IskoLinux (pronounced as is-kooh-lee-nux) is a Linux distribution packaged and maintained by UP Manila's (UPM) Information Management System as part of University of the Philippines' (UP) thrust to migrate to Linux. It is a coined term from the Filipino word iskolar which comes from the phrase "iskolar ng bayan", loosely referring to UP students as national scholars and Linux, the operating system.
Iskolinux is based on BeatrIX, derived from Knoppix and Ubuntu, which in turn are derived from the Debian operating system. The lead developers of the project are Ariel S. Betan and Eric Manuel N. Pareja, both system developers at UPM. The distribution is both a "live CD" and installer, giving the user the option to boot the operating system directly from the CD without requiring an installation to a local hard drive. Iskolinux was primarily designed as a desktop operating system to include applications commonly used by students, faculty and staff.
The most recent version is IskoLinux v0.12 which uses the Linux kernel version 2.6.7 and Gnome 2.8 as desktop manager. Future plans include installation commands, manual and desktop environment in Filipino.