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 Latest News and Updates |
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| A d v e r t i s e m e n t |
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| 2009-08-28 |
NEW • Distribution Release: Slackware Linux 13.0 |
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Patrick Volkerding has announced the release of Slackware Linux 13.0, a major update of the world's oldest surviving Linux distribution: "After one of the most intensive periods of development in Slackware's history, the long-awaited stable release of Slackware 13.0 is ready. This release brings with it many major changes since Slackware 12.2, including a completely reworked collection of X packages (a configuration file for X is no longer needed in most cases), major upgrades to the desktop environments (KDE 4.2.4 and Xfce 4.6.1), a new .txz package format with much better compression, and other upgrades all around -- to the development system, network services, libraries, and major applications like Firefox and Thunderbird. We think you'll agree that this version of Slackware was worth the wait. Also, this is the first release of Slackware with native support for the 64-bit x86_64 architecture!" See the release announcement and release notes for more information. Download (torrents) the installation DVD images from here: slackware-13.0-install-dvd.iso (3,739MB, MD5, torrent), slackware64-13.0-install-dvd.iso (3,762MB, MD5, torrent). |
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| 2009-08-06 |
NEW • Development Release: Slackware Linux 13.0 RC2 |
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Patrick Volkerding has announced that Slackware "current", the distribution's development branch, has reached release candidate 2 status: "Hi folks! We're going to call this set of updates RC2. There are still README files to be handled (that's the nature of documentation, I guess), as well as some other things remaining on the TODO list, but X seems pretty stable now, and it seems like a release soon would be in order so that we can march right back into development territory with -current again soon. Enjoy, and let us know about any problems you run into!" Find more information in the changelog. Slackware Linux 13.0 RC2 comes with Linux kernel 2.6.29.6, GCC 4.3.3, X.Org Server 1.6.3 and KDE 4.2.4. As always, there are no official ISO images to download, but those interested in helping with last-minute testing can get these unofficial installation DVDs and upgrade to RC2 with slackpkg: slackware-current-04_Aug_2009-DVD.iso (1,743MB, MD5), slackware64-current-04_Aug_2009-DVD.iso (1,678MB, MD5). |
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| 2009-07-02 |
NEW • Development Release: Slackware Linux 13.0 RC1 |
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Patrick Volkerding has announced that Slackware "Current", the distribution's development branch, has reached release candidate status: "The to-do isn't entirely empty here, but it's pretty much down to minor nits, and so we're going to call this release candidate 1 and (mostly) freeze further updates unless they happen to fix problems. Regarding the kernel, 2.6.29.x has been well tested with this userspace and seems like the best choice to ship for production use. Perhaps we can put something else (at least source and configurations) in /testing, though." See the complete changelog for further information regarding updates and changes. As always with Slackware, there are no official ISO images released for download, but unofficial weekly builds are available from slackware.no (MD5): slackware-current-30_Jun_2009-DVD.iso (1,747MB), slackware64-current-30_Jun_2009-DVD.iso (1,682MB). |
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| 2008-12-11 |
NEW • Distribution Release: Slackware Linux 12.2 |
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Patrick Volkerding has announced the release of Slackware Linux 12.2: "Well folks, it's that time to announce a new stable Slackware release again. Since we've moved to supporting the 2.6 kernel series exclusively (and fine-tuned the system to get the most out of it), we feel that Slackware 12.2 has many improvements over our last release (Slackware 12.1) and is a must-have upgrade for any Slackware user. Among the many program updates and distribution enhancements, you'll find two of the most advanced desktop environments available today: Xfce 4.4.3 and KDE 3.5.10. Slackware 12.2 uses the 2.6.27.7 kernel bringing you advanced performance features such as journaling file systems, SCSI and ATA RAID volume support, SATA support, Software RAID, LVM (the Logical Volume Manager), and encrypted file systems." Read the rest of the release announcement for more details. Download: slackware-12.2-install-dvd.iso (3,962MB, MD5, torrent). |
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| 2008-12-03 |
NEW • Development Release: Slackware Linux 12.2 RC1 |
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Patrick Volkerding has announced that the development branch of Slackware Linux has reached release candidate status: "While there are still some documents that need updating and probably a few more tweaks and updates here and there, everything is mostly in place for the next stable release, Slackware Linux 12.2. The versions of major components like X.Org and the kernel can be considered frozen. Anything major that we haven't done yet will probably wait for the release after this next one. As Slackware 12.2 is only a 0.1 version bump, we're trying to focus on making it better without causing instability or losing compatibility with Slackware 12.1 wherever possible. Invasive changes like the new X.Org (that will require changes to xorg.conf) and merging KDE 4 should probably wait for Slackware 13.0. We will call this batch Slackware 12.2 release candidate one." Read the updated Slackware current changelog for more information. As always, Slackware doesn't publish ISO images of release candidates, but unofficial DVD images, built weekly from the current tree, are available at ftp.slackware.no; download the latest one from here: slackware-current-02_Dec_2008-DVD.iso (3,616MB, MD5). |
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| 2008-05-02 |
NEW • Distribution Release: Slackware Linux 12.1 |
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Patrick Volkerding has announced the release of Slackware Linux 12.1: "Well folks, it's that time to announce a new stable Slackware release again. So, without further ado, announcing Slackware version 12.1! Since we've moved to supporting the 2.6 kernel series exclusively (and fine-tuned the system to get the most out of it), we feel that Slackware 12.1 has many improvements over our last release (Slackware 12.0) and is a must-have upgrade for any Slackware user. Among the many program updates and distribution enhancements, you'll find better support for RAID, LVM, and cryptsetup; a network capable (FTP and HTTP, not only NFS) installer; and two of the most advanced desktop environments available today: Xfce 4.4.2, a fast, lightweight, and visually appealing desktop environment, and KDE 3.5.9, the latest 3.x version of the full-featured K Desktop Environment." More details in the release announcement. Order the official installation DVD from Slackware store (US$49.95) or download it via BitTorrent: slackware-12.1-install-dvd.iso (3,862MB). Happy slacking! |
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| 2008-04-22 |
NEW • Development Release: Slackware Linux 12.1 RC2 |
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A stable Slackware Linux 12.1 is just behind the corner: "We have now reached the Slackware 12.1 RC2 milestone. We're beyond updating packages or fixing minor cosmetic bugs at this point (actually, we had hoped to be past that with RC1, but there were still items in need of attention). What we have here now has proven to be stable for our testers, so unless some real showstoppers are found we'll be releasing this as Slackware 12.1-final soon." In other changelog items, the Linux kernel has been updated to version 2.6.24.5, glibc recompiled for the new kernel and xine-libs fixed due to a possible security issue. Please see the detailed changelog for further information. As always, no official installation media have been released, but unofficial CD and DVD images should be available from this mirror shortly. |
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| 2008-04-03 |
