About Absolute Linux

Fast, stay-out-of-your-way desktop. No Gnome or KDE. Uses well integrated collection of the best lightweight software to give you most of the things the "big desktops" give you, only at at much, much faster pace.

The software folks use on a desktop: Firefox, OpenOffice, Pidgin chat, GIMP image editor, WPClipart, Thunderbird mail, K3B CD/DVD burning, Frostwire P2P, Deluge BitTorrent, 2 dictionaries, a bunch of games -- basically any of the latest, most popular Open Source software.

Many script utilities (with friendly little GUIs) to make configuration and maintenance of system easier and still allows manual (text-file based) configuration, if desired.

Package compatible with Slackware minor versions. (ex. Absolute 12.2 -> Slackware-12.2), with a few exceptions: kernel packages, KDE-libs, madwifi, ndiswrapper, svga-helper, a/etc.

Root user can install software or set system configurations. That's it. Perfect for parents and IT guys. If you want to do something root user is allowed to do, log in as root. That's what the account is for.

I have been using a modified Slackware for many years.

I had several reasons for this:

All-at-once installer with the packages I wanted. Sifting through everything on the Slackware installer was hell.

Lightweight. Had some older equiptment and also wanted to incorporate use of my modified version into my PC repair business -- installing it on older machines for customers.

Like to play. Want the latest, best software. Slackware was perfect for this as all the headers are left in the packages/libraries so I can compile what I like. Since I like to script/program, I made myself many little utilities and shortcuts to configure the system more easily.

I want complete control. But I want the operating system to stay out of my way.

Hope to raise enough capital to be able to buy new parts/machines in bulk so that I can sell them complete with Absolute installed.

Hope to interest other developers to help improve Absolute, whether they are in it for fun, want to learn enough to make their own distro, or they have interests that are similar to my own -- meaning they want a fast, secure distribution that is easy to support, has good documentation and can be installed on even aging hardware -- and is blazing fast on new equipment.

And whether I ever sell much of anything with Absolute on it or not, I get loads of work done on my machines and I have a real good time doing it.