Announcing Slackware Linux 11!

The first Slackware release more than a year in the making, this
edition of Slackware combines Slackware's legendary simplicity,
stability, and security with some of the latest advances in Linux
technology.  Expect no less than the best Slackware yet.

Among the many program updates and distribution enhancements, you'll 
find two of the most advanced desktop environments available today: 
Xfce 4.2.3.2, a fast and lightweight but visually appealing and easy
to use desktop environment, and KDE 3.5.4, the latest version of the
award-winning K Desktop Environment.

Slackware uses the 2.4.33.3 kernel bringing you advanced performance
features such as the ReiserFS journaling filesystem, SCSI and ATA RAID
volume support, SATA support, and kernel support for X DRI (the Direct
Rendering Interface) that brings high-speed hardware accelerated 3D
graphics to Linux.  Additional kernels allow installing Slackware
using any of the journaling filesystems available for Linux, including
ext3, ReiserFS, IBM's JFS, and SGI's XFS.  Slackware 11.0 also fully
supports the 2.6 kernel series, with your choice of the well-tested
2.6.17.13 kernel in /extra (including a version of this kernel that
supports multiple processors, multi-core CPUs, HyperThreading, and
about every other optimization available), or the recently released
2.6.18 kernel in /testing.  This kernel also spent a long time in
development and in our own testing has proven to be fast, stable,
and reliable.

All of these kernels may be used with Slackware's CD/DVD based
installation system, and NFS network installs may be done using the
2.6.17.13 (huge26.s) kernel.

From the beginning, Slackware has offered a stable and secure Linux 
distribution for UNIX veterans as well as an easy-to-use system for 
beginners.  Slackware includes everything you'll need to run a 
powerful server or workstation.  Each Slackware package follows the 
setup and installation instructions from its author(s) as closely as 
possible, offering you the most stable and easily expandable setup.

Here are some of the advanced features of Slackware 11.0:

- Runs the 2.4.33.3 version of the Linux kernel from ftp.kernel.org.
  Special kernels were prepared to support hardware such as SCSI
  controllers, SATA controllers, USB keyboards and mice, parallel-port
  IDE devices, IBM PS/2 machines with the Microchannel bus, and even
  speech synthesizers providing access to Linux for the visually
  impaired community.  The performance of the 2.4.x kernel series
  along with Slackware's track record of careful attention to system
  security make it the perfect choice for running your production
  servers.

- As an alternate choice, Slackware 11.0 includes Linux 2.6.17.13
  and 2.6.18 kernel source, kernel modules, and binary packages,
  along with the mkinitrd tool and instructions on using it to
  install the new kernel (see /boot/README.initrd).  When running a
  2.6 kernel, Slackware supports udev.  This is a system for
  creating devices in /dev dynamically, greatly reducing device
  clutter and making it easy to see what devices are actually
  present in the system.  Udev probes for and enables hardware on
  the system, much like the hotplug system does for a 2.4 kernel.

- System binaries are linked with the GNU C Library, version 2.3.6.
  This version of glibc also has excellent compatibility with
  existing binaries.

- X11R6.9.0 (same codebase as Modular X.Org 7.0.0)
  This is the X.Org Foundation's X Window System.  The 6.9.0 version
  includes additional hardware support, functional enhancements, and
  bug fixes compared with the 6.8.2 release that shipped in Slackware
  10.2, and we're added additional support for some recent popular
  Intel graphics chipsets.
     
- Installs gcc-3.4.6 as the default C, C++, Objective-C, Fortran-77,
  and Ada 95 compiler.

- Support for fully encrypted network connections with OpenSSL,
  OpenSSH, and GnuPG.

- Apache 1.3.37 web server with Dynamic Shared Object (DSO) support,
  SSL, and PHP.

- PCMCIA, CardBus, and APM support for laptops. (pcmcia-cs-3.2.8
  and pcmciautils-014).  Slackware also now includes hotplug and
  udev support.  This locates and configures most hardware
  automatically as it is added (or removed) from the system.
  It also loads the kernel modules required by sound cards and
  other hardware at boot time.

- New development tools, including Perl 5.8.8, Python 2.4.3,
  Ruby 1.8.4, Subversion 1.4.0, and graphical tools like
  Qt designer and KDevelop.

- Updated versions of the Slackware package management tools make it
  easy to add, remove, upgrade, and make your own Slackware packages.
  Package tracking makes it easy to upgrade from Slackware 10.2 to 
  Slackware 11.0 (see UPGRADE.TXT).  The slackpkg tool in /extra can 
  also help update from an older version of Slackware to a newer one, 
  and keep your Slackware system up to date.  In addition, the
  slacktrack utility (in extra/) will help you build and maintain 
  your own packages.