NEW • Development Release: Slackware Linux 12.1 RC1 |
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Patrick Volkerding announced today that the Slackware development tree had reached release candidate status: "OK, we're going to call this Slackware 12.1-rc1, though there is still some more minor work to do. Please help test! And if we're missing anything major, please let me know. Thanks." The most recent changelog entry includes a security fix for CUPS and other minor updates. Slackware "current" is based on Linux kernel 2.6.24.4, with glibc 2.7 and GCC 4.2.3; it also includes KDE 3.5.9 as the default desktop, a development build of xorg-server 1.5, Firefox 2.0.0.13, Apache web server 2.2.8 and other popular applications. As always, Slackware release candidates are not provided in the form of installable ISO images, but recent unofficial installation CDs and DVD are available from this mirror. Alternatively, create your own Slackware DVD from the current tree by following these instructions. Happy testing! |
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| 2007-07-02 |
Distribution Release: Slackware Linux 12.0 |
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Slackware Linux 12.0 has been released: "Well folks, it's that time to announce a new stable Slackware release again. So, without further ado, announcing Slackware version 12.0! Since we've moved to supporting the 2.6 kernel series exclusively (and fine-tuned the system to get the most out of it), we feel that Slackware 12.0 has many improvements over our last release and is a must-have upgrade for any Slackware user. Here are some of the advanced features of Slackware 12.0: runs the 2.6.21.5 version of the Linux kernel; system binaries are linked with the GNU C Library, version 2.5; X11 7.2.0; Apache 2.2.4 web server with Dynamic Shared Object support, SSL, and PHP 5.2.3; the udev dynamic device management system; updated versions of the Slackware package management tools...." Read the rest of the release announcement for full details. The CD and DVD images should be available from Slackware's FTP/HTTP mirrors in a few days; in the meantime get the new Slack via BitTorrent: slackware-12.0-install-dvd.iso (3,714MB). |
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| 2007-06-26 |
Development Release: Slackware Linux 12.0 RC2 |
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The development of Slackware Linux 12.0 has reached a release candidate 2 state - that's according to this message found in the latest ChangeLog: "This might as well be called 12.0 RC2 so that we're not accused on skimping on release candidates. ;-) Still going through various reports, and (especially) looking into getting the php.ini defaults reasonable (as well as figuring out which features can be safely built as extensions). But, we're getting there." Some of the changes since RC1 include: kernel (and glibc) recompile with a slightly modified configuration file, upgrade to K3b 1.0.2 and Amarok 1.4.6, miscellaneous minor changes to udev, pkgtools, kernel drivers, etc. As usual, Slackware does not provide official development CDs or DVDs, but interested beta testers can download the entire Slackware current tree from one of these mirrors and create an ISO images by following these instructions. Happy testing! |
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| 2007-06-15 |
Development Release: Slackware Linux 12.0 RC1 |
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Patrick Volkerding has announced the first release candidate of Slackware Linux 12.0: "It's that time again, and here we have Slackware 12.0 release candidate 1! If we're lucky, we got it all right the first time. Big thanks to the crew." This message has been posted on the distribution's current changelog, together with a large number of package updates. The upcoming Slackware Linux 12.0 is a major new version; this is the first time a Slackware release will default to a 2.6 kernel (version 2.6.21.5), now compiled with GCC 4 (version 4.1.2). Many other packages also come in their latest versions: the modular X.Org 7.2 with Xgl and Compiz support, KDE 3.5.7, Xfce 4.4.1 and, at long last, Apache 2.2 with PHP 5. As usual, there is no ISO image available for download, but interested beta testers should keep an eye on this FTP server which periodically publishes unofficial ISO images built from the current tree; alternatively, you can build your own DVD image by following these instructions. Happy testing!
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| 2006-10-03 |
Distribution Release: Slackware Linux 11.0 |
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A great day for all fans of the oldest surviving Linux distribution - after an unusually long testing and debugging period, Slackware Linux 11.0 has been released: "The first Slackware release more than a year in the making, this edition of Slackware combines Slackware's legendary simplicity, stability, and security with some of the latest advances in Linux technology. Here are some of the advanced features of Slackware 11.0: runs the 2.4.33.3 version of the Linux kernel; as an alternate choice, Slackware 11.0 includes Linux 2.6.17.13 and 2.6.18 kernel source, kernel modules, and binary packages; system binaries are linked with the GNU C Library, version 2.3.6; X.Org 6.9.0; installs GCC 3.4.6 as the default C, C++; support for fully encrypted network connections; Apache 1.3.37 web server...." Read the full release announcement for more details. The Slackware Linux 11.0 ISO images will take a few days to appear on these Slackware mirrors; in the meantime you can download the complete DVD image via BitTorrent: slackware-11.0-iso (3,732MB). Happy slacking! |
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| 2006-09-18 |
Development Release: Slackware Linux 11.0 RC5 |
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An unexpected fifth release candidate of Slackware Linux 11.0 has been announced in the current changelog: "Slackware 11.0 release candidate 5. This is the last one, scout's honor." Last week has brought a fairly large number of updates, including a new Subversion 1.4.0 ("After a couple convincing assurances that this was a safe and ABI/API compatible upgrade, I decided to allow this upgrade."), an svn release of espgs 8.15.3 ("Building from svn fixes two critical problems: missing support for CJK, and not correctly printing umlauts with certain fonts."), security updates to Firefox, Thunderbird and SeaMonkey, as well as many rebuilds of existing package versions to fix bugs or add new functionality. As usual, there are no official ISO images released for download, but a good list of Slackware mirrors can be found here, while a recent unofficial CD image set built from the current tree is available here. |
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| 2006-09-03 |
Development Release: Slackware Linux 11.0 RC4 |
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Patrick Volkerding has announced that "current" branch of Slackware Linux has reached release candidate 4 status: "I wasn't planning a Slackware 11.0 release candidate 4, but here we go." The new -- and unusually verbose -- entry in the changelog tell us that: udev's log level has been changed from "crit" to "err"; K3b now writes to /dev/writer; permissions on input events have been relaxed from 600 to 640; a number of software packages have been upgraded, including Linux kernel to version 2.4.33.3, MySQL to 5.0.24a and Samba to 3.0.23c; all necessary applications have been recompiled against the new kernel and MySQL. As usual, there are no official CD images to download, but experienced beta testers are welcome to upgrade their Slackware systems to the current branch; a good list of up-to-date mirrors is available here. It shouldn't be long now.... |
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| 2006-08-25 |
Development Release: Slackware Linux 11.0 RC3 |
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Patrick Volkerding has announced the third release candidate of Slackware Linux 11.0: "Here is Slackware 11.0 release candidate 3. I think most of the irresistible upgrades are in here now, and the bug reports have been mostly handled. There may still be a few changes, and possibly another release candidate, but this is pretty close to final with the exception of updating documentation and building ZipSlack. Thanks very much to everyone who is helping to test these release candidates -- I think this is going to be a very up to date and stable release." See the current changelog for details about all the recent changes. A good list of mirror sites carrying the Slackware current branch is available here. |
