The Slackware Internationalization Project

About slint

The ultimate goal of the project is that all users can install and use Slackware Linux in their native language.

That could help expand Slackware's user base, as do the Slackware Documentation Project which already provides documentation in many languages.

This is not yet in Slackware's scope and only Slackware's maintainer can decide to broaden that scope.

Nevertheless the slint project, which is neither affiliated to nor endorsed by Slackware, is a step in that direction

Use slint

The project provides:

• A software package allowing firstly to include an internationalized installer in a Slackware DVD, secondly to translate it into more languages.
• internationalized installers for each supported Slackware edition in two forms: ISO image to be burnt to a CD or DVD and image to be written to a USB key.

At time of writing internationalized installer includes:

• variants for Slackware-13.37, Slackware-14.0 and Slackware-14.1 (32 and 64 bit),
• localization in French, German, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Spanish (Latin America) and Ukrainian.

Using USB ISO images of internationalized installers

Go to subdirectory of https://slint.fr/pub corresponding to edition for which you want an installer, for instance https://slint.fr/pub/64-14.1 for Slackware64-14.1 and follow instructions.

To burn a CD or DVD of internationalized installer for Slackware64-14.1:

• growisofs -speed=2 -dvd-compat -Z /dev/dvd=[file name ending in .iso]

To write the internationalized installer for Slackware64-14.1 on an USB key named /dev/sdc (example, to be replaced by name found in typing 'cat /proc/partitions' or 'dmesg|tail'):

• dd if=[file name ending in .img] of=/dev/sdc bs=512

WARNING:

• double check that /dev/sdc (or other) be not the name of a hard disk, as its content WOULD BE IRRECOVERABLY DELETED!
• Previous content of USB key will be deleted, so save it elsewhere before you begin if you want to keep it.

NOTE. To perform installation you will need, in addition to the installer, a media of software packages for the same version, for instance a Slackware DVD or a local mirror, as these packages are not included in ISO and USB images.

Usage of software package slint-[date].tar.xz

You will need, besides software package itself:

1. A full mirror of Slackware edition you want to internationalize: a Slackware DVD, an ISO image or a local mirror.
2. a Linux distribution including 'gettext' tools and files needed for internationalization. Of course a full Slackware is prefered, but you can download slint and use it in another Linux system,

Download the software package, and the md5 check file as well, then type following command:

• md5sum -c slint-[date].tar.xz.md5 # output should be "OK"

Then unpack the package:

• tar xf slint-[date].tar.xz # this will create subdirectory slint-[date]

Finally type, as root:

• slint-[date]/slint.sh

Follow script's instructions. You you will indicate in the command line what Slackware edition you want to internationalize.The script will then ask you:

• the path to the local mirror of the Slackware edition you want to internationalize,
• what languages you want to include in the internationalized installer (in case you wonder why US English is not listed, it's always included :-)