Slackware Linux是由Patrick Volkerding制作的GNU/Linux发行版，它是世界上依然存活的最久的Linux发行版，在它的辉煌时期，曾经在所有发行版中拥有最多的用户数量。但是，随着 Linux商业化的浪潮，Redhat、Mandrake 和Suse 这些产品通过大规模的商业推广，占据了广大的市场；Debian作为一个社区发行版，也拥有很大的用户群。相比之下，Slackware的不事声张，使得它从许多人(尤其是使用Linux的新用户)的视野中消失了。

Slackware Linux

Slackware历史概要

核心思想

安装方式

软件包管理

pkgtool简介

编译脚本的使用

基于Slackware的项目

Slackware Linux

Slackware Linux的正式发布由Patrick Volkerding负责，这是一套先进的Linux操作系统，它为着易用性和高稳定性双重目标而设计。Slackware包含最新的流行软件，并按照传统提供简单易用性、灵活性和强大的功能，它将世界的精华呈现在你的面前。Linux是最早由Linus Torvalds于1991年发起的类似UNIX的操作系统，它得益于现在全世界数百万用户和开发人员所作出的贡献。Slackware Linux同时向新手和高级用户提供一套先进的系统，可装备使用在从桌面工作站到机房服务器的任何场合。可以按需使用各种web、ftp和email服务器，正如可以在各种流行的桌面环境中作出选择。大量的开发工具和编辑器、库文件被包纳进来，以方便那些希望开发或编译额外软件的用户们。

备注：Slackware®是Patrick Volkerding的注册商标、Linux®是Linus Torvalds的注册商标。

Slackware历史概要

第一个 Slackware 的版本1.00 在1993年7月16日由创立者和开发领导者Patrick Volkerding发布。 它是基于SLS Linux并以软盘形式在匿名FTP上发行。Slackware是现存的最古老的发行版本之一，在2003年度过了它的十周年纪念。“Slackware”这个名字借用自Church of the SubGenius中的术语“Slack”。

在早期的发布版本中，发行版本带有三个用户帐号： "satan", "gonzo" 和 "snake"。它们是作为示例被提供，但是后来的版本中去除了这些帐号，因为它们有潜在的安全漏洞。

在1999年，Slackware的发布版本号从4一下子跨越到了 7。Patrick Volkerding 作出解释 ：这是出于市场推广的考虑，为了告诉人们 Slackware 和别的 Linux 发行版本一样“新”（up-to-date），当时许多其他发行版本的版本号为 6 。

在2004年，Patrick Volkerding 得了严重的疾病，Slackware 未来的开发变得不可预测。 在他痊愈后很快恢复了Slackware 的开发。

在2005年，GNOME被从待发布的版本中删除，移交给了社群进行支持。GNOME的删除被Linux社群中的一些人认为是一个警讯，因为GNOME在各种Linux发行版本中都可以找到，一些由社群建立的支援计划也因此诞生。

Slackware 主要为x86 PC开发。然而曾经存在一些官方的移植 ，像针对DEC Alpha 和 SPARC 架构的。从2005年起，开始出现针对System/390架构的官方移植。同时也存在一些非官方的移植，ARM，Alpha，SPARC，PowerPC 和 x86-64。

Slackware 13.0，官方首次提供64位的版本下载。

Slackware 最新稳定发布的版本是 13.37（直到2011年4月27日），其中包括了2.6.37.6和2.6.38.4版本内核，以及KDE SC 4.5.5，XFCE 4.6.1，Firefox 4.0 和 Thunderbird 3.1.9，glibc-2.13, gcc-4.5.2 等等众多常用软件。

Slackware的开发版本称为”current“ ，包含了较新的软件，是下一个稳定版本的雏形。

历史版本发布时间列表：

13.37 - 2011/04/28

13.1 - 2010/05/24

13.0 - 2009/08/28

12.2 - 2008/12/11

12.1 - 2008/05/02

12.0 - 2007/07/02

11.0 - 2006/10/02

10.2 - 2005/09/14

10.1 - 2005/02/07

10.0 - 2004/06/23

9.1 - 2003/09/26

9.0 - 2003/03/18

8.1 - 2002/06/18

8.0 - 2001/07/01

7.1 - 2000/06/22

7.0 - 1999/10/25

4.0 - 1999/05/17

3.9 - 1999/05/10

3.6 - 1998/10/28

3.5 - 1998/06/09

3.4 - 1997/10/14

3.3 - 1997/07/11

3.2 - 1997/04/20

3.1 - 1996/07/24

3.0 - 1995/08/24

2.3 - 1995/05/24

2.2.0 - 1995/03/30

2.0.1 - 1994/09/23

2.0 - 1994/07/02

1.1.2 - 1994/01/15

1.1.0 - 1993/11/05

1.0.4 - 1993/10/01

1.0.3 - 1993/09/15

1.0.2 - 1993/09/05

1.0.1 - 1993/08/04

1.0 - 1993/07/17

核心思想

K.I.S.S，

代表“Keep it Simple, Stupid”，是一个可以解释很多Slackware中设计选择的概念。在这个文本中，“简洁”（'simple'）指系统设计的观点，而不是指易用性。与大多数其他的发行版不同，KISS(Keep it simple,stupid)是Slackware一贯坚持的原则，尽量保持系统的简洁，从而实现稳定、高效和安全。

