As the fields of computational biology and bioinformatics become more important, not only to the economy, but to our understanding of the natural world and ourselves, Linux is becoming a better platform on which to build and deploy the software scientists will rely on.
A few groups have even gone so far as to create entire distributions geared for computational biology, such as BioBrew and Debian-Med. One of the more prominent comes from Oxford's National Environmental Research Council's (NERC) Environmental Bioinformatics Centre (NEBC). Bio-Linux does not sell itself as your average distribution, but it does not measure up to an average distribution either.
NEBC Bio-Linux comes in two forms -- a Knoppix-based live DVD, and a net-install from NEBC's servers. To get the latter, you must fill out an application form. If you're worthy, NEBC will send you an installation package that comprises a CD, a diskette, and installation instructions. The CD provides the boot loader and customized scripts that partition the hard disk and copy the Bio-Linux snapshot image from NEBC's servers to the target computer. The diskette contains the information necessary for the installation scripts to find and access the server. Actual installation is expected to be conducted via the Internet, at a scheduled time negotiated with NEBC's help desk.