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| 2006-08-21 |
Development Release: Slackware Linux 11.0 RC2 |
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It seems that the development process of Slackware Linux 11.0 is almost finished: "This is mostly frozen now unless bugs (or irresistible upgrades) come up, so I'll call this update Slackware 11.0 release candidate 2." Recent changes include update to stable kernel 2.4.33 (instead of upgrade to kernel 2.4.33.1), upgrade to the latest kernel 2.6.17.9, updates to most of the binaries on the installer, and some bug and security fixes. For more detailed information please read the Current (pre-release) ChangeLog. As usual, there are no official ISO images available, but interested testers can upgrade to the "current" branch and thus follow the development; alternatively, recent unofficial CD/DVD images can be downloaded here. |
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| 2006-08-14 |
Development Release: Slackware Linux 11.0 RC1 |
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The long development process of Slackware Linux 11.0 is about to conclude - that's according to Patrick Volkerding who has declared the "current" tree as RC1: "There are still a few changes yet to happen, but let's call this Slackware 11.0 release candidate 1." Other recent changes include upgrade to stable kernel 2.4.33; upgrade to udev 097, and rebuild of glibc 2.3.6 for both 2.4.33 and 2.6.16.27 kernels. The new release will ship with X.Org 6.9.0 and KDE 3.5.4, and will provide SeaMonkey instead of Mozilla. For more detailed information please see the Current ChangeLog. As has become customary with Slackware, there are no official ISO images, but interested testers can upgrade to the "current" branch and follow the development; alternatively you can obtain recent unofficial CD/DVD images from this download server. A good list of Slackware mirrors is available here. |
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| 2005-10-26 |
Reviews: An Old Hacker Slaps Up Slackware |
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Joe Barr, after having played with dozens of distributions over the years, tries Slackware 10.2 for the first time. His conclusions? "Slackware is not for everyone. Many of us are too lazy to give up the dependency resolution of RPM and apt-get, for one thing. But it is a distribution that nearly everyone should try some day, for several reasons. Slackware's stability is renowned, and trying it may be your only chance -- short of doing it yourself -- of running one man's vision of 'how things should be.' With other distributions, it is more of a vision by committee. With Slackware, you get Patrick Volkerding's vision. And finally, Slackware is primarily an OS for servers and high-end workstations, as opposed to the business or home desktop." Read the complete 2-page review at Linux.com. |
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| 2005-09-15 |
Distribution Release: Slackware Linux 10.2 |
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Slackware Linux 10.2 has been released: "Announcing Slackware Linux 10.2! The second Slackware release of 2005, Slackware Linux 10.2 continues the long Slackware tradition of simplicity, stability, and security. Among the many program updates and distribution enhancements, you'll find two of the most advanced desktop environments available today: XFce 4.2.2, a fast and lightweight but visually appealing and easy to use desktop environment, and KDE 3.4.2, the latest version of the award-winning K Desktop Environment. Slackware uses the 2.4.31 kernel bringing you advanced performance features such as the ReiserFS journaling filesystem...." Read the rest of the release announcement and release notes for more details. The two binary ISO images are available for download via BitTorrent: slackware-10.2-install-d1.iso (638MB) and slackware-10.2-install-d2.iso (645MB), while the official 4-CD set can be ordered from The Slackware Store (US$39.95). Happy slacking! |
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| 2005-09-09 |
Development Release: Slackware Linux 10.2 Beta |
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The current changelog of Slackware Linux informs us that the release of a new version, Slackware Linux 10.2, is imminent: "OK folks, this is just about ready to go. Consider nearly everything to be set in stone at this point, especially the kernels. Zipslack has yet to be built, and some of the documentation needs minor updating, but for the most part this is how Slackware 10.2 is going to look. Expect a release to happen sometime within the next week or so." The changelog lists a large number of package updates, including OpenSSH 4.2p1 and Samba 3.0.20. As always, there are no official ISO images, but a list of mirror sites carrying Slackware's current tree can be found on this page. |
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| 2005-08-03 |
Beta Testing for Slackware 10.2 to Begin |
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The development work of Slackware Linux has recently been fairly active and good news is that a beta version of 10.2 may be available soon: "Hi folks, I think it's time to consider this to be mostly frozen and concentrate on beta testing in preparation for the Slackware 10.2 release, so there won't be too many more upgrades and additions. Things are going to be pretty busy for me over the next couple of weeks besides working on getting 10.2 finalised, but let me know about any issues that need fixing before the release and I'll get to them just as soon as I can. Have fun!" Read here for the full changelog and stay tuned! |
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| 2005-07-18 |
Reviews: Life Is Good When You're a Slacker |
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Mad Penguin has published a new review of Slackware Linux 10.1: "Slackware Linux is the oldest Linux distribution on the planet that's still in development and there's a reason for that (well, actually there are many). It's stable, fast, and has a reputation for the most excellent quality control in the business. Patrick Volkerding is no slouch when it comes to ensuring that no matter how new or old a package may be, it needs to be proven solid or it's just not going to be part of Slackware Linux. Period. With this kind of leadership, you simply can't go wrong." The 3-page review with screenshots starts here. |
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| 2005-03-27 |
Slackware Linux: GNOME Removed from Current |
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News is a bit slow this weekend and just about the only interesting thing worth reporting is a very long new entry added to the Slackware Current ChangeLog earlier today. The most controversial part is that Patrick Volkerding has finally decided to remove GNOME from the distribution: "gnome/*: Removed from -current, and turned over to community support and distribution. I'm not going to rehash all the reasons behind this, but it's been under consideration for more than four years. There are already good projects in place to provide Slackware GNOME for those who want it, and these are more complete than what Slackware has shipped in the past." Also in the ChangeLog, KDE has been upgraded to 3.4.0 together with a huge number of other packages, and Mozilla has been re-instated into the distribution after several months of absence. Read here for further details.
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| 2005-02-15 |
Distribution Release: Slack/390 10.0 |
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Slack/390 is the official port of Slackware Linux to the IBM mainframe platform. This is from the release announcement: "The newest release of Slack/390, version 10.0, is ready to go. Highlights of the release include the Linux 2.4.29 kernel, with Linux 2.6.7 as an alternate choice in /testing, glibc 2.3.2, gcc 3.3.4, and apache 1.3.33. For a complete list of changes since Slack/390 9.1, check out the Slack/390 10.0 ChangeLog. Read the official announcement here." There are no ISO images to download; users who wish to install the port will need to download the entire slack390-10.0 directory from one of the mirrors and follow these installation instructions.
