14 DAY TRIAL // One of the most important Linux distributions, Slackware, has reached another milestone in its evolution. Slackware just got to version 12.1 RC2, as announced on the official website.
Patrick Volkerding noted: "We're beyond updating packages or fixing minor cosmetic bugs at this point (actually, we had hoped to be past that with RC1, but there were still items in need of attention). What we have here now has proven to be stable for our testers, so unless some real showstoppers are found we'll be releasing this as Slackware 12.1-final soon."
Most of the libraries were recompiled against the 2.6.24.5 Linux kernel headers, and some of them were even rebuilt. The biggest part of the work has been done in the kernel space, so you won't notice the changes at a first glance.
Here are some of the changes available in Slackware 12.1 RC2:
￭ The glibc-solibs package was recompiled against Linux 2.6.24.5 headers. ￭ The glibc-zoneinfo-2.7 package was rebuilt. ￭ The kernel modules were upgraded to version 2.6.24.5. ￭ From pkgtools was removed the obsolete modem setup script (any /dev/modem symlink would be wiped out by udev anyway). ￭ lm_sensors was upgraded to version 2.10.6. ￭ The Linux SMP kernel headers were upgraded to 2.6.24.5. ￭ For mkinitrd, the version numbers in README.initrd and manpage were updated. ￭ Upgraded to Linux 2.6.24.5 SMP kernel source package. ￭ The glibc library was recompiled against Linux 2.6.24.5 headers. ￭ For the Java Runtime Environment 6 Update 6, the installation directory was adjusted to avoid removing files. ￭ mcabber was updated to version 0.9.7. ￭ For the usb and pxe installers, the kernel modules were replaced with those from the 2.6.24.5 version.
About Slackware Linux:
Slackware was started 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. You will find the latest popular applications in an environment that offers simplicity and ease of use and, at the same time, power and flexibility. Slackware was created to melt the two worlds, of beginners and advanced users, into a single distribution that could satisfy everyone. Also, it is one of the oldest distributions, being started in April 1993, with the aim to give birth to Linux distribution that's closer to its ancestor, Unix. Slackware can work acceptably even on a 486 machine.
Download Slackware Linux 12.0 right now from Softpedia. Download Slackware Linux 12.1 RC2 right now from Softpedia. Please note that this is a development release and SHOULD NOT be used on production machines.