ZipSlack
Encyclopedia
ZipSlack was a specially compiled release of the Slackware
Linux distribution
which was designed to be lightweight and portable. It was distributed in a ZIP
archive along with the Slackware
release.
Installing ZipSlack only required obtaining the archive and unzipping it to the place where the user wished to install it, which means that ZipSlack did not require one to go through the process of reconfiguring your existing partitions to try or install it.
filesystem under Linux
, which means that it actually ran on top of the FAT
filesystem, originally widely used by Microsoft
operating systems, and commonly found today on various types of removable media
such as ZIP disks, SuperDisk
s, USB flash drive
s, and Secure Digital card
s.
The last release of Slackware which contained ZipSlack was Slackware 11.0. Slackware 12.0 did not contain a ZipSlack setup within its distribution, although this change was not mentioned in its release announcement. The most likely cause of this is the lack of UMSDOS
support in Linux 2.6, as support for this filesystem type has been removed from the official Linux sources after some discussionUMSDOS discussion on the Linux Kernel Mailing List. Verified on November 6, 2007. regarding it on the Linux Kernel Mailing List.
ZipSlack was quite lightweight, excluding a great deal of the software considered “normal” on an installation of a GNU
/Linux
based distribution today. For example, in ZipSlack, the X Window System was not present by default, nor were any GUI
based web browsers. However, since ZipSlack was essentially just a miniature installation of Slackware
, you were able to use the Slackware
package management system
to install whatever packages you may need.
s of disk space and an Intel 80386
or compatible CPU. ZipSlack was able to run with as little as four mebibyte
s of memory, with an add-on supplied by Slackwarehttp://www.slackware.com/zipslack/getzip.php. However, at least eight megabytes—preferably 16—was the recommended minimum requirement; possibly more if the X Window System or other GUI
software is going to be used with it.
The UMSDOS file system needs to be hosted on a FAT subsystem, not NTFS.
such as the older versions of PKZIP
for DOS
systems. Instead, software such as a 32-bit DOS version of Info-ZIP
(compiled with a DOS extender
), Info-ZIP
on Linux, or WinZip
, 7-Zip
, or another similarly capable utility on Microsoft Windows
needed to be used. Alternatively, the system could be booted on a live-CD version of Slackware, and the standard zip utility provided with the distribution used.
Slackware
Slackware is a free and open source Linux-based operating system. It was one of the earliest operating systems to be built on top of the Linux kernel and is the oldest currently being maintained. Slackware was created by Patrick Volkerding of Slackware Linux, Inc. in 1993...
Linux distribution
Linux distribution
A Linux distribution is a member of the family of Unix-like operating systems built on top of the Linux kernel. Such distributions are operating systems including a large collection of software applications such as word processors, spreadsheets, media players, and database applications...
which was designed to be lightweight and portable. It was distributed in a ZIP
ZIP (file format)
Zip is a file format used for data compression and archiving. A zip file contains one or more files that have been compressed, to reduce file size, or stored as is...
archive along with the Slackware
Slackware
Slackware is a free and open source Linux-based operating system. It was one of the earliest operating systems to be built on top of the Linux kernel and is the oldest currently being maintained. Slackware was created by Patrick Volkerding of Slackware Linux, Inc. in 1993...
release.
Installing ZipSlack only required obtaining the archive and unzipping it to the place where the user wished to install it, which means that ZipSlack did not require one to go through the process of reconfiguring your existing partitions to try or install it.
Details
ZipSlack used the UMSDOSUMSDOS
Linux has several filesystem drivers for the File Allocation Table filesystem format. These are commonly known by the names used in the mount command to invoke particular drivers in the kernel: msdos, vfat, and umsdos....
filesystem under Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
, which means that it actually ran on top of the FAT
File Allocation Table
File Allocation Table is a computer file system architecture now widely used on many computer systems and most memory cards, such as those used with digital cameras. FAT file systems are commonly found on floppy disks, flash memory cards, digital cameras, and many other portable devices because of...
filesystem, originally widely used by Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
operating systems, and commonly found today on various types of removable media
Removable media
In computer storage, removable media refers to storage media which is designed to be removed from the computer without powering the computer off.Some types of removable media are designed to be read by removable readers and drives...
such as ZIP disks, SuperDisk
SuperDisk
The SuperDisk, sometimes marketed as LS-120 and a later variant LS-240, is a high-speed, high-capacity alternative to the 90 mm , 1.44 MB floppy disk. The Superdisk hardware was introduced by 3M's storage products group circa 1997...
s, USB flash drive
USB flash drive
A flash drive is a data storage device that consists of flash memory with an integrated Universal Serial Bus interface. flash drives are typically removable and rewritable, and physically much smaller than a floppy disk. Most weigh less than 30 g...
s, and Secure Digital card
Secure Digital card
Secure Digital is a non-volatile memory card format developed by the SD Card Association for use in portable devices. The SD technology is used by more than 400 brands across dozens of product categories and more than 8,000 models, and is considered the de-facto industry standard.Secure Digital...
s.
The last release of Slackware which contained ZipSlack was Slackware 11.0. Slackware 12.0 did not contain a ZipSlack setup within its distribution, although this change was not mentioned in its release announcement. The most likely cause of this is the lack of UMSDOS
UMSDOS
Linux has several filesystem drivers for the File Allocation Table filesystem format. These are commonly known by the names used in the mount command to invoke particular drivers in the kernel: msdos, vfat, and umsdos....
support in Linux 2.6, as support for this filesystem type has been removed from the official Linux sources after some discussionUMSDOS discussion on the Linux Kernel Mailing List. Verified on November 6, 2007. regarding it on the Linux Kernel Mailing List.