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| 2005-02-07 |
Distribution Release: Slackware Linux 10.1 |
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Slackware Linux 10.1 has been released: "That's right, the newest release of Slackware, version 10.1, is ready to go. My sincere thanks go out to everyone who helped out this time around when I really needed it. Highlights of the 10.1 release include the Linux 2.4.29 kernel (with Linux 2.6.10 as an alternate choice in /testing), X11R6.8.1 from X.Org, Mozilla 1.7.5, KDE 3.3.2, and Xfce 4.2.0. For a complete list of changes since Slackware 10.0, check out the Slackware 10.1 ChangeLog. Read the official announcement here. To order the official release of Slackware or other Slackware products (and help support the Slackware project), visit the Slackware store. This support is also especially appreciated this time to help offset the costs of my unexpected medical 'vacation'." The Slackware mirrors are still in the process of being updated, but you can download the two binary ISO images via BitTorrent: slackware-10.1-install-d1.torrent (634MB) and slackware-10.1-install-d2.torrent (644MB).
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| 2005-01-29 |
Announcing The Slackware Handbook Project |
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Mad Penguin has announced a new initiative to produce comprehensive documentation for Slackware Linux: "Mad Penguin announced today that they have launched the Slackware Handbook Project, promised to be the most complete documentation ever created for the oldest Linux distribution in active development. The handbook will be a very close cousin to the FreeBSD Handbook, which is a document noted for its thorough approach to documenting the operating system. According to sources at Mad Penguin, there is a void in the current offerings of technical documents available for the popular open source operating system." The full announcement. The Slackware Handbook Project pages can be found at SlackersBible.org.
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| 2005-01-23 |
Development Release: Slackware Linux 10.1 Beta 1 |
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The current branch of Slackware Linux has been declared "10.1 beta 1": "Hi folks! I'm going to call this Slackware 10.1 beta 1, because we're at a state where things are relatively stable. There have been a great deal of improvements over Slackware 10.0, and it would be best to get this out before trying to tackle the major changes for Slackware 11. As far as I know, there are no serious security issues remaining in the -current tree at this time. There may still be a few image decoder bugs, but these seem to be crash bugs at worst, if even that. I've yet to hear of any of them allowing remote access, or privilege escalation. I do not think they are worth delaying a Slackware release over." Read more in the changelog which also includes an update on the state of health of Patrick Volkerding, the Slackware maintainer. As always, there are no official ISO images for Slackware betas.
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| 2004-12-19 |
Slackware Linux Current Updates |
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There is a new entry on the Slackware's Current ChangeLog and it's good news - Patrick Volkerding is back, feeling much better: "Hi folks. Well, I'm back in California and I'm happy to let you all know that I'm feeling much better. :-) Here are a few updates so you can see that I'm trying to get back into the swing of things. Hopefully 10.1 won't be too far off (I'm still trying to figure out just how far behind we are, and what other fixes need to get merged in), and then we can look at what exactly needs to be done to try to switch over to the new kernel series for 11, or sometime later on. I still don't think it's time for that yet (it will be best to wait until 2.4 can be abandoned)." Some of the updates include kernel (2.4.28), KDE (3.3.2) and ALSA (1.0.7). Find out more in the Current ChangeLog.
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| 2004-11-26 |
Update on Slackware Linux |
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Slackware's current changelog has been updated with information about Slackware maintainer Patrick Volkerding's state of health. As many of you know, he has been suffering from a mysterious disease that made him seek medical treatment and put the development of Slackware Linux on hold. While Patrick's health has not improved much, users of the distribution can now at least get security updates for recent Slackware releases: "Bruno H Collovini and Piter Punk in Brazil have been helping to build security updates for Slackware while I'm (mostly) out of commission. They've helped with Slackware for many years and I trust and authorize their patches. These can be found here. Thanks to everyone who has offered to help, and sent get well soon and other kind emails." The only other entry in the changelog is a newly built KOffice package, version 1.3.5. See the full changelog for further information.
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| 2004-11-16 |
Slackware Linux in Danger? |
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As has been reported on Slashdot and elsewhere, it seems that Patrick Volkerding, the creator and sole maintainer of Slackware Linux, has fallen seriously ill with a mysterious disease. He published a detailed account of his symptoms, concluded with a plea for help: "If anyone out there is familiar with this and is able to help, please let me know. ... Say prayers, knock on wood, whatever. I need all the help I can get. I also hope if I'm off the job for a couple more weeks that the Slackware community will still support me when I can return to the job, which I'm really itching to do ASAP (I'm not looking for donations though). This experience has changed my perspective on a lot of things, and I think the future will be different (and better)." If anyone is familiar with the disease and is willing to help, please read Patrick's message for contact details and other information.
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| 2004-07-19 |
Slackware 10: A Breathtaking Performer |
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Here comes the third review of Slackware within only a few days, which is published by the Kolkata chapter of the Indian GNU/Linux Users Group. The author, Sumeet Madhukar Moghe, recently installed Slackware 10 on his notebook, and was pretty impressed by the latest avatar of the venerable Slack: "I have been using Slackware 10 on my notebook for almost a week now, and I have literally resisted the temptation to write a review about it, now that almost everyone that knows me, knows that I am a confirmed Slacker. But well as it turns out I couldn't resist the itch of crooning to the wired world, the many ways that Slack 10 is beautiful! Beautiful? Maybe that's not the right word. Efficient, yes. And that's for lack of a better word. How does the latest release from Patrick Volkerding's stable fare up? Read on..." The full review with screenshots.
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| 2004-07-18 |
The Stealth Desktop Part II: Sight and Sound |
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Half a month after the first part of his series about using Slackware as a desktop, the contributing editor of Open for Business now follows up with comments on sight and sound with the stealth desktop: "In Part II we will focus on the hardest part: making sound and video work. Sound is not especially difficult; but video is. Fortunately, after this step, it is an easy ride. Now, do not despair: I said that this part is hard, not that it is arcane, difficult to understand, or for "Unix wizards" only. It is hard because it differs so much from other distros which have, for the most part, better tools to do the task. But you can certainly do it and you have a very good chance to succeed." The full story with screenshots.
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| 2004-07-15 |
Slackware 10.0 First Impressions |
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OSNews has published a review of the recently released Slackware Linux 10.0: "Slackware 10 is a well-rounded distribution that will continue to make a first-class Linux server platform. Changes in the new release are incremental, not radical, and Slackware remains one of the most stable, reliable and flexible distributions available today. True to tradition, Slackware 10 is refreshingly free of the convoluted and confusing 'enhancements' often added by other Linux vendors that can make straightforward system administration tasks a real pain if you don't use their GUI tools. If you build and manage Linux server systems, I certainly recommend trying a Slackware solution!" The full review with screenshots.
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| 2004-07-02 |
The Stealth Desktop Part I: Finding a New Distro |
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A contributing editor of Open for Business has finally found his perfect distribution - Slackware Linux: "For over six months now, I've switched from Mandrake to Slackware and since then I used it every day as my desktop; not only as my home desktop but also as my primary workstation at office and as a desktop for my boss, my dad and my wife. During the next few weeks, I would like to share with you the story of my switch to Slackware, giving some suggestions for using Slackware as a desktop system along the way. Come along for a good ride!" The full story with screenshots.
