# ZipSlack

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Release of the Slackware Linux distribution

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**ZipSlack** was a specially compiled release of the [Slackware](/source/Slackware) [Linux distribution](/source/Linux_distribution) that was designed to be lightweight and portable. It was distributed in a [ZIP](/source/ZIP_(file_format)) archive along with the Slackware release.

## Installation

Installing ZipSlack required obtaining the archive and unzipping it to the place where the user wished to install it. Unlike some other programs at the time, ZipSlack did not require for the user to reconfigure existing [partitions](/source/Partition_(computing)) to install it.

## Details

ZipSlack used the [UMSDOS](/source/UMSDOS) [filesystem](/source/Filesystem) under [Linux](/source/Linux), which ran on top of the [FAT](/source/File_Allocation_Table) [filesystem](/source/Filesystem). The FAT filesystem was originally used by [Microsoft](/source/Microsoft) operating systems and can be found today on various types of [removable media](/source/Removable_media) such as [ZIP disks](/source/ZIP_drive), [SuperDisks](/source/SuperDisk), [USB flash drives](/source/USB_flash_drive), and [secure digital cards](/source/Secure_digital_card).

The last release of Slackware that 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. [1] The most likely cause of this is the lack of UMSDOS support in Linux 2.6, as support for this filesystem type had been removed from the official Linux sources after some discussion[2] regarding the [Linux Kernel Mailing List](/source/LKML).[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]

ZipSlack was quite lightweight compared to other operating systems in its time. For example, the [X Window System](/source/X11) was not present in ZipSlack by default, nor were there any [GUI](/source/GUI)-based web browsers. However, since ZipSlack was essentially just a miniature installation of Slackware, users were able to use the Slackware [package management system](/source/Package_management_system) to install whatever packages they may need.

## Minimum requirements

When downloaded, ZipSlack required approximately 100 [megabytes](/source/Megabyte) of disk space and an [Intel 80386](/source/Intel_80386) or compatible [CPU](/source/CPU). ZipSlack was able to run with a minimum of four megabytes of memory with an add-on supplied by Slackware.[3] However, at least eight to sixteen megabytes were the recommended minimum requirement with the possibility of more if the X Window System or other GUI software was going to be used with it.

The UMSDOS file system needed to be hosted on a FAT filesystem.

## Caveats

The archive, which contained the ZipSlack distribution, was too big to be decompressed with a [16-bit application](/source/16-bit_application) such as the older versions of [PKZIP](/source/PKZIP) for [DOS](/source/DOS) systems.[4] Instead, software such as a 32-bit DOS version of [Info-ZIP](/source/Info-ZIP) compiled with a [DOS extender](/source/DOS_extender), [Info-ZIP](/source/Info-ZIP) on Linux, [WinZip](/source/WinZip), [7-Zip](/source/7-Zip), or another similarly capable utility on [Microsoft Windows](/source/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.

## See also

- [Lightweight Linux distribution](/source/Lightweight_Linux_distribution)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-slackware-12-relannouncements2_1-0)** [Slackware 12.0 Release Announcement](http://www.slackware.com/announce/12.0.php). Retrieved November 6, 2007.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-lkml-12_2-0)** [UMSDOS discussion on the Linux Kernel Mailing List](https://lkml.indiana.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/0407.1/0763.html). Verified on March 23, 2022.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["The Slackware Linux Project"](http://www.slackware.com/zipslack/getzip.php).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-zipslack-2_4-0)** [The Slackware Linux Project: Frequently Asked Questions (“I can’t unzip the file – it says I don’t have enough memory!”)](http://www.slackware.com/faq/do_faq.php?faq=zipslack#4). Verified November 6, 2007.

## External links

- [The ZipSlack portion of the Slackware Web Site](http://www.slackware.com/zipslack/)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [ZipSlack](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZipSlack) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZipSlack?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.