- Web browsers galore!  Includes KDE's Konqueror 3.5.4, 
  SeaMonkey 1.0.5 (this is the new replacement for the Mozilla
  Suite), and the immensely popular Firefox 1.5.0.7, as well as
  the Thunderbird 1.5.0.7 email and news client with advanced
  junk mail filtering.

- The complete K Desktop Environment (KDE) version 3.5.4, including
  the KOffice productivity suite, networking tools, GUI development
  with KDevelop, multimedia tools (including the amazing Amarok
  music player), the Konqueror web browser and file manager, dozens
  of games and utilities, international language support, and more.

- A collection of GTK+ based applications including gaim-1.5.0,
   gimp-2.2.13, gkrellm-2.2.9, gxine-0.5.7, xchat-2.6.6, xsane-0.991,
   and pan-0.14.2.91.

- Large repository of extra software packages compiled and ready to 
  run.  This includes various window managers, the K3b CD burning
  application for KDE, the Java(TM) 2 Software Development Kit
  Standard Edition, libsafe (advanced buffer overflow protection for
  additional security), ISDN support, additional 802.11 drivers, and
  much more (see the /extra directory).
  
- Many more improved and upgraded packages than we can list here.  For
  a complete list of core packages in Slackware 11.0, see this file:

    ftp://ftp.slackware.com/pub/slackware/slackware-11.0/PACKAGES.TXT

- Another Slackware exclusive:  Slackware's ZipSlack installation
  option is the fastest, _easiest_ Linux installation ever.  ZipSlack
  provides a basic text-based Linux system as a 70 megabyte ZIP archive.  
  Simply unzip on any FAT or FAT32 partition, edit your boot partition 
  in the LINUX.BAT batch file, and you can be running Linux in less 
  than five minutes.  The ZipSlack installation includes everything you 
  need to network with Linux (including Ethernet, token ring, and 
  PPP), and extend the system with additional software packages such as 
  X.  A ZipSlack system will even fit on a 250MB Zip(TM) disk, so you
  can carry a personal Linux system with you to run on any PC with a 
  250MB Zip(TM) drive.

     
Downloading Slackware 11.0:
---------------------------

The full version of Slackware Linux 11.0 is available for download from
the central Slackware FTP sites hosted by our friends at www.cwo.com
and osuosl.org:

   ftp://ftp.slackware.com/pub/slackware/slackware-11.0/
   ftp://slackware.osuosl.org/pub/slackware/slackware-11.0/

The ZipSlack version of Slackware can be downloaded from:

   ftp://ftp.slackware.com/pub/slackware/slackware-11.0/zipslack/
   ftp://slackware.osuosl.org/pub/slackware/slackware-11.0/zipslack/

If the sites are busy, see the list of official mirror sites here:

   http://slackware.com/getslack/

We will be setting up BitTorrent downloads for the official ISO images.
Stay tuned to http://slackware.com for the latest updates.


Purchasing Slackware on CD-ROM:
-------------------------------

Or, purchase the Slackware Linux 11.0 six CD-ROM set directly from
Slackware Linux, and you'll be helping to support the continued
development of Slackware Linux!  :-)

This is the official release of Slackware on CD-ROM, and has many 
enhanced features, including:

 -  Easy bootable CD-ROM installation.  If your machine can boot a 
    CD-ROM, just boot the first disc to begin the installation process.
 -  The ZipSlack edition of Slackware Linux 11.0.
 -  The source code used to build Slackware Linux 11.0.

The price for the Slackware Linux CD-ROM set is $39.95 plus shipping.

Slackware Linux is also available by subscription.  When we release a
new version of Slackware (which is normally once or twice a year) we
ship it to you and bill your credit card $24.95 plus shipping.  Shipping
is $5 in the USA, Canada, and Mexico for First Class.  Overseas is $9
PER ORDER.  There is an additional $3 COD charge (USA Only).  UPS Blue
Label (2nd day) [USA Only] is $10 PER ORDER, UPS Red Label (next day)
[USA Only] is $15 PER ORDER.  


Ordering Information:
---------------------

   You can order online at the Slackware Linux store:
     http://store.slackware.com


   Order inquiries (including questions about becoming a Slackware
   reseller) may be directed to this address:
     info@slackware.com
   
   Or, send a check or money order to:

     Slackware Linux, Inc.
     1164 Claremont Drive
     Brentwood, CA 94513
     USA


Have fun! :^)

---
Patrick J. Volkerding    <volkerdi@slackware.com>

Visit us on the web at:  http://slackware.com