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| 2004-06-20 |
Development Release: Slackware Linux 10.0 RC 2 |
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The development of Slackware Linux 10.0 is gaining speed with the announcement of its second release candidate. These are some excerpts from the latest changelog: "This is Slackware 10.0 release candidate 2. Upgraded to mkinitrd-1.0.1; upgraded to syslinux-2.10; upgraded to quota-3.12; upgraded to epiphany-1.2.6; upgraded to epiphany-extensions-0.9.1; upgraded to gail-1.6.6; galeon-1.3.15 - patched and recompiled for Mozilla 1.7. Thanks very much to Philip Langdale for the patch (which made it possible to squeeze Mozilla 1.7 into this Slackware release at the last minute).". It shouldn't be long before we see the final release - if you'd like to help with testing, upgrade to slackware-current from one of the mirrors listed here or get the unofficial ISO images to perform a clean install.
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| 2004-06-16 |
Development Release: Slackware Linux 10.0 RC 1 |
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The first release candidate of Slackware Linux 10.0 has been announced as part of the Slackware Current ChangeLog: "This is Slackware 10.0 release candidate 1. Upgraded to gimp-2.0.2; upgraded to bash-completion-20040526; added k3b-0.11.11; upgraded to slackpkg-1.2.2-noarch-2; rebuilt ZipSlack for the upcoming release." As always, there are no official ISO images for Slackware's development releases, but you can find links to unofficial ISOs on userlocal.com. If you wish to upgrade an existing Slackware installation to 10.0 RC 1, this page provides a comprehensive list of Slackware mirrors.
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| 2004-04-12 |
Confessions of a Slacker |
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OSNews has published a new review of Slackware Linux 9.1: "It took me a long time to get to where I am today, but the journey has been full of learning and geeking and general fun computer stuff. Slackware 9.1 is a perfect desktop system for my current needs and is also a great web server. The problems I had were almost all resolved quickly and I've had nothing but positive experiences with the Slackware community. I have a lot of suggestions that I hope the Slackware team will take seriously. If you are searching for that perfect Linux distribution, I would suggest you spend a month or two with Slackware and really take the time to learn it. I think you will be pleasantly surprised." The five-page story starts here.
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| 2004-02-24 |
A Week with Slackware 9.1 |
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LinuxBeginner.org continues its series of distribution reviews with a look at Slackware Linux 9.1: "Slackware presents a standard install boot menu with a boot: prompt. Slackware has multiple kernels to choose from for the install depending on the system you have, pressing F3 displays the choices available, they range from standard IDE (bare.i, default) to multiple SCSI and raid enabled kernels. Since we have a standard IDE based machine I hit enter to load the default kernel. Once booted I logged in as root and entered setup at the prompt to get rolling. The setup program Slackware uses for its installer is laid out in logical steps and very easy to use." The full review with screenshots.
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| 2003-12-12 |
Review: Slackware Linux - Back to Basics |
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Slackware Linux is not your ordinary Linux distribution. For starters, it rarely figures in news headlines, preferring to keep a low profile instead. Its developers have stubbornly resisted any attempts to make their users' lives easier: the distribution provides no graphical configuration utilities, it's package management does not resolve dependencies and its simple, text-mode installer has undergone very few changes in years. Yet, Slackare Linux remains one of the top 5 Linux distributions in use today. What is the reason for its tight hold on many users? Surely, in the absence of any convenient features found in other modern distributions, the only explanation is that Slackware holds supernatural powers - try it once and you will never be able to leave it again for any other product. Or is it something else?
Robert Storey has set out to investigate...
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| 2003-12-04 |
Three Months with Slackware Linux |
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OSNews has published a brief summary of their experiences of using Slackware Linux 9.1 for three months: "I think I have used more than 25 Linux distribution versions in the last 4-5 years (more than 12 unique ones). Slackware is the first one that 'stuck' on me. Not because it fixes long term problems with the Unix/X usability or doing anything so different from the rest, but because it is simple, it is easy to understand its 'way', it's stable, and it's easy to install applications. In general, Slackware wins on the edges, it is not that different from the rest, but different enough on the places that count to offer a consistent experience." The full story.
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| 2003-09-24 |
Development Release: Slackware Linux 9.1 RC2 |
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Let the Slackware's current changelog speak for itself: "In record time, this is Slackware 9.1 release candidate 2. :-)" This is mostly a security fix with new patches for OpenSSH, ProFTPd and wu-ftpd. An interesting note about PAM authentication: "If you see a security problem reported which depends on PAM, you can be glad you run Slackware. I think a better name for PAM might be SCAM, for Swiss Cheese Authentication Modules, and have never felt that the small amount of convenience it provides is worth the great loss of system security. We miss out on half a dozen security problems a year by not using PAM, but you can always install it yourself if you feel that you're missing out on the fun. (No, don't do that.) OK, I'm done ranting here. :-)" Two good lists of up-to-date Slackware mirrors are available here and here.
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| 2003-09-24 |
Get to Know Slackware 9.1 |
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OSNews takes a look at the latest beta release of Slackware Linux and the reviewer seems very pleased with what she sees: "Slackware is my new favorite operating system along with FreeBSD, Windows Server 2003 and Mac OS X. It works great as a workstation and a desktop system and I have no doubt that it would do a great server as well. If you are an intermediate/advanced user, you really need to have a look at Slackware's simple way of doing things. Simplicity and speed is all I am after and while a Unix can never be too simple (as in let's say, BeOS or Syllable-OS), with Slackware I found a solid Linux OS that just works the way I want it." The full review with screenshots.
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| 2003-09-23 |
Development Release: Slackware Linux 9.1 RC1 |
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Patrick Volkerding has announced that Slackware's current branch has reached release candidate status: "This is Slackware 9.1 release candidate 1. isolinux/initrd.img, rootdisks/install.*: Added reiserfsck. a/pkgtools-9.1.0-i486-4.tgz: Fixed setup.services to test to see if init scripts are present before trying to chmod them...." See the rest of the current changelog. Other recent updates include automake 1.7.7, swaret 1.3.1, xchat 2.0.5, xfce 4.0rc4 and many other packages. Visit your nearest mirror if you wish to help with testing.
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| 2003-09-17 |
Development Release: Slackware Linux 9.1 Beta 2 |
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From the Slackware current changelog: "Slackware 9.1-beta2 is ready for testing..." The second beta includes all the recent security fixes for OpenSSH and Sendmail as well as updates to GNOME 2.4.0, inclusive of GNOME Office, KDE 3.1.4, Galeon 1.3.9 an many other package upgrades. XFree86 was also updated: "Upgraded to freetype-2.1.5 and fontconfig-2.2.1. Updated Savage driver to work with new laptop chipsets. Patch integer overflows in the font libraries (thanks to Gerardo Exequiel Pozzi for sending in a cleaned-up patch). These packages will also work on Slackware 9.0 with the glibc update in /patches." See the changelog for a complete list of changes. Visit your favourite mirror if you'd like to do some beta testing.
