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Linux 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.

Here are some of the advanced features of Slackware 12.1:

- Runs the 2.6.24.5 version of the Linux kernel from ftp.kernel.org.
  Also included is a kernel patched with Speakup to support speech
  synthesizers providing access to Linux for the visually impaired
  community.  The 2.6.x kernel series has matured into a stable
  kernel, and provides reliable performance for your desktop or
  your production server.

- System binaries are linked with the GNU C Library, version 2.7.
  This version of glibc also has excellent compatibility with
  existing binaries.

- X11 7.3.0+.  This is the X.Org Foundation's modular X Window System.
  There's been much activity in the X development world, and the
  improvements here in terms of performance and hardware support
  are too numerous to mention them all here.

- Installs gcc-4.2.3 as the default C, C++, Objective-C, 
  Fortran-77/95, and Ada 95 compiler.

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

- Apache (httpd) 2.2.8 web server with Dynamic Shared Object 
  support, SSL, and PHP 5.2.5.

- PCMCIA, CardBus, USB, IEE1394 (FireWire) and ACPI support.  This
  makes Slackware a great operating system for your laptop.

- The udev dynamic device management system for Linux 2.6.x.
  This locates and configures most hardware automatically as it
  is added (or removed) from the system, and creates the access
  nodes in /dev.  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 2.5.2,
  Ruby 1.8.6-p114, Subversion 1.4.6, git-1.5.5, mercurial-1.0,
  graphical tools like Qt designer and KDevelop, and much more.

- 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 12.0 to 
  Slackware 12.1 (see CHANGES_AND_HINTS.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 3.5.9, 
  SeaMonkey 1.1.9 (this is the replacement for the Mozilla
  Suite), and the immensely popular Firefox 2.0.0.14, as well as
  the Thunderbird 2.0.0.12 email and news client with advanced
  junk mail filtering.

- The complete K Desktop Environment (KDE) version 3.5.9, including
  the KOffice productivity suite, networking tools, GUI development
  with KDevelop, multimedia tools (including the amazing Amarok
  music player and K3B disc burning software), the Konqueror web
  browser and file manager, dozens of games and utilities,
  international language support, and more.

- A collection of GTK+ based applications including pidgin-2.4.1,
   gimp-2.4.5, gkrellm-2.3.1, gxine-0.5.11, xchat-2.8.4, xsane-0.994,
   and pan-0.132.

- Large repository of extra software packages compiled and ready to 
  run.  This includes various window managers, the Java(TM) 2 Software
  Development Kit Standard Edition, libsafe (buffer overflow protection
  for additional security), 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 12.1, see this file:

    ftp://ftp.slackware.com/pub/slackware/slackware-12.1/PACKAGES.TXT

   ftp://slackware.osuosl.org/pub/slackware/slackware-12.1/
   ftp://ftp.slackware.com/pub/slackware/slackware-12.1/