses lighter compression and is intended for virtual machines or UNetbootin. The page states Latest download posted on June 8, 2024. Wikipedia gives a different date for the latest preview, 2024 RC 7 / 18 September 2024. Either way, the newest official build is about two years old.
According to the download page, RC7 is 32-bit compatible and runs on both 32-bit and 64-bit systems. Wikipedia's infobox still lists the most recent stable release as 4.4.10 / 18 November 2008.
None of the sources I could check say how often security updates arrive or whether the project has committed to long-term support. Because APT is enabled and the base is Debian-derived, packages pulled through the repositories may receive updates. That is my inference, not a promise from the project. If the machine will hold banking logins or work email, treat this as an unanswered question.
The hands-on test: one Dell, one writer
Shareef tested on a Dell Inspiron he describes as 13 years old, with a second-generation Intel Core i3, 4 GB of RAM and integrated Intel HD graphics. It shipped with Windows 7 and was later upgraded to Windows 10. Everything below comes from that single machine. He gave no exact model number, test method or list of websites, so read these as observations, not benchmarks.
What went well:
- Boot time: about 15 seconds from power-on to desktop while running from USB
- Hardware detection: network, sound and USB devices worked, and so did some older printers
- Browsing: Firefox ESR handled most sites adequately. NetSurf and Dillo felt faster but struggled with JavaScript-heavy pages
- Multitasking: browsing, writing documents and playing music at the same time without using swap on 4 GB of RAM
- App launch: apps opened almost instantly, and RAM usage and screen resolution were shown right in the interface
What went badly:
- Stability: a crash during a live session needed a hard reboot and wiped his interface customizations. He suggests an installed system might be more stable but didn't test that
- Video: YouTube dropped frames constantly, even at 480p, on a strong connection. He suspects graphics driver support, but that's a guess, not a diagnosis
- App failures: several bundled games either failed silently or caused the desktop to reload. Terminal apps were more reliable than graphical ones
- Readability: default fonts and interface elements are tiny on modern screens, and display settings are spread across menus and didn't always survive a reboot
His conclusion is that DSL is useful for browsing, documents and file serving (he suggests Samba shares or an FTP server) but not for media.
How to try it safely
This is the procedure from the hands-on test, with some safety notes added:
- Get a USB drive of 1 GB or more. Check that the old PC can boot from USB. Some very old machines can't, which is exactly why DSL stays CD-sized.
- Download the ISO from the official DSL site. The download page lists an MD5 checksum file for each image, so compare it before you write the drive.
- Write the bootable drive with Rufus or balenaEtcher. Alternatively, install Ventoy on the drive once and then copy the ISO onto it like any other file. Ventoy lets one stick hold several ISOs.
- Boot from USB. F12, F2 and Esc are common boot-menu keys, but they differ by manufacturer and model. Check your PC maker's documentation if none of them work.
- Test in the live session first. Check Wi-Fi and Ethernet, display resolution, audio, touchpad and any printers or peripherals you depend on.
- Back up before you install. Shareef says the installer can set up a dual boot alongside Windows or wipe the drive, and that installation took about 10 minutes on his hardware. I haven't independently verified the installer's partitioning options. Read every screen carefully and image the drive first if Windows still matters to you.
What success looks like: the system reaches the Fluxbox or JWM desktop, your network connects, and Firefox ESR loads the sites you actually use. If the live session crashes repeatedly or your Wi-Fi chip isn't detected, it's better to find out now than after you've erased Windows.
The Windows 10 angle
Shareef calls Windows 10 "officially dead" unless you joined Microsoft's extra security-update program. That's close but too broad. Microsoft's lifecycle documentation says Windows 10 version 22H2 (Home, Pro, Enterprise and Education) and the 2015 LTSB editions reached end of support on October 14, 2025, and stopped receiving security updates from that date. Eligible devices enrolled in the paid Extended Security Updates (ESU) program keep getting security patches. Machines that weren't enrolled still run normally. They just aren't patched anymore.
The timing matters. Microsoft announced the consumer ESU tier as a one-year bridge ending October 13, 2026, which is days away. Anyone in that program who is deciding what to do with hardware that can't meet Windows 11's requirements has a real decision to make this week, not just a weekend project.
Analysis: who should actually try DSL?
Tom's Hardware made the case for the project when it relaunched: there are a lot of perfectly serviceable PCs dropping off the Windows support cliff-edge which are still otherwise fit for duty. I agree with the reasoning. A second-generation Core i3 with 4 GB of RAM is badly matched to Windows 11 but has more than enough power for Fluxbox and AbiWord.
The counterargument is that 4 GB of RAM and a 64-bit Core i3 aren't the extreme low end DSL is built for. A machine like that can usually run a 64-bit lightweight distro with an actively maintained stable release, current browsers and full desktop polish. It's FOSS has suggested the likes of Puppy Linux, EasyOS, and Tiny Core as compact alternatives. Tiny Core has its own DSL connection: Wikipedia notes it was created by Robert Shingledecker, who was previously the lead developer of Damn Small Linux. My view, based on general industry experience: DSL makes the most sense for genuinely ancient 32-bit hardware, such as Pentium 4 towers, early netbooks and machines limited to booting from CD. On anything newer, it's a fun experiment rather than the obvious choice.
Bottom line: DSL 2024 is a charming, well-intentioned way to keep old x86 hardware out of landfill, and it seems capable of basic browsing, documents and file sharing. It's also a two-year-old release candidate that crashed in testing, couldn't play YouTube smoothly, and has no clearly documented security-update plan. Try it from a USB stick, keep your expectations modest, and don't put anything sensitive on it until you're sure it's being maintained.