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| 2003-09-12 |
Development Release: Slackware Linux 9.1 Beta 1 |
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Expect a new Slackware release soon as the first beta is announced in the changelog: "Here comes Slackware 9.1 beta-1! (things are looking good, so expect a very short beta cycle. :-) ZipSlack still to come." Some other interesting notes further down: "gnome/galeon-1.3.8-i486-1.tgz: Welcome back galeon! :-) ... xap/mozilla-1.4-i486-2.tgz: Rebuilt with --enable-default-toolkit=gtk2. I'm not going to wait forever for this to be declared ready (like the old days when everyone was using glibc betas and we refused), because more and more I get the feeling it will never get official approval. Everyone else is doing it! ;-)" As always, there are no beta ISO images, but an existing Slackware installation can be easily upgraded to the latest beta via the Internet; check the slackware-current directory on one of the mirrors for instructions. Alternatively monitor the previous link for any unofficial ISO images which might appear within the next few days.
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| 2003-07-17 |
Distribution Release: Slackware Linux 1.0 |
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"The Slackware Linux distribution (v. 1.00) is now available for anonymous FTP. This is a complete installation system designed for systems with a 3.5" boot floppy. It has been tested extensively with a 386/IDE system. The standard kernel included does not support SCSI, but if there's a great demand, I might be persuaded to compile a few custom kernels to put up for FTP. This release is based largely on the SLS system, but has been enhanced and modified substantially. There are two main disk series, A (13 disks) and X (11 disks)." Yes folks, it is exactly 10 years today since the release of Slackware Linux 1.0, complete with a brand new Linux kernel 0.99pl11 Alpha, XFree86 1.3 and even a PS/2 mouse support! Read the full release announcement; then check out this 1994 Linux Journal interview with Slackware's creator Patrick Volkerding. Even better, visit the Slackware store to show your support for the oldest surviving Linux distribution on the market today and send a quick "thank you" to Patrick. Happy birthday, Slackware! And to all the Slackware fans out there - happy "slacking" for many more years to come!
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| 2003-06-13 |
A First Sight Review of Slackware 9.0 |
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The Indian Linux Users' Group takes a quick look at Slackware Linux 9.0: "Slackware has a unique set of startup scripts and needs getting used to, if you have been using RH/Mandrake recently. System Administration on Slack is pretty much a "complete control" job, with no unnecessary interfaces to complete the job. Rarely would a mainstream distro give more control, to the end user, than Slackware. As I iterated earlier, Slackware's power is in its simplicity and that is where it just rocks. All in all, I have had an relatively pleasant experience with Slackware 9 and I find it, fast, rock solid, and stable. There have been newbies who have often asked me how to optimize their Linux boxes. I would just tell them now, to go install Slackware 9. Why? Because 'simplicity is divine'!!" Read the rest of this brief review here.
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| 2003-05-22 |
Slackware 9.1 Branches, Says Good-bye to i386 |
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Several interesting comments have been noted on the Slackware's current changelog, which announced a 9.1 branch last month. One of them is that Slackware 9.1 will be compiled for a minimum CPU target of i486: "It is time to say goodbye to i386 support in Slackware. I've surveyed 386 usage online, and the most common thing I see people say when someone asks about running Linux on a 386 is to 'run Slackware', but then they also usually go on to say 'be sure to get an OLD version, like 4.0, before glibc, because it'll be more efficient.' Now, if that's the general advice, then I see no reason to continue 386 support in the latest Slackware (and indeed it's no longer easily possible). People with 386 machines aren't going to have the hard drive space for Slackware 9.1 in any case." The changelog also sports a long list of updated packages - details at the usual place.
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| 2003-04-21 |
Slackware: Myths and Clichés |
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OSNews has published a nice article, which debunks some common misconception about Slackware Linux: "So, my point of view is that Slackware is definitely a very good distribution. Is it right for you? Maybe not. But if you can afford yourself to spend a couple of hours on weekends to look 'inside' Slackware then in a month or so you may find that you enjoy using Linux more than ever -- as this happened to me." Read the rest of the story here.
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| 2003-03-31 |
Mini Review of Slackware Linux 9.0 |
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OSNews has published a review of Slackware Linux 9.0: " Slackware 9.0 is overall a very up to date release, rock solid and damn stable. Out of the box it comes pretty 'vanilla' configured, and the package management system and install system could be improved. I recommend it to the intermediate Linux users who want to learn Linux to the bone. I also recommend it to the advanced users who want to have a good development environment with the latest development tools. It is also very suitable for servers, especially due the fact that Slackware 9.0 performs pretty well on older hardware. Configuration files and init scripts are simple to reconfigure because there are explanations inside these files. All in one this is another great release from Slackware and it follows the same development path as it always did." The review starts here.
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| 2003-03-21 |
Official Slackware Linux 9.0 ISO Images |
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This is just a quick note to say that the official Slackware Linux 9.0 installation ISO image is now available from Slackware's main FTP server (extremely hard to access) and mirrors. Try this one: slackware-9.0-install.iso (663MB) or check some of the updated mirrors listed here. Some packages are missing from the installation CD: "Note that for space reasons, the KDEI (KDE i18n) series, and the K (Linux kernel source) series could not be included on this ISO, and I apologize for the inconvenience. If you need KDE translations or the pre-patched (with ext3 and ptrace fixes) kernel source package, you can pick them up separately. Other things that aren't on this disc that you might need to pick up 'a la carte' include the boot floppy images and rootdisks (if you can boot this CD-ROM, you won't need these), ZipSlack, and the source code. All of these extras are available from our FTP site." Finally, a link where you can show your appreciation of the developers' effort: the Slackware Store.
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| 2003-03-18 |
Announcing Slackware Linux 9.0! |
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"The first major Slackware release based on the GCC 3.2.2 compiler, Slackware Linux 9.0 continues the ten-year Slackware tradition of simplicity, stability, and security. Among the many program updates and distribution enhancements, you'll find two of the most advanced desktop environments available today: GNOME 2.2 (with a large collection of pre-compiled GNOME applications), and KDE 3.1, the latest version of the award-winning K Desktop Environment. Slackware now uses the 2.4.20 kernel bringing you advanced performance features." Needn't we say more? See the announcement, release notes and upgrade instructions, then order the official 4-CD set from the Slackware Store (US$39.95). And while waiting for the ISO images to get ready, perhaps it's a good opportunity to get a bottle of Champaign and celebrate the new release of the world's oldest surviving Linux distribution. Cheers and a big thanks to Patrick and all the contributors!
