Patrick Volkerding released Slackware in July 1993, making it the oldest Linux distribution still in active development. It deliberately stays close to upstream, uses plain-text configuration and BSD-style init scripts, and avoids automatic dependency resolution. Stable releases are rare: Slackware 15.0 came out in 2022, almost six years after 14.2. In between, the rolling -current branch tracks development.
Slackware
The oldest Linux distribution still maintained, known for its simplicity, BSD-style init and few patches to upstream software.
- Active project
- Latest 15.0Feb 2022
- Supported 1 version
At a glance
- Type
- Linux distribution
- Developer
- Patrick Volkerding
- First release
- 17 Jul 1993
- Release cadence
- Irregular ("when it's ready"); -current is the development branch
- OS family
- Linux
- Package format
- .txz (pkgtools, slackpkg)
- Init system
- BSD-style init scripts
- Default desktop
- KDE Plasma (Xfce included)
- Architectures
- x86_64, x86, ARM
- License
- Free software
- Website
- slackware.com
Newest release
Slackware 15.0
Released 3 Feb 2022
Support status
Release history
| Version | Released | End of life | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15.0 | 3 Feb 2022 | Not announced | Supported |
| 14.2 | 1 Jul 2016 | 1 Jan 2024 | End of life |
| 14.1 | 7 Nov 2013 | 1 Jan 2024 | End of life |
| 14.0 | 28 Sep 2012 | 1 Jan 2024 | End of life |
| 13.37 | 28 Apr 2011 | 5 Jul 2018 | End of life |
| 13.1 | 24 May 2010 | 5 Jul 2018 | End of life |
| 13.0 | 28 Aug 2009 | 5 Jul 2018 | End of life |
| 12.2 | 11 Dec 2008 | 9 Dec 2013 | End of life |
| 12.1 | 2 May 2008 | 9 Dec 2013 | End of life |
| 12.0 | 2 Jul 2007 | 1 Aug 2012 | End of life |
| 11.0 | 3 Oct 2006 | 1 Aug 2012 | End of life |
| 10.2 | 15 Sep 2005 | 1 Aug 2012 | End of life |
| 10.1 | 7 Feb 2005 | 1 Aug 2012 | End of life |
| 10.0 | 23 Jun 2004 | 1 Aug 2012 | End of life |
| 9.1 | 26 Sep 2003 | 1 Aug 2012 | End of life |
| 9.0 | 18 Mar 2003 | 1 Aug 2012 | End of life |
| 8.1 | 19 Jun 2002 | 1 Aug 2012 | End of life |
| 8.0 | 1 Jul 2001 | 29 Mar 2003 | End of life |
Release data: endoflife.date and vendor announcements, checked 13 Nov 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
Support timeline
The 12 most recent releases, from release day to the end of support.
- Active support
- Today
15.0
14.2
14.1
14.0
13.37
13.1
13.0
12.2
12.1
12.0
11.0
10.2
History
Milestones
- 1993Patrick Volkerding releases Slackware 1.0, now the oldest maintained Linux distribution
- 1999The version number jumps from 4.0 to 7.0
- 2009Slackware 13.0 adds official 64-bit support
- 2016Slackware 14.2
- 2022Slackware 15.0, the first new stable release in almost six years
Frequently asked questions
What is the latest version of Slackware?
The newest Slackware release is Slackware 15.0, released on 3 Feb 2022.
Which Slackware versions are still supported?
As of 13 Nov 2026, 1 version is supported: Slackware 15.0.
Is Slackware 14.2 still supported?
No. Slackware 14.2 reached end of life on 1 Jan 2024 and no longer gets free security updates. Upgrade to Slackware 15.0.