Absolute Linux Home

A desktop that helps you do what you want,
but knows how to stay out of your way.

Latest release is Absolute 12.1 RC2

. . . part of the Open Invention Network

Absolute desktop - Think Linux background on the Absoblueski theme

What is Absolute?

Absolute is a customized Slackware distribution:

Assembled to make installation and maintenance of Slackware easier.

It is an easy install (no package selection)

kernel build that is set to accept CPUs down to a Pentium MMX and tuned for desktop performance

You CAN run Absolute on a Pentium 200 with 64 MB of RAM (although it would be really slow) -- but with a Pentium II or above and at least 128 MB of RAM you can expect zippy and stable performance

Accepts packages made for same Slackware Version, so you can use Slackware software repositories.

Absolute is a desktop-oriented Slackware -- lightweight but stable. Secure, in that only root user can install software and configure the system. Basically an IT or system-builder's friend in that it can run nicely on old hardware. Very easy for users to get things done because of the software selection and utilities and documentation -- yet difficult for them to mess things up.

This leads to 2 things:
Home "power" users may take to running as root all the time -- not smart but, hey, I'm also often guilty as charged as I play with development

IT guys who set up machines at work and schools don't have to worry about folks messing things up. They set up a machne, hook it up to the internet and/or network, throw on OpenOffice from the Absolute CD2, plug in the printer and walk away saying "there you go -- call me when the hardware dies."

To me it is Linux at its best -- completely configurable for those with the knowledge and inclination, but useable and productive "out of the box" for anyone, thanks to small, single-purpose applications and utilities to help get things done.

The system is built to do what I want it to do. Nothing less but nothing more. I want the user interface to have robust functionality, but also STAY OUT OF MY WAY.

Below are some feature highlights related to the installed software:

icewm/pcmanfm/ROX_Filer as a window/file manager(s) combination

Very lightweight and responsive. Common attachable device handling built into the kernel and accessible via pcmanfm and playable media pops up menu via ivman. Pcmanfm slightly modified to enable openning current folder with ROX-Filer and to send current path to clipboard. Has Fluxbox/Fox PathFinder as an alternative or backup.

Time-saving utilities
Slackware is wonderful, don't get me wrong -- but to new users the configuration and maintenance can be time-consuming and frustrating. Rather than try to create an all-in-one solution with tons of processing overhead, like KDE and others -- Absolute is still controlled completely by the same simple text files that Slackware uses, but several small utilities were made as a front end to these. For instance, there is one to make a new user with common rights and permissions to desktop stuff. Just put in a name and password, and the user is created. But you can still go in and edit group permissions and all the rest the same way as with a basic Slackware machine. But most folks, most of the time, will never have to bother.

See the Custom Utilities page for details. There are a lot of them.

Preconfigured menus/shortcuts
Not the kind of thing you would worry about when using a desktop environment like KDE, Windows or Gnome, But with a bare-bones window/file manager these things are not normally setup. When you add something you have to worry about making a menu item, a shortcut, setting the appropriate filetype action to be taken . . . it can be tedious. With Absolute, the menus/associations are already set up for the preinstalled applications (and even for some that are not yet -- like OpenOffice.) So you get the raw speed of a lightweight desktop without any of the inconvenience.

Desktop-oriented software
Server software, emacs and many applications desktop users have no need for or interest in are skipped while stuff like Deluge(bittorrent - on CD2), K3B (CD-burning), MPlayer (movie/DVD player), Firefox (browser - but Links2 is there for older machines), some real games and many other titles desktop users actually want are already there.

Customized install
Same BASIC text-based CD installer as Slackware, but package selection is NOT an option. All included packages are installed and take up about 1.8Gb of hard drive space. [My last install test, with the hard drive already partitioned, took me 15 minutes.] Sound and volume are preset on first boot if Alsa (the sound system) supports your sound card. The first time started you log in as root, make whatever users or configuration changes you would like, then go about your business.