安装方式

通过引导内核映像/kernel/huge.s/bzImage和初始RAM磁盘/iso/linux/initrd.img构成安装环境。在该安装环境中，支持安装方式有CD/DVD安装、硬盘安装、NFS安装和Samba共享安装。

登入Slackware官方站点及其镜像站，用户可以使用浏览器或者使用BT客户端下载ISO，使用刻录机将ISO刻录到CD/DVD进行安装。

由于Slackware安装程序实用性及其包管理的灵活性，除了传统的CD/DVD安装方式，常用的安装方式还有以下几种：

⑴，syslinux引导安装（syslinux.cfg）

TIMEOUT 90

UI vesamenu.c32

LABEL Setup

kernel /bzImage append initrd=/initrd.img

⑵，grub4dos引导安装（menu.lst）

title Setup

kernel /bzImage

initrd /initrd.img

⑶，NT、grub以及lilo引导硬盘等安装方式适于多系统情况，不再赘述。

安装过程两图如右所示

左图为安装环境登录等待登录界面

右图为安装程序中选择安装源界面

软件包管理

Slackware默认包管理为pkgtool，相对Arch的包管理器即pacman，显得不够“强大”，它甚至不判别软件包依赖关系是否满足。

这是因为Patrick Polkerding认为：既然软件包管理工具都不可能从根本上杜绝Dependency hell的恶梦，不如干脆由用户自己来决定。

为了满足一些用户对自动解决软件依赖性的需求， 目前已出现了Swaret、Slapt-get和SlackUpdate等第三方项目。

pkgtool简介

pkgtool软件包提供了七个二进制文件makebootdisk、makepkg、removepkg、installpkg、explodepkg、pkgtool和upgradepkg。

pkgtool把已安装软件包信息记录在/var/log/packages文件夹下，因此可以用ls /var/log/packages/这条命令查看已安装软件，另外，执行pkgtool亦可查看已安装软件列表。

pkgtool查看软件包内容：tar -tvf *.t?z

pkgtool安装软件：installpkg *.t?z

pkgtool卸载软件（以软件包xz-5.0.3-x86_64-2.tgz为例）：removepkg xz、removepkg xz-5.0.3-x86_64-2或removepkg xz-5.0.3-x86_64-2.tgz都是有效的。

编译脚本的使用

官方站点及其镜像站提供了编译生成Slackware整个发行版所需要的源代码及其编译脚本，这些编译脚本用户亦可以用来手动升级系统软件，而不是等待官方新软件的放出。

Slackware的编译脚本的一般用法是：将编译脚本与对应源代码置于同一文件夹，执行编译脚本。使用编译脚本用户仍然可以自由修改源代码，定制编译脚本参数。

除官方编译脚本外，Slackware用户自己也编制了实用的脚本上传至slackbuilds等站点供初级用户参考。

基于Slackware的项目

1. Absolute Linux

Absolute Linux is a light-weight modification of Slackware Linux. It includes several utilities that make configuration and maintenance easier and it has many common desktop and Internet applications installed and configured with tight integration of menus, applications and MIME types. Absolute Linux uses IceWM and ROX for its window and file managers.

2. AUSTRUMI

AUSTRUMI (Austrum Latvijas Linukss) is a bootable live Linux distribution based on Slackware Linux. It requires limited system resources and can run on any Intel-compatible system with a CD-ROM installed. The entire operating system and all of the applications run from RAM, making AUSTRUMI a fast system and allowing the boot medium to be removed after the operating system starts.

3. CDlinux

CDlinux is a compact Linux mini-distribution. It ships with an up-to-date version of the Linux kernel, X, Xfce window manager, and many popular applications. It has good internationalisation and locale support, and is highly user-configurable.

4. Draco GNU/Linux

Draco GNU/Linux is a distribution based on Slackware Linux and pkgsrc, a package management system developed by NetBSD. It is distributed in the form of a minimal base system, but a range of additional software packages is available for installation from the project's FTP server.

