Slackware 13.37slackware-13.37

Mon Apr 25 13:37:00 UTC 2011
Slackware 13.37 x86_64 stable is released!

Thanks to everyone who pitched in on this release: the Slackware team,
the folks producing upstream code, and linuxquestions.org for providing
a great forum for collaboration and testing.

The ISOs are off to be replicated, a 6 CD-ROM 32-bit set and a
dual-sided
32-bit/64-bit x86/x86_64 DVD.  Please consider supporting the Slackware
project by picking up a copy from store.slackware.com.  We're taking
pre-orders now, and offer a discount if you sign up for a subscription.

As always, thanks to the Slackware community for testing, suggestions,
and feedback.  :-)

Have fun!

1 files changed, 26 insertions, 53 deletions

diff --git a/RELEASE_NOTES b/RELEASE_NOTES
index eb02035e..53c67bef 100644
--- a/RELEASE_NOTES
+++ b/RELEASE_NOTES
@@ -1,13 +1,11 @@
 
-Slackware 13.1 release notes.  Wed May 19 04:40:19 UTC 2010
+Slackware 13.37 release notes.  Mon Apr 25 02:43:57 UTC 2011
 
 Hi folks,
 
     Historically, the RELEASE_NOTES had been mostly technical 
 information, but once again Robby Workman has covered the important 
-technical details in CHANGES_AND_HINTS.TXT.  Thanks!  If you are 
-upgrading an existing installation, don't miss the section on the LIBATA 
-SWITCHOVER.
+technical details in CHANGES_AND_HINTS.TXT.  Thanks!
 
     I'll mention a few technical items here.  Slackware's userspace does 
 require a recent 2.6.x kernel (I believe 2.6.27.x is a minimum for 
@@ -16,44 +14,21 @@ better off running the included kernels that we've tested things
 against. The best kernel to run (even on a one CPU/core machine) is the 
 generic SMP one, but that needs an initrd, so be sure to read the 
 instructions in /boot after installing with a huge* kernel if you plan 
-to switch. We have chosen to use the 2.6.33.4 kernel after testing the 
-2.6.33.x kernel branch extensively.  I would not suggest trying to run 
-without udev.  Consider it the userspace portion of the kernel.  It *is* 
-possible, but if you must do that you'll have to tweak a couple things 
-here and there.  The specifics are left as an exercise for the advanced 
-user.  Wait, an advanced user would just use udev.  Really, it works and 
-makes things a lot easier.
+to switch. We have chosen to use the 2.6.37.6 kernel after testing the 
+2.6.37.x kernel branch extensively (and because there are still a few
+things that work in 2.6.37.x but not in 2.6.38.x).  But, for those who
+would like to run the latest kernel, there are 2.6.38.4 kernels included
+in /testing.  Also in the /testing/source/ directory you'll find config
+files for two other kernel versions, 2.6.35.12 (which is a longterm
+supported branch), and 2.6.39-rc4, a release candidate for
+the next major kernel series.
 
-    Slackware 13.1 contains version 4.4.3 of the KDE Software 
-Compilation.  In the nearly 8 months since the release of Slackware 
-13.0, the KDE team made some huge improvements, including better 
-handling of netbook screen resolutions, a new authentication framework 
-based on standards from freedesktop.org, and a new tabbing feature that 
-allows applications to be grouped in a tabbed interface.  You'll notice 
-a snappier feel, helped also by the improved performance of Qt version 
-4.6.2.
-
-    Several Xfce components have been updated as well.  Xfce continues 
-to be a great lightweight desktop that doesn't get in your way. If you 
-haven't looked at this great desktop environment lately, you might want 
-to give it another try.  Thanks to Robby for tracking the Xfce 
-development closely and making sure everything was just exactly right in 
-the Slackware Xfce packages.
-
-    If you prefer GNOME, there are teams online producing GNOME for 
-Slackware.  Here are a few places to look:
+    Slackware 13.37 contains updated versions of both KDE and Xfce, but
+if you prefer GNOME then you'll be pleased with the work that the
+GNOME SlackBuild (GSB) team is doing producing a full-featured GNOME
+desktop for Slackware:
 
     http://gnomeslackbuild.org
-    http://www.droplinegnome.net/
-    http://www.gware.org/
-
-    If any of these replaces some system components, using them voids 
-your warranty.  ;-)  But it should work, *if* you absolutely must have 
-GNOME.  I'd suggest Xfce instead if you want a GTK+ based desktop.  If 
-you do want to use GNOME, remember that there may be some updates needed 
-after 13.1 is released, so it might be best not to rush into it.  
-Thanks to these teams for making the GNOME desktop a viable option for 
-Slackware users.
 
     Need more build scripts?  Something that you wanted wasn't included 
 in Slackware?  Well, then check out slackbuilds.org. Several of the team 
@@ -66,31 +41,29 @@ multilib compilers (read more here: http://alien.slackbook.org/blog/),
 Robby Workman for following X.Org, udev, wicd, xfce, and tons of other 
 projects, building and testing all that stuff, writing documentation, 
 his work with the team at slackbuilds.org, and lots of package upgrades 
-(like the switch to the bluez4 bluetooth stack), Piter Punk for udev and 
-slackpkg work, updating the shadow password system, writing the initial 
-patch for polkit to use a shadow authentication backend so we could 
-consider using KDE 4.4.3, and making tap-to-click work with Synaptics 
-touchpads out-of-the-box, Stuart Winter for more updates to 
-linuxdoc-tools, and for all kinds of fixes throughout the installer and 
-system (he finds my bugs all the time while porting packages to ARM for 
-the ARMedslack port:  http://www.armedslack.org/), Alan Hicks for 
-testing the installer on Apple hardware, Vincent Batts for keeping Ruby 
-working well and other miscellaneous fixes, Andrew Psaltis for work on 
-the polkit/shadow patches, Heinz Wiesinger for Qt (and other) fixes, 
+(like the switch to the bluez4 bluetooth stack), Piter Punk for udev and
+slackpkg work, Stuart Winter for more updates to linuxdoc-tools, slacktrack,
+and for all kinds of fixes throughout the installer and system (he finds my
+bugs all the time while porting packages to ARM for the ARMedslack port:
+http://www.armedslack.org/), Alan Hicks for testing the installer on Apple
+hardware, Vincent Batts for keeping Ruby working well (difficult!) and other
+miscellaneous fixes, Heinz Wiesinger for PHP (and other) fixes,
 Amritpal Bath for various bugfixes and helping with release torrents, 
 mrgoblin for testing RAID, bluetooth, and well, everything (and fixing a 
 lot of it, too), other very honorable mentions go to Erik Jan Tromp, 
-Mark Post, Karl Magnus Kolstoe, Fizban, Fred Emmott, and NetrixTardis, 
+Mark Post, Karl Magnus Kolstoe, Fred Emmott, and NetrixTardis, 
 and anyone else I'm forgetting (including the other team members who 
 contributed little fixes and suggestions here and there along with 
 general moral support), and all the folks who emailed in bug reports 
 (and especially fixes).  Thanks for the technical assistance (*you* make 
 this possible), and for keeping the project a good time.  And, of 
 course, thanks *much* to the upstream developers for such nice building 
-materials.  As always, thanks to my wife Andrea and daughter Briah (who 
-is becoming a surprisingly good beta tester already!)
+materials.  As always, thanks to my wife Andrea and daughter Briah.
 
 Have fun!
 
 Pat Volkerding <volkerdi@slackware.com>
 
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+Help keep the lights on @slackware!  Shop at http://store.slackware.com
+