What Slackware does

Slackware Linux is one of the oldest surviving Linux distributions, first released in April 1993 by Patrick Volkerding and developed primarily from Sebeka, Minnesota. The distribution is positioned as the most UNIX-like Linux distribution, prioritizing stability, simplicity, and adherence to published Linux standards while including modern desktop and development tooling. Slackware 15.0, released February 2, 2022, ships with Linux kernel 5.15.19 LTS, the GNU C Library, the X Window System, KDE Plasma 5 (25th Anniversary Edition with Wayland support), Xfce 4.16, PipeWire, PAM authentication, and development tools including Rust, Perl, and Python 3. The distribution uses pkgtools, a tarball-based package management system, and ships in 32-bit (x86) and 64-bit (x86_64) versions with ports to ARM and S/390 architectures.

The project operates as a community-driven open-source initiative with no commercial sales force. Slackware Linux is distributed free of charge through official FTP sites hosted at Oregon State University's Open Source Lab and a global mirror network, plus ISO images and the Slackware Live Edition (a run-from-USB distribution). The only identified revenue streams are voluntary community donations through Patreon and PayPal and merchandise sales through the official Slackware Store (stickers, T-shirts, and printed materials). The "Slackware" trademark is held by Slackware Linux, Inc. The user base consists of Linux enthusiasts, system administrators, and software developers seeking a stable, UNIX-like operating system for desktop workstations, servers, and development environments, served primarily through the LinuxQuestions.org community forum, mailing lists, IRC (#slackware on libera.chat), and community-driven documentation at docs.slackware.com.

Slackware is maintained by a small core team led by founder Patrick Volkerding, with key contributors including Eric Hameleers (KDE Plasma, Slackware Live Edition, multilib), Robby Workman (Xfce, infrastructure), PiterPunk (slackpkg), Vincent Batts (PAM support), and others. The project lost two long-time contributors in 2020 — Erik Jan Tromp and co-founder Brett Person — representing a continuity event for a project reliant on a thin maintainer pool. Slackware 15.0 represented a long development cycle during which over 400 different Linux kernel versions were tested, and the project continues to issue security advisories and maintain an active -current development tree.

Name

Slackware

Legal name

Slackware Linux, Inc.

Website

https://slackware.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Slackware is a community-developed, free open-source Linux distribution maintained since 1993, serving Linux enthusiasts, system administrators, and developers seeking a stable, UNIX-like operating system for desktop and server environments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Norcross

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Operations

Revenue model

1. Community Donations: Slackware accepts contributions through Patreon and PayPal. Patrick Volkerding mentions donations help keep the project going.
2. Official Slackware Store (Merchandise): The official store sells Slackware products including stickers, T-shirts, buttons, and potentially printed copies of releases. All purchases help support the Slackware project.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Slackware Linux is a community-developed, open-source Linux operating system distribution founded in 1993 by Patrick Volkerding. It is available in 32-bit (x86) and 64-bit (x86_64) versions, with ports to ARM and S/390 architectures, and is positioned as one of the most UNIX-like Linux distributions. The distribution includes the X Window System, KDE Plasma 5 and Xfce desktop environments, development tools, networking utilities, and server packages, distributed free of charge and supported via community donations and merchandise sales.

Product overview

Slackware Linux is a single, unified Linux operating system distribution available in 32-bit and 64-bit versions. The core product is Slackware Linux itself, which includes a complete base system with the X Window System, development tools (C/C++, Perl), networking utilities, web/ftp/email servers, and multiple desktop environments. The distribution ships with KDE Plasma 5.23.5 (25th Anniversary Edition) and Xfce 4.16 as desktop environment options. Supporting products include Slackware Live Edition (for running from USB/DVD without installation), pkgtools for package management, and Slackbuilds.org for community build scripts. ARM architecture support is available as a separate port.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Slackware Linux A complete, community-developed Linux operating system distribution available in 32-bit and 64-bit versions, designed with ease of use and stability as top priorities. Includes the X Window System, KDE Plasma 5 and Xfce desktop environments, development toolchains (C/C++, Perl, Python, Rust), networking utilities, and web/ftp/email servers. Distributed free of charge.
• Slackware64 The 64-bit version of Slackware Linux for x86_64 machines, recommended for best possible performance.
• Slackware Live Edition A complete Slackware installation that can run from a DVD or USB stick without modifying the disk drive, created by Eric Hameleers. Allows users to test-drive or use Slackware without installing it to a hard disk.
• Slackware ARM Port of Slackware Linux to the ARM architecture, with releases following the main Intel distribution; targets ARM-based devices and embedded systems.