Documentation
This is often the most overlooked feature in Open-Source Software. But as you can see in the screenshot section, Absolute has a menu section that holds an extensive library of manuals for specific applications, as well as for the file and window managers and even more generally for Slackware (upon which Absolute is based) and Linux.

Why Absolute?

Absolute is Slackware-based -- The oldest surviving Linux distribution, renowned for its stability, security and speed. I have a server in my basement running version 7 or 8 (I forget) since I moved to my home in 2000. Maintenance has consisted of scraping the sawdust off the front grill a couple times. (The machine is close to my table saw.)

If Slackware's so great . . . then what motivated me to create a modified distribution? Well, to start off with it is what I use. All day, every day. My kids use it and, as a PC repair guy, I install it. I wanted:
ease of installation (to save my time),

lightweight enough to put on even very old machines,

included software is set up for desktop use, not as a server,

and stable enough and easy enough to use so that I did not get support calls all the time.

Absolute does not change how Slackware works, it just makes it easier and faster. Desktop oriented, as opposed to a server machine. So if you are familiar with Slackware, you can still do all the configuration voodoo the old-fashioned way if you like.

Is it for you?

If you are tired of fighting with adware and virii, spending good money on new machines that only seem to run slower the more time that goes by and the more money you throw at them, tired of Microsoft updates for buggy security and having to pay gobs of money for new hardware for an OS (ie Vista) that does nothing more for you than a bit of eye-candy and increasingly constrains what you can do with your own multimedia -- then you may well be motivated enough to try Absolute.

If you have an old P2 or P3 languishing around and if you put it on the internet it fills up with garbage and even with the antivirus it runs like an old dog -- wake it up! Absolute is lean, clean and won't get infected with every virus, worm, trojan or piece of poorly-written, system-sapping and sometimes dangerous spyware.

If you want to safely, easily and quickly be able to check your email, watch movies, listen to music, make documents, charts, plot graphs -- burn music or videos or pictures, edit pictures, play some games online or off, download videos or music, use a couple included dictionaries or read etext or FTP or download new software without fear. All without fear.

Then try it. Absolute is Open Source Software.

Why wouldn't I want Absolute?

If you want to run iTunes. If you are a gamer and want to play the latest Windows games. If you use MS Word and won't settle for ANYTHING else . . . then stick with Windows. None of these reasons makes you a bad person. It's your computer and you can and should use it the way you like.

You just won't be as productive as we are : )

About Free Software

Absolute is free software, based upon Slackware Linux and modified by Paul Sherman and distributed under the GNU General Public License (GPL).

Free software is not just free of cost (like "free beer"). It is free as in freedom (like "free speech"). Free software gives you the freedom to use a program, study how it works, improve it, and share it with others. For more information, visit the Free Software Foundation.

Software and programs like Absolute OS are also called open source software, because their source code is available for anyone to study or use. There are thousands of other free and open source programs, including the Mozilla web browser, the OpenOffice.org office suite, and other entire Linux-based operating systems, such as Ubuntu.

Why distribute Absolute?

I use it. My kids use it. I install it on customer's machines. If I get a few other folks who find it useful, for whatever purpose, I hope to get some feedback, maybe some tips, and perhaps they can even contribute in whatever way they can . . . be it as additional software packages, code tweaks, documentation -- whatever.

. . . and I use GPL stuff. I should kick some back out. If anyone want the code to any app, my KDElib changes, etc., then just drop me a note at psherma1@rochester.rr.com.

Most of the utilities and customizations are in Python or Bash scripts, so you can look at the code on an installed machine. As a matter of fact, I have separated most of the custom scripts into /usr/local/bin and /usr/local/sbin (rather than just /usr) so that folks can find and play with the Slackware customizations more easily.

Enjoy. Hope you get some use out of Absolute -- and please visit the Forum if you have any questions or feedback.

Pages created on Absolute OS	Graphics made/edited by the Gimp