Slackware |
Slackware was one of the first Linux distribution, created by Patrick Volkerding of Slackware Linux, Inc. It has a policy of incorporating only stable releases of applications, standing mainly for stability and ease of use. It complies with the BSD and POSIX standards and for a good while, other Linux distributions that came after it were in fact evaluated for their Slackware compatibility .
= History and name =
The first Slackware release, 1.00, was released on .
The name Slackware stems from the term Slack, as defined by the Church of the SubGenius.
In the early releases of Slackware, the distribution had three user accounts, satan , gonzo and snake . These were provided as examples, but were removed from later releases as they were a potential Computer security.
In 1999, Slackware s release numbers saw a large increment from 4 to 7. This was explained by Patrick Volkerding [http://www.slackware.com/faq/do_faq.phpfaq=general#0] as a marketing effort to show that Slackware was as up-to-date as other Linux distributions, many of which had release numbers of 6 at the time.
In 2004, Patrick Volkerding became seriously ill and the future development of Slackware became uncertain. He has since recovered and the development of Slackware has continued.
In 2005, the GNOME desktop environment was removed from the pending future release, and turned over to community support and distribution. The removal of GNOME was seen by some in the Linux community as significant because the desktop environment is software found in many Linux distributions. In lieu of this, several community-based projects have filled the GNOME void in Slackware, by offering #Slackware_add-ons_and_packages.
Throughout Slackware s history, there have been distributions and LiveCD based upon Slackware. Some popular distributions derived from Slackware include SUSE, College Linux, SLAX, Zenwalk, and VectorLinux.
= Releases =
Slackware is primarily developed for the [http://www.slamd64.com] architectures.
Slackware s latest stable x86 release is 10.2 (as of September 14, 2005), which includes support for ALSA, GNU Compiler Collection 3.3.6 (with 3.4.4 as an alternative in /testing), Linux kernel (computers) 2.4.31 (with Linux 2.6.13 as an alternate choice in /testing), KDE 3.4.2, and all the usual utilities.
There is also a testing / developmental version of Slackware called -current that can be used for a more bleeding edge configuration.
=Design philosophies=
==KISS==
KISS Principle, which stands for Keep it Simple, Stupid , is a concept that explains a lot of design choices in Slackware. In this context, simple refers to the viewpoint of system design, rather than ease of use. This is the reason there are so few GUI tools to configure the system. GUI tools are (as the theory goes) more complex, and are therefore more prone to have problems than simple command line tools. The overall result of this principle is that Slackware is very fast, stable, and secure, at the cost of user-friendliness. Critics generally say that this makes things too time-consuming and difficult to learn. Advocates say that the flexibility and transparency as well as the experience gained from the process more than make up for it.
==Startup scripts==
Slackware uses BSD style Init scripts, while most other Linux distros use System V style init scripts. Basically, with System V style each runlevel is given a subdirectory for init scripts, whereas BSD style gives a single init script to each runlevel. BSD style advocates say that it is better because with this system it is much easier to find, read, edit, and maintain the scripts. System V advocates say that the System V structure for the scripts makes them more powerful and flexible.
It is worth noting that System V init [http://www.bilbos-stekkie.com/slack_init/en/] compatibility has been incorporated into Slackware, starting with version 7.0.
==Package management==
Slackware employs a minimalist approach to Software package Package management system. Its package management system can install, upgrade, and remove packages as easily as other distributions. But it makes no attempt to track or manage what are referred to as dependencies (i.e. ensuring that the system has all the supporting system libraries and programs that the new package expects to be present on the system). If required prerequisite(s) are missing, there may be no indication of this until a program is executed.
The packages are Gzipped tarballs whose filenames end with .tgz rather than .tar.gz. They are constructed such that, when extracted while in the root directory, their files go to their installed locations. It is therefore possible (if inadvisable) to install packages without Slackware s package tools, using only tar and gzip, and making sure to run the doinst.sh script, if one was included in the package.
In contrast, Red Hat Linux s RPM_Package_Managers are CPIO archives, and Debian s deb (file format)s are ar (Unix) archives. They contain detailed dependency information and their package management utilities can use it to find and install the prerequisites. They will refuse to install unless their prerequisites can be found (though this can be overridden).
Debate on the relative merits of tracking or ignoring dependencies, while not as intense, is somewhat reminiscent of the religious warfare found in the longstanding UNIX Vi versus Emacs text editor war. Slackware s approach to the problem seems to be well accepted by its often technically adept user base.
===Automated dependency resolution===
While Slackware itself does not incorporate tools to resolve dependencies for the user by automatically downloading and installing them, some 3rd-party software tools exist that can provide this function similar to the way Advanced Packaging Tool does for Debian GNU/Linux.
Some of these tools determine dependencies by analyzing installed packages, determining what libraries are needed, and then discovering what packages are available that provide them. This automatic process is time-consuming, and more primitive than APT s hand-tuned method. However, it generally produces satisfactory results.
