Softlanding Linux System

Softlanding Linux System (SLS) was one of the first Linux distributions. The first release was by Peter MacDonald^[4] in May 1992.^[5][6] Their slogan at the time was "Gentle Touchdowns for DOS Bailouts".^[7] SLS was the first release to offer a comprehensive Linux distribution containing more than the Linux kernel, GNU, and other basic utilities, including an implementation of the X Window System.^[4][8]

Softlanding Linux System

Developer	Peter MacDonald
OS family	Linux (Unix-like)
Working state	Discontinued
Initial release	May 1992; 33 years ago (1992-05)
Latest release	1.06[1][2] / 1994; 31 years ago (1994)
Repository	github.com/rdebath/SLS-1.02
Platforms	i386[3]
Kernel type	Monolithic (Linux)
Influenced	Slackware, Debian

History

SLS was the most popular Linux distribution at the time, but it was considered to be rather buggy by its users. It was soon superseded by Slackware (which started as a cleanup of SLS by Patrick Volkerding) and Yggdrasil Linux/GNU/X, among others.

Similarly, Ian Murdock's frustration with SLS led him to create the Debian project.^[9]

Version History

Known SLS releases

Version	Release date
1.00	12 August 1992[10]
1.01	18 April 1993[11]
1.02	28 April 1993[12]
1.03	5 August 1993[13]
1.04	21 October 1993[14]
1.05	5 April 1994[15]
1.06	Late 1994[1]