SIL's Language Software Development team for Linux (LSDev-Linux) is pleased to announce the 1.5 Beta 2 release of the Balsa system. There's a Quick Start here.
 
Balsa is a system that runs on an SD card that turns a netbook into a Basic Language Software Appliance. It contains basic language software with a simple to use interface.
Balsa Features

• Balsa is free. There are no restrictions on making copies and distributing them to others.
• The operating system and programs are all contained on a single SD card.
• Simple upgrading without affecting your data
  • No need for an Internet connection
  • Turn off the machine
  • Put in a new Balsa SD card
  • Turn the machine back on
• No viruses - ever! No need for an anti-virus program.
• Can be customized to use languages other than English.
• Can be customized with other Ubuntu programs.

 To make your own Balsa SD card, you will need:

• A blank 8 gigabyte minimum SD card
• A Windows or Linux computer with 9 gigabytes of free temporary space on its hard drive. After the card is made, the temporary files can be deleted.
• An Internet connection to download about 700 Megabytes

What's New in 1.5 Beta 2?
Here are some of the features of the new release: (previous release is  here):

• Based on Ubuntu 12.04 (precise)
• Quick Start Documentation.
• Balsa now includes Paratext for Linux.
• WeSay for Linux is temporarily unavailable.
• The lxlauncher interface has been replaced with a more standard Ubuntu Gnome interface.