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| 2003-03-14 |
Development Release: Slackware Linux 9.0 RC 3 |
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Slackware's 9.0 release is getting very close. From its changelog: "Slackware 9.0-rc3 is released for testing... third time's the charm?" Updates include automake 1.7.3, Nautilus 2.2.2 and Mozilla 1.3, but the qt library was kept at 3.1.1: "This [qt-3.1.2] was recommended by several people as an important fix for Opera, but installing it causes all kinds of display problems with KDE (particularly with fixed fonts such as the one used by Konsole). If you care more about Opera than KDE, you might want to install this, otherwise it's probably a bad idea." The usual links: Slackware's current branch and an up-to-date list of mirrors.
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| 2003-03-10 |
Development Release: Slackware Linux 9.0-rc2 |
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One week after announcing the first release candidate of Slackware Linux 9.0, the second one is now also available. From the Slackware changelog: "Slackware 9.0-rc2 is released for testing." Some of the changes since rc1 include Sendmail security fix, ProFTPD 1.2.8 and BIND 9.2.2 among many others. The glibc library will remain at 2.3.1: "I'm sure many of you were hoping to see an update to glibc-2.3.2 here, but I don't see anything to be gained by switching to 2.3.2 at the last minute. I've been testing it here, and although the ctype patch applies cleanly the result does not compile. Without the patch, most existing static binaries will again be broken under glibc-2.3.2." Get the updates from Slackware's FTP server or its many mirrors.
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| 2003-03-03 |
Development Release: Slackware Linux 9.0-rc1 |
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From the changelog of the Slackware's current branch: "This is Slackware 9.0-rc1, and is now (mostly) frozen to be prepared for release. If you find any remaining issues, let me know soon!" So a new Slackware Linux 9.0 is fast approaching a point of release. See the complete changelog for the long list of changes, which includes all the latest goodies such as XFree86 4.3.0 and KDE 3.1. There is no ISO image to download, but you can rsync the current branch with one of the Slackware mirrors or, if you are lucky, with the main Slackware FTP server.
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| 2003-01-07 |
The Unofficial Revised Slackware Book Project |
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The userlocal.com web site reports about the initiative to rewrite "Slackware Linux Essentials - The Official Guide To Slackware Linux", originally created by David Cantrell, Logan Johnson and Chris Lumens: "People started volunteering to modify sections, a request was made for webspace to allow people to put revised pages up for peer review and a mailing list for co-ordinating who was doing what. This website is the result of that request." The book is a work in progress, but many chapters have already been completed and are available for your viewing pleasure. A great new Slackware resource.
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| 2002-12-19 |
User Review of Slacware Linux 8.1 |
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Slackware Linux is the oldest surviving Linux distribution; its beginnings precede even the Linux Kernel 1.0. With the advent of newer, flashier and more commercialised distributions, all vying for media attention, it is easy to forget why Slackware is here and why it has been around for such a long time. Let us revisit the simple principles which make up the Slackware distribution and take a look at how ten years of development have changed it.
The review...
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| 2002-12-04 |
Review: Slackware Linux 8.1 |
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UnixReview has taken a look at the latest version of Slackware Linux: "If you're looking for a distro that will do everything for you, with wizards to configure everything, you might want to look elsewhere. If you're looking for a solid Linux distro to run a server or to make use of an older machine or machines, give Slackware a try first. The setup and install are pretty easy, so if you're comfortable with text-based administration tools and configuration files, you'll probably like Slackware. Overall, Slackware is very easy to install and use, even without the GUI tools for installation and maintenance. I give Slack a big thumbs up for anyone who wants a rock-solid Linux distro without all the cruft." The complete review.
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| 2002-10-04 |
The Linux Distribution that's Always in the Black |
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A rare interview with Patrick Volkerding, the creator and maintainer of the oldest surviving Linux distribution - Slackware Linux, found in The Age: "The plan is to keep as much of the traditional structure and simplicity of Slackware as possible while following the ongoing evolution of Linux and keeping everything up to date. It would be easy to let things bloat out of control and become unmaintainable, so keeping things as small as possible is a major focus. There's a lot of good free software out there, but it can't all be added to Slackware, and in my opinion Slackware wouldn't be better if it was. For example, it's convenient to have the entire installation fit on a single disc, and it would be nice to keep it that way for a while." Great interview, read it.
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| 2002-08-30 |
Announcing Initial Slackware 9.0 Beta |
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If you thought that Slackware developers were going to take a long break after the 8.1 release, you were wrong: "We're happy to announce the initial Slackware-9.0-beta based on gcc-3.2. :-) Please test it and report any bugs that you find. The above message is from the current ChangeLog. See the pre-release notes and the complete package list for further information. Apart from GCC, many other packages have also been upgraded, including Linux Kernel (2.4.19), KDE (3.0.3), Perl (5.8.0) and Netscape (7.0), but GNOME packages were left at versions found in Slackware 8.1. Our Slackware page will keep you up-to-date with the latest developments.
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| 2002-06-20 |
Distribution Release: Slackware 8.1.01 |
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A bug/security fix of yesterday's release, as explained in the ChangeLog: "CERT Advisory CA-2002-17 Apache Web Server Chunk Handling Vulnerability. While the impact of this issue is minimal on 32-bit Linux systems, we felt it was important enough to stop the presses and get these fixes in before sending the Slackware 8.1 discs in for replication." More details on userlocal.com.
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| 2002-06-19 |
Distribution Release: Slackware 8.1 |
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After nearly a year of rumours and denials, Patrick's marriage and a rapidly evolving ChangeLog - here it is: Slackware Linux 8.1: "Highlights of this release include KDE 3.0.1, GNOME 1.4.1 (with new additions like Evolution), the long-awaited Mozilla 1.0 browser, support for many new file systems like ext3, ReiserFS, JFS, and XFS, and support for several new SCSI and ATA RAID controllers. Thanks to everyone who helped made this release possible. Enjoy! :-)" No prizes for guessing whether the Slackware's FTP server is accepting connections :-(. The installation ISO is here: slackware-8.1-install.iso (689MB), but save yourself that click and return in a day or two once all Slackware mirrors are synchronised. The official Slackware CD set, shipment of which will start on 28 June, is now available for pre-order (US$39.95).
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| 2002-06-11 |
Distribution Release: Slackware 8.1RC3 |
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Another week gone and another (probably last) Slackware 8.1 release candidate: "Slackware 8.1rc3 is released for testing... it won't be long now." Declares the current ChangeLog. Updated ProFTPD, a new one-floppy rescue disk image and the return of ZipSlack are some of the main features. To keep up-to-date, you can always rely on our Slackware page.
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| 2002-06-07 |
Distribution Review: Slackware |
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LinuxPlanet takes a look at the upcoming Slackware 8.1 release: "For my money, Slackware 8.1 is, without a doubt, the best Slackware yet. It's fast, new, shiny, has that wonderful new car smell, and is coming soon to a mirror site near you!" The review can be accessed here, just remember that this is Slackware 8.1 Release Candidate 2. Many packages have been updated since this release so be sure to keep up with all the new developments on our Slackware page!
