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Frequently Asked Questions

It's usually our policy not to speculate on release dates, since that's what it is -- pure speculation. It's not always possible to know how long it will take to make the upgrades needed and tie up all the related loose ends. As things are built for the upcoming release, they'll be uploaded into the -current tree (that's on ftp.cdrom.com in the /pub/linux/slackware-current directory). If the -current does not exist, it probably means we have just released a new version of Slackware. A new -current tree will be formed shortly after the new release is made.


Q:   Will an ISO image be made available for download?

An ISO image will not be made available. This is because it would be a very large file, and the download of such a file would be very unreliable. You'd most likely end up with a corrupted or otherwise incomplete version of Slackware. In addition to that, there would have to be several of these files, not just one. Since these files are so big, the bandwidth requirement would increase. Walnut Creek CDROM's ftp server is pretty much using all of its bandwidth right now, making these images available would bog down the server even more.


Q:   Is my hardware supported by Slackware?

Slackware supports all of the hardware that the Linux kernel supports. In addition, you may be able to find drivers for other hardware by looking around. For specific information on your hardware, check out the Linux Hardware Compatibility HOWTO. As far as architectures, only Intel and compatible processors are supported at this time.


Q:   Where can I get technical information?

Here are some places where you can get answers to your technical questions:

• Slackware Forum
• Linux Documentation Project
• Deja News (newsgroup archives)

The most obvious way you can help with Slackware is to use it! The more people that use it, the more people that can find and report bugs. This will make Slackware even more stable than it is now. Another obvious way is to purchase a CD set. This helps to support everyone working on Slackware, and allows us to work on new versions. You can also email us and tell us what programs need to be added.

You can also jump on the forum and answer other users' questions. Finally, you can help get the word out on Slackware. Help advocate the distribution - especially to the potential users who are still looking for their distribution.


Q:   Will the next version be based on glibc2 or libc5?

The current plan is to base the next version on glibc2. However, libc5 will still be included for backwards compatibility reasons.


Q:   Will Program/Feature X be included in the next release?

If it's in the slackware-current tree at ftp.cdrom.com (Walnut Creek), there's a pretty good chance it will be. If it's not, you'd have to inquire, but odds are that it's not slated for inclusion.


Q:   Is Slackware Linux "Year 2000" compliant?

Although Slackware 3.6 has been tested and found to be compliant, Slackware offers no "Y2K" warranty for any version, other than money back on the CD if you bought it from Walnut Creek. Nor does any other Linux vendor that we know of. The responsibility for ensuring that Linux is y2k compliant enough rests with the end user. Versions prior to 3.6 have not been thoroughly tested.


Q:   What about that other question people keep asking?

If you know of another question that's worthy of inclusion in the general Slackware FAQ (ie, non-technical...I don't want to fill this particular FAQ with stuff about video cards and IP tunneling), feel free to email us and let us know.