Quantifiable outcome

• Runs on systems from Pentium to latest x86/x86_64 machines

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• LinuxQuestions.orgcoreOthersLinuxQuestions.org hosts the official Slackware questions forum, described as the project's favorite community support forum. It provides a friendly environment where newbies and experienced users help each other with Slackware-related questions and discussions.
• SlackBuilds.orgcoreTechnology or IntegrationCommunity repository of build scripts for additional software not included in the main Slackware distribution. Multiple Slackware team members work on scripts there along with volunteers.
• OSU Open Source Lab (osuosl.org)coreOthersOregon State University Open Source Lab hosts the central Slackware FTP site, providing infrastructure for distribution downloads.
• Eric HameleerscoreOthersKey contributor responsible for massive efforts on KDE Plasma 5, extra packages, multilib support, docs.slackware.com, and created Slackware Live Edition. Blog at alien.slackbook.org/blog/.
• Robby WorkmancoreOthersCore team member who contributed to Xfce, miscellaneous updates, CHANGES_AND_HINTS documentation, and managed project infrastructure including servers and hosting.
• PiterPunkminorOthersCore team member maintaining slackpkg and various bugfixes.
• Darren 'Tadgy' AustinminorOthersRewrote netconfig utility adding support for IPv6, VLANs, link aggregation and more.
• OnyxLight CommunicationsminorOthersHelped with hosting and hardware for the development server. The company unfortunately closed down during the pandemic.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Debian: Debian is one of the largest and oldest community-driven Linux distributions, governed by a large contributor base rather than a single corporate owner. Like Slackware, it emphasizes stability, free distribution, and community-led development, making it a direct philosophical peer.
• Alpine Linux: Alpine Linux is a security-oriented, lightweight community Linux distribution popular for containers and embedded use cases. It shares Slackware's minimalism ethos and is increasingly used in the same UNIX-purist technical circles.
• Arch Linux: Arch Linux is a community-driven rolling-release distribution that appeals to technically experienced users who prefer minimal defaults and full control over their system. This hands-on, minimalist philosophy closely parallels Slackware's target user and design approach.
• Linux Mint: Linux Mint is a community-driven Linux distribution focused on desktop ease of use. While philosophically different from Slackware (Mint emphasizes polish, Slackware emphasizes simplicity), it competes for the same general pool of free Linux users migrating from other systems.
• openSUSE: openSUSE is a community-driven Linux distribution with backing from SUSE, offering both a stable release (Leap) and rolling-release (Tumbleweed). It targets the same power-user and sysadmin segment as Slackware and competes directly in the free Linux distribution market.
• Fedora: Fedora is a community-driven Linux distribution sponsored by Red Hat, serving as an upstream testing ground for RHEL. Like Slackware, it provides a freely downloadable, technically-advanced OS, though with corporate backing and a much faster release cadence.
• Gentoo: Gentoo is a community-driven source-based Linux distribution emphasizing user configuration and compilation from source — a philosophy similar to Slackware's tarball-based pkgtools and rebuild-from-source approach (make_world.sh). Both target power users who want maximum control over their OS.

Broad incumbents

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux (Red Hat): Red Hat is the dominant commercial Linux distribution provider (RHEL) targeting enterprise customers with paid support subscriptions. It operates broadly in the same OS space as Slackware but with a vastly different commercial, support-driven model that serves enterprise rather than community users.
• Canonical (Ubuntu): Canonical is the commercial sponsor of Ubuntu, the most widely deployed desktop and cloud Linux distribution. It competes broadly with Slackware for Linux users but serves a much larger commercial user base with paid cloud and support offerings.

Others

• FreeBSD: FreeBSD is a community-developed UNIX-like operating system (BSD lineage, not Linux). While not a direct Linux competitor, it shares Slackware's UNIX-purist philosophy and appeals to overlapping power-user and server-administrator segments who prioritize stability and standards compliance.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Slackware