5. Imagineos

Imagineos (formerly GoblinX) is a bootable live CD distribution based on Slackware Linux. The primary goal for Imagineos is to create a more pleasant and functional desktop, standardising all icons and themes to make it easy for novice users to learn about available applications.

6. JoLinux

JoLinux is a Brazilian desktop Linux distribution for x86_64 platforms based on Slackware Linux.

7. Kongoni GNU/Linux

Kongoni GNU/Linux is a Slackware-based, desktop-oriented GNU/Linux distribution and live CD. Its main features include a graphical installer, a Kongoni Integrated Setup System (KISS), and an easy-to-use Ports Installation GUI (PIG). The distribution's package management borrows its main concepts from BSD ports, with an intuitive graphical package installer that compiles and installs programs from source code on the user's system.

8. Linvo GNU/Linux

Linvo GNU/Linux is a Slackware-based distribution and live CD/DVD. Some of its more interesting features include a careful selection of applications for every-day use, installable to hard disk from the live medium, use of software modules for extensive customisation of the live CD, availability of the GNOME desktop, applications installed and managed on a per-user basis, and out-of-the-box support for most multimedia formats.

9. Plamo Linux

Plamo Linux is a Japanese Linux distribution based on Slackware Linux. The installer, and many text-based and graphical tools have been updated to include Japanese language support.

10. Porteus

Porteus is a fast, portable and modular live CD/USB medium based on Slackware Linux. The distribution started as a community remix of Slax, another Slackware-based live CD (which is no longer actively maintained), with KDE 3 as the default desktop for the i486 edition and a stripped-down KDE 4 as the desktop environment for the x86_64 flavour. The lightweight LXDE is available as an alternative desktop environment.

11. pQui Linux

pQui Linux is a Brazilian desktop-oriented distribution based on Slackware Linux.

12. Recovery Is Possible

Recovery Is Possible (RIP) is a Slackware-based CD or floppy boot/rescue/backup/maintenance system. It has support for a lot of filesystem types (Reiserfs, Reiser4, ext2/3, iso9660, UDF, XFS, JFS, UFS, HPFS, HFS, MINIX, MS DOS, NTFS, and VFAT) and contains a bunch of utilities for system recovery. It also has IDE/SCSI/SATA, PCMCIA, RAID, LVM2, and Ethernet/DSL/cable/PPP/PPPOE network support.

13. Salix OS

Salix OS is a Slackware-based Linux distribution that is simple, fast, easy to use and compatible with Slackware Linux. Optimised for desktop use, Salix OS features one application per task, custom package repositories, advanced package management with dependency support, localised system administration tools and innovative artwork.

14. Slackel

Slackel is a Linux distribution and live CD based on Slackware Linux and Salix OS. It is fully compatible with both. It uses the current version of Slackware and the latest version of the KDE desktop. The Slackel disc images are offered in two different forms - installation and live.

15. Superb Mini Server

Superb Mini Server (SMS) is a Slackware-based server distribution with web, DNS, DHCP, file, print and fax servers, iptables firewall, mail server with spam filter and anti-virus scanner, and BitTorrent station. It also includes Webmin, a web-based administration tool, but no graphical desktop. SMS, which comes with Slackware's text-mode system installer, is built using Linux-Live scripts (from Slax) and can be used as a live CD for testing purposes.

16. VectorLinux

VectorLinux is a small, fast, Intel based Linux operating system for PC style computers. The creators of VectorLinux had a single credo: keep it simple, keep it small and let the end user decide what their operating system is going to be. What has evolved from this concept is perhaps the best little Linux operating system available anywhere. For the casual computer user there is a lightening-fast desktop with graphical programs to handle daily activities from web surfing, sending and receiving email, chatting on IRC to running an FTP server. The power user will be pleased because all the tools are there to compile programs, use the system as a server or perhaps the gateway for home or office computer network. Administrators will be equally pleased because of the small size and memory requirements, so the operating system can be deployed on older machines that have long been forgotten.

17. Wifislax

Wifislax is a Slackware-based live CD containing a variety of security and forensics tools. The distribution's main claim to fame is the integration of various unofficial network drivers into the Linux kernel, thus providing out-of-the-box support for a large number of wired and wireless network cards.

18. Zenwalk Linux

Zenwalk Linux (formerly Minislack) is a Slackware-based GNU/Linux operating system with a goal of being slim and fast by using only one application per task and with focus on graphical desktop and multimedia usage. Zenwalk features the latest Linux technology along with a complete programming environment and libraries to provide an ideal platform for application programmers. Zenwalk's modular approach also provides a simple way to convert Zenwalk Linux into a finely-tuned modern server (e.g. LAMP, messaging, file sharing).

数据来源distrowatch