Slackware 9.0 release notes.  Sun Mar 16 22:42:53 PST 2003

Hi folks,

This is the first release of Slackware based on gcc-3 (3.2.2 to be exact).
Besides the new compiler, you'll also find the 2.4.20 kernel, 
Ogg Vorbis 1.0, FLAC (the Free Lossless Audio Codec), perl 5.8.0, KDE 3.1,
GNOME 2.2, and many other improvements.

There's now integrated Linux hotplugging support.  This takes over the job of
configuring Cardbus cards (instead of pcmcia-cs, still used for non-Cardbus
cards).  However, this means that if you're used to configuring your card in
/etc/pcmcia/, you'll need to set it up elsewhere.  For example, the old way
of configuring a Cardbus network card is by editing /etc/pcmcia/network.opts.
Now you'll need to set up the IP in /etc/rc.d/rc.inet1 (or by running 
"netconfig") instead.  To make matters more confusing, non-Cardbus PC cards
continue to use /etc/pcmcia/network.opts!
   Even with the rough edges, the addition of Linux hotplug support is a major,
major step forward.  In most cases this new subsystem can probe for and detect
every piece of PCI, Cardbus, and USB hardware connected to the machine and
automatically load all the correct kernel modules.  Very nice.  :-)
NOTE:  if the hotplugging subsystem causes problems at boot time, it can be
skipped by passing the kernel a "nohotplug" flag on the kernel command line.

Speaking of PC card support, we're no longer using the driver modules that
come with the pcmcia-cs sources and have moved to the ones included with the
Linux kernel source.  Besides providing better PC card support, this will
make things easier for people who like to keep up with the latest kernels.

Support for USB keyboards is now integrated into the installer.  If USB
device detection causes problems (it shouldn't), it may be skipped by
passing the kernel a "nousb" flag at boot.

Known gotchas:

Netscape plugins will not work in Mozilla until they are recompiled with
gcc-3.2.2 (and for most of them, we have no source code).  They'll continue
to work with Netscape 7.02, though, and KDE seems to have gotten them to
work in Konqueror as well.

If you use the xfs.i kernel (XFS filesystem support), you'll need to
install the kernel-modules package in extra/ (the standard kernel modules
aren't compatible with the XFS patched kernel).

Have fun!  :-)

Pat Volkerding <volkerdi@slackware.com>