*[http://swaret.sourceforge.net/ Swaret] *[http://software.jaos.org/#slapt-get slapt-get] *[http://128.173.184.249/slackupdate/ SlackUpdate] *[http://emerde.freaknet.org Emerde] *[http://slackpkg.sourceforge.net/ slackpkg] *[http://sourceforge.net/projects/stratdate/ stratdate]
Slackware 9.1 included Swaret as an extra on its second CD, but did not install it by default. Swaret was removed from the distribution as of Slackware 10.0 but is still available as a 3rd party package.
slackpkg is included in /extra starting with Slackware 9.1.
slapt-get does not provide dependency resolution for packages included within the Slackware distribution. It does, however, provide a framework for dependency resolution in Slackware compatible packages similar in fashion to the hand-tuned method APT utilizes. Several package sources and Slackware based distributions take advantage of this functionality.
stratdate also does not provide dependency checking. Rather, it allows users to easily use rsync to download the Slackware -current tree for use on their computers. As an extra feature, it is able to upgrade these packages using official Slackware tools and by using officially mandated upgrade methods for a safe upgrade.
= Internet communities =
Slackware is the topic of discussion on many dedicated channels [irc://irc.oftc.net/#slackware #slackware ] at irc.oftc.net and [irc://irc.freenode.net/##slackware ##slackware ] at irc.freenode.net.
= See also =
*List of Linux distributions *Comparison of Linux distributions
==External links==
== Slackware distribution ==
*[http://www.slackware.com/ Slackware (official website)]
== Slackware add-ons and packages ==
=== GNOME distributions for Slackware ([http://slackware.com/changelog/current.phpcpu=i386 see changelog entry dated 03/26/2005]) ===
*[http://gsb.freerock.org Freerock GNOME/GNOME.SlackBuild] - Complete GNOME distrubution for Slackware (also includes GNOME.SlackBuild scripts) *[http://gware.sf.net GWARE] - Complete GNOME distribution for Slackware *[http://www.droplinegnome.net/ Dropline GNOME] - Complete GNOME distribution and build system for Slackware *[http://linuce.free.fr/slackware/10.1/gnome-2.8.3+/ Linuce s GNOME] - Complete GNOME distribution for Slackware
=== Other Slackware add-ons ===
*[http://www.linuxpackages.net Collection of community contributed Slackware packages]
== Slackware discussions and software assistance ==
*[http://slackbook.org/ The Revised Slackware Book Project] - updated users guide for Slackware *[http://www.slackbasics.org/ Slackware Linux Basics] - a book that aims to provide an in-depth introduction to Slackware *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/forumdisplay.phpforumid=14 Slackware forum] *[http://www.userlocal.com/phorum old Slackware Forum] (still active) *[http://members.cox.net/laitcg/new/intro.html Slackware Tips & Tricks by Jack S. Lai] *[http://slackwiki.org/ SlackWiki] - unofficial Slackware Wiki *[http://slackwaregallery.com/ Slackware Gallery] - Slackware screenshots, and community. *[http://userlocal.com userlocal] - Slackware community site *[http://www.slacklife.com.br/ Slacklife] - Brazilian Site for community slacker. *[http://www.slackersbible.org/ slackersbible] - a project to keep Slackware documentation as up-to-date as possible *[http://wombat.san-francisco.ca.us/faqomatic/cache/1.html alt.os.linux.slackware FAQ] - Official FAQ for the alt.os.linux.slackware Usenet newsgroup
== Slackware-based distros ==
*College Linux *DARKSTAR Linux — Aims to be a desktop, gaming, and multimedia system for novice users. *[http://goblinx.com.br/ GoblinX] — Live CD with standardized themes targeted at novice users. *[http://ktown.kde.org/~binner/klax/ Klax] — LiveCD based on SLAX that features KDE 3.4 RC1. *Zenwalk Linux (formerly MiniSlack) *[http://www.mutagenix.org/ Mutagenix] a series of Live CD. *[http://www.ncsu.edu/project/runt/ RUNT] — ResNet USB Network Tester. Runs from a USB keydrive. *[http://www.sysdev.org/site/ SlakbootEBS] An Embedded Slackware Software development kit designed for ease of use. *[http://www.slamd64.com/ Slamd64] — Unofficial port of Slackware to the x86-64 architecture. *SLAX a Live CD that uses KDE. It can also be stored on a USB keydrive. *Stux a LiveCD that has a feature to remember configuration between use. *[http://topologi-linux.sourceforge.net/ TopologiLinux] Topologilinux runs within an existing Microsoft Windows system. *[http://www.ultimalinux.cjb.net Ultima Linux] — lightweight distro based on Slackware (maintained by ). *[http://www.gnulinux.de/pocketlinux/index.php/Main/HomePage Pocketlinux] — another lightweight Slackware-based distro from Germany. *Vector Linux — Distribution aimed at usability and speed.
== Other ==
*[http://www.slackware-peru.org Slackware-Perú] *[http://www.bilbos-stekkie.com/slack_init/en/index.html System V init information] *[http://www.jeepster.org.uk/history.html Unofficial History of Slackware releases] *[http://www.slackstuff.net/index.phpid=include/slackmov Flash movie] demonstrating an installation of Slackware 10.1 ([http://www.slackstuff.net/include/slackmov101/start.htm direct link]) *[http://theage.com.au/articles/2002/10/04/1033538761935.html Interview with Slackware founder Patrick Volkerding]|
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