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| 2002-06-02 |
Distribution Release: Slackware 8.1RC2 |
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The fast pace of Slackware development continues: "Bumped version number to Slackware 8.1-rc2." So says the latest ChangeLog, only one week after rc1. Other things that were "bumped up" include Mutt and OpenSSH; a long list of other upgrades, bug and security fixes is included. Our Slackware page has also been updated.
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| 2002-05-26 |
Distribution Release: Slackware 8.1RC1 |
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Slackware 8.1 is firmly on its way as the first release candidate has been announced: "Well folks, we are now at Slackware 8.1-rc1. :-) Please test and report any problems you might find." The above was found in the current changelog. The latest round of updates includes KDE, Mozilla, Galeon, fetchmail and a few Gnome packages; visit our Slackware page for more on the current status. Surely, not too long before before the final version ships!
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| 2002-04-28 |
Slackware Users Use Linux |
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"No, really?!" In the absence of any major distribution-related news this weekend, I took the time to look at some statistics of visitors accessing DistroWatch. The Apache web log tells me that just over a quarter of all visitors use Linux to view the site, around 3% of them are Mac users and the rest of you use various flavours of Windows. But how about the individual web pages on this site? Which distribution specific web page is accessed by the highest percentage of Linux users? The winner is Slackware - 33% of users visiting the Slackware page were visiting with Linux OS. On the other end of the spectrum is, not surprisingly Lindows - only 16% of visitors viewing the page were using a Linux OS. The complete list of the top 10: Slackware 33%, Gentoo 31%, Red Hat 28%, Beehive 24%, Debian 24%, Sorcerer 24%, Lycoris 23%, SuSE 22%, Mandrake 17%, Lindows 16%.
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| 2002-04-12 |
Distribution Release: Slackware 8.1 Beta 2 |
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Slackware's second 8.1beta. This comes from the ChangeLog in the current branch: "We'll call this Slackware 8.1-beta2. :-)" And further down the file: "Hey folks, here is the long awaited update to GNOME. I think you'll find it was worth the wait while these were tweaked (and retweaked :) to get everything just exactly perfect. This GNOME build is based on stable GNOME 1.4.1, and nearly every package has been recently updated. There are also several new packages that have not appeared in Slackware before, such as Evolution." To test this release, fire up rsync and head for the nearest official or unofficial mirror. Our Slackware page is of course up-to-date too.
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| 2002-04-02 |
Slackware 8.1 Beta? |
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There are so many April Fool's news items running around so it's hard to know what is true and what is not, but this was found in the Slackware's current directory: "ISO downloads are temporarily disabled to help the mirror sites download the 'April Fools beta'. :-)" Most likely a legitimate news item, because a huge ChangeLog has also been produced and this includes many updates; head for our Slackware page for more details. There is also an "extra" directory which contains KDE 3.0rc3, GCC 3.0.4 and other interesting goodies. Gnome packages are surprisingly absent from the current directory. Slackware's FTP server is already quite busy, but this mirror is fast and up-to-date. The complete package list is available here.
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| 2002-01-07 |
Slackware Updates |
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A few Slackware updates. The mutt e-mail client has been updated to version 1.2.5.1 in the "current" branch to fix a security issue. "Mutt users are urged to upgrade as soon as possible" This is the first update since the middle of December and here is the reason - Patrick Volkerding, the founder and currently the sole maintainer of the Slackware project was too busy getting married over the holiday season. "PS: thanks for all the email, and it's good to be back. :)", declares Patrick as part of the ChangeLog. We would like to extend our congratulations to Patrick and wish him all the best for both his personal and professional life!
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| 2001-11-27 |
Slackware Web Site Updates |
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I believe this is pretty newsworthy: The Slackware web site has been updated - for the first time in nearly 5 months! New " current" updates to KDE, OpenSSH and other packages have been released. The links to Slackware forums have been removed, the reason is that "the increasing level of trolling and childish antics by a few people have made maintaining the forum a very unpleasant and time consuming job". And Patrick Volkerding has the following message, as quoted by userlocal.com, to all those who have expressed doubts about the future of Slackware: "In spite of the spouting off of trolls, Slackware development continues, and I've got absolutely no plans to ever discontinue *that*." Clear and simple. So visit our Slackware page for links, reviews and other related information. Also head over to lockergnome.com and subscribe to PenguinShell - it's "Slackware Week" over there, complete with guides to installation, troubleshooting, tips and plenty of useful stuff!
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| 2001-09-21 |
New Slackware Current Branch |
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From the ChangeLog in Slackware's newly branched current directory: "Started new -current directory. For now, this will be used to hold upgrades to Slackware 8.0, starting with KDE-2.2.1. I used the long package name format that's been used in the Slackware ports (name-version-arch-build.tgz) and which will be the default format in slackware-next. Have fun!" So this is it - another new Slackware version in the making! Visitors to DistroWatch can off course look forward to daily updates of this development on our Slackware page.
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| 2001-06-06 |
DistroWatch Expands - New Slackware Page |
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I started with the expansion of the site. Each distribution will now get its own page with more detailed information, while the main page will simply contain the latest news and the main distribution comparison table. This table will compare the latest official releases. In case of Slackware, this means version 7.1 as can be found it the boxed version shipped in June 2000. For the so called "current" release and previous releases, please go the Slackware page. All distribution hyperlinks now point to their pages on this website, rather than to their respective home pages. Slackware page is the first one up (thanks to all Slackware users who were the most active in contributing the corrections and suggestions) and other pages will follow soon. Have fun!
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| 2001-06-05 |
Slackware Users Submit Most Feedback |
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As a matter of interest, I counted the number of comments received by each distribution in the feedback. The breakdown is as follows: Slackware - 9; SuSE - 4; RedHat, Debian - 3; Mandrake, Caldera, CLE - 1; Linpus, Turbolinux, Corel - 0. I also received some requests to include other distributions (Progeny, RedFlag) and features (update method, compliance with standards, etc.). I will evaluate all comments and make decisions based on them. I am also considering expanding the webpage to a website providing a more complete picture about each distribution. So please keep comming back and let me know what you would like to see! And thanks for all the (mostly very positive) feedback.
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| February 2010 |
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At one point or another gamers can hit the wall when using other OS systems such as Linux and Mac, as Windows has always been renowned as the OS of choice for the gaming community. In a lot of cases this has changed somewhat over the last few years with the use of virtualization software that helps to bridge that gap, and it can be quite successful to a point. Of course, when you virtualize another OS you can lose some of the performance, than say running a game natively, and with slowdowns and bugs comes frustration. We have listed a few resources that we think are worth a mention for different types of gamers, both online multiplayer and single player, see what you think:
- World of Goo. This is a great puzzle game that will keep you busy for hours, there's also a free playable demo version.
- If you're a online poker enthusiast we can recommend you check out the pokerlistings.com Linux poker page, it has a list of poker apps that are compatible with your OS.
- For the MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) crowds you could always take a look at Vendetta online, "thousands of people can play together, at the same time, in a single, persistent universe", sounds great!
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