The Puppy Linux developers have announced the release of version 5.3 of their independent Linux distribution, a new edition code-named "Slacko". According to Puppy Linux founder Barry Kauler, Slacko Puppy (coordinated by Mick Amadio) is to be the project's "new flagship Puppy Linux" and is the recommended "'first stop' for all newcomers".

Like the other versions of Puppy Linux, Slacko was built using the Woof build tool, which, the developers say, can build a Puppy release from the binary packages of any other distribution. Slacko Puppy 5.3 is based on Slackware Linux 13.37 binary packages and the 2.6.37.6 Linux kernel, and includes access to the Slackware package repositories. The new edition uses the Frisbee network manager and has built-in support for a number of multimedia formats. Other software can be installed via PET (Puppy's Extra Treats) packages and packages in the Slackware repositories.



The default Slacko Puppy desktop Puppy Linux is a popular small release that can run entirely from RAM and its primary focus is ease-of-use. Slacko Puppy is the project's third "official" Puppy – Lucid Puppy (aka "Lupu") is based on Ubuntu 10.04 LTS binary packages and is more "leading-edge" than Wary – it was the project's previous flagship release.

The Wary edition focuses on supporting older hardware, placing an emphasis on "incremental improvements and bug fixes rather than quantum changes". The developers note that users shouldn't "read too much into the version numbers" as each of the Puppy editions "follow parallel but independent paths, with different version numbering".

More details about the release can be found in a post on Puppy Linux founder Barry Kauler's blog and in the release notes. Slacko Puppy 5.3 is available to download as a 124.2 MB ISO image file from the project's site. Puppy Linux is licensed under the GPL/LGPL.

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