Slackware Operating System

Slackware is a free operating system. It is one of the earliest Linux distributions and is the oldest currently being maintained. Slackware was created by Patrick Volkerding of Slackware Linux, Inc. in 1993. The current stable version is 12.2, released on December 10, 2008.

Slackware aims for design stability and simplicity, and to be the most "Unix-like" Linux distribution, using plain text files for configuration and making as few modifications to software packages as possible from upstream.

• Pros: Highly stable, clean and bug-free, strong adherence to UNIX principles
• Cons: Limited number of officially supported applications; conservative in terms of base package selection; complex upgrade procedure
• Software package management: "pkgtools" using TGZ (TAR.GZ) packages
• Available editions: Installation CDs and DVD for 32-bit (i486) processors
• Suggested Slackware-based alternatives: Zenwalk Linux (desktop), VectorLinux (desktop), SLAX (live CD), Slamd64 Linux (64-bit), Bluewhite64 Linux (64-bit), Wolvix (desktop, live CD), GoblinX (desktop, live CD)
• Other distributions with similar philosophies: Arch Linux, Frugalware Linux, KateOS