Slackware-Based Absolute Linux Has Been Discontinued
Quoting: Slackware-Based Absolute Linux Has Been Discontinued —
As can be seen, citing age, expenses, and—most notably—a lack of time, he stated that continuing the project is no longer feasible. Despite the somber nature of this announcement, Sherman expressed deep appreciation for everyone who supported the distro over the years.
And when I say years, I mean it—this is an impressive journey spanning over 17 years. The first version of Absolute Linux debuted all the way back in 2007, with the last update appearing in early June of last year. Since it’s not one of the most well-known names, let me give you a quick rundown.
It's FOSS News:
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Slackware-Based Distro Absolute Linux Discontinued by Developer
Being one of the oldest Linux distributions, Slackware is known for its simplicity and stability, offering a no-nonsense experience that many people trust. It is an excellent distro for those who want to learn Linux from the ground up, as there is significant user involvement when setting it up.
As is the case with many other major distributions, Slackware too has many derivatives. Sadly, many of those are not actively maintained, and a recent announcement just added another one to the list.
What's Happening: A brief write-up by the lead developer of Absolute Linux, Paul Sherman, has revealed that he won't be working on the distro anymore. He has stated that rising expenses, age, and, more importantly, a lack of time are the reasons behind this move.
The Register:
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Absolute Linux has reached the end – where next?
The project had been going since 2007, as the oldest snapshot's copyright message shows. Its project page on Sourceforge is still there, complete with downloads, if you want to give it a try. Absolute Linux was a cut-down lightweight remix of the venerable Slackware Linux, which at 25 years old (or 0x20, in old money) is the oldest surviving distro. As we said in that story, Slackware itself is anything but lightweight – it nearly filled our 16GB test root partition. That would seem to leave room for a lightweight remix, and we like the sound of some of its choices – the nearly as venerable IceWM and a Reg FOSS desk favourite, the ROX Filer.
We're always sad to see a project close down – although if any fans of Absolute Linux read this, it may be worth contacting Mr Sherman and offering to take it over. If that sounds over your pay grade but you want a lighter-weight Slackware, then SLAX is still around, as are Salix OS and Zenwalk.