A Slackware package is a simple TGZ or TXZ compressed archive containing:

• the tree structure of files and directories ;
• post-installation scripts ;
• the package description.

The name of every package provides a series of informations:

• the program name ;
• the program version ;
• the architecture of the package ;
• the build number.

Here's a few examples:

• emacs-24.2-i486-1
• mozilla-firefox-15.0.1-i486-1
• vim-7.3.645-x86_64-1

Since its early releases, Slackware provides a collection of simple tools - the pkgtools - enabling the user to install, upgrