With an updated kernel and other fixes

May 17, 2010 11:55 GMT  ·  By

With the release of the Slackware 13.1 Release Candidate 1, the latest update to the oldest supported Linux distro in existence is now very close. Slackware 13.1 RC1 comes less than a couple of weeks since the first beta launch and is mostly a bug-fixing release, though it comes with some updated packages as well.

“Good hello! We will call this update Slackware 13.1 RC1. With this, the kernel, compiler, and glibc versions are 'golden,' and everything is pretty much ready to release. Last call for bug reports,” the official announcement in the Slackware ChangeLog homepage read.

Highlights of Slackware 13.1 RC1:

· Linux kernel 2.6.33.4; · GCC 4.4.4; · CUPS 1.4.3; · Emacs 23.2; · GNU Diffutils 3.0; · Vim 7.2.416; · KDENetwork 4.4.3-2; · Glibc 2.11.1; · Pidgin 2.6.6; · GRUB 0.97-9; · KOffice 2.1.2-2; · Java 2 Platform Standard Edition Runtime Environment 6.0 Update 20; · Fixed Apple USB keyboard support; · Added BCM57 wireless network card firmware; · Scan /dev/sr0 first when looking for CD/DVD, not the old IDE device.

There aren’t that many changes since the first beta was issued. Several packages have been rebuilt to include patches and some have been updated. Other notable updates are the support for Apple USB keyboards and the addition of the missing BCM57 Broadcom driver. The latest version of the Java runtime, a security patch, has been included as well.

About Slackware

Slackware is a Linux distribution created, developed and maintained by Patrick Volkerding with ease of use and stability in mind. This distribution is considered one of the most secure and stable at this moment. Slackware will offer you some of the finest and most popular applications in a KDE environment that is all about simplicity and ease of use and, at the same time, power and flexibility. It is one of the oldest distributions, having been started in April, 1993, with the aim of giving birth to a Linux distribution that was closer to its ancestor, UNIX.