ZipSlack was quite lightweight, excluding a great deal of the software considered “normal” on an installation of a GNU
GNU
GNU is a Unix-like computer operating system developed by the GNU project, ultimately aiming to be a "complete Unix-compatible software system"...
/Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
based distribution today. For example, in ZipSlack, the X Window System was not present by default, nor were any GUI
Gui
Gui or guee is a generic term to refer to grilled dishes in Korean cuisine. These most commonly have meat or fish as their primary ingredient, but may in some cases also comprise grilled vegetables or other vegetarian ingredients. The term derives from the verb, "gupda" in Korean, which literally...
based web browsers. However, since ZipSlack was essentially just a miniature installation of Slackware
Slackware
Slackware is a free and open source Linux-based operating system. It was one of the earliest operating systems to be built on top of the Linux kernel and is the oldest currently being maintained. Slackware was created by Patrick Volkerding of Slackware Linux, Inc. in 1993...
, you were able to use the Slackware
Slackware
Slackware is a free and open source Linux-based operating system. It was one of the earliest operating systems to be built on top of the Linux kernel and is the oldest currently being maintained. Slackware was created by Patrick Volkerding of Slackware Linux, Inc. in 1993...
package management system
Package management system
In software, a package management system, also called package manager, is a collection of software tools to automate the process of installing, upgrading, configuring, and removing software packages for a computer's operating system in a consistent manner...
to install whatever packages you may need.
Minimum requirements
As downloaded, ZipSlack required approximately 100 megabyteMegabyte
The megabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage or transmission with two different values depending on context: bytes generally for computer memory; and one million bytes generally for computer storage. The IEEE Standards Board has decided that "Mega will mean 1 000...
s of disk space and an Intel 80386
Intel 80386
The Intel 80386, also known as the i386, or just 386, was a 32-bit microprocessor introduced by Intel in 1985. The first versions had 275,000 transistors and were used as the central processing unit of many workstations and high-end personal computers of the time...
or compatible CPU. ZipSlack was able to run with as little as four mebibyte
Mebibyte
The mebibyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information. The binary prefix mebi means 220, therefore 1 mebibyte is . The unit symbol for the mebibyte is MiB. The unit was established by the International Electrotechnical Commission in 2000 and has been accepted for use by all major...
s of memory, with an add-on supplied by Slackwarehttp://www.slackware.com/zipslack/getzip.php. However, at least eight megabytes—preferably 16—was the recommended minimum requirement; possibly more if the X Window System or other GUI
Gui
Gui or guee is a generic term to refer to grilled dishes in Korean cuisine. These most commonly have meat or fish as their primary ingredient, but may in some cases also comprise grilled vegetables or other vegetarian ingredients. The term derives from the verb, "gupda" in Korean, which literally...
software is going to be used with it.
The UMSDOS file system needs to be hosted on a FAT subsystem, not NTFS.
Caveats
The archive which contained the ZipSlack distribution was too big to be decompressed with a 16-bit application16-bit application
A 16 bit application is any software written for MS-DOS, OS/2 1.x or early versions of Microsoft Windows which originally ran on the 16-bit Intel 8088 and Intel 80286 microprocessors. Such applications used a 20-bit or 24-bit segment or selector-offset address representation to extend the range of...
such as the older versions of PKZIP
PKZIP
PKZIP is an archiving tool originally written by Phil Katz and marketed by his company PKWARE, Inc. The common "PK" prefix used in both PKZIP and PKWARE stands for "Phil Katz".-History:...
for DOS
DOS
DOS, short for "Disk Operating System", is an acronym for several closely related operating systems that dominated the IBM PC compatible market between 1981 and 1995, or until about 2000 if one includes the partially DOS-based Microsoft Windows versions 95, 98, and Millennium Edition.Related...
systems. Instead, software such as a 32-bit DOS version of Info-ZIP
Info-ZIP
Info-ZIP is a set of open-source software to handle ZIP archives. It has been in circulation since 1989. It consists of 4 separately-installable packages: the Zip and UnZip command-line utilities; and WiZ and MacZip, which are graphical user interfaces for archiving programs in Microsoft Windows...
(compiled with a DOS extender
DOS extender
A DOS extender is a computer software program which enables software to run under a protected mode environment even though the host operating system is only capable of operating in real mode....
), Info-ZIP
Info-ZIP
Info-ZIP is a set of open-source software to handle ZIP archives. It has been in circulation since 1989. It consists of 4 separately-installable packages: the Zip and UnZip command-line utilities; and WiZ and MacZip, which are graphical user interfaces for archiving programs in Microsoft Windows...
on Linux, or WinZip
WinZip
WinZip is a proprietary file archiver and compressor for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X, developed by WinZip Computing...
, 7-Zip
7-Zip
7-Zip is an open source file archiver. 7-Zip operates with the 7z archive format, but can read and write several other archive formats. The program can be used from a command line interface, graphical user interface, or with Microsoft Windows shell integration. 7-Zip began in 1999 and is actively...
, or another similarly capable utility on Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
needed to be used. Alternatively, the system could be booted on a live-CD version of Slackware, and the standard zip utility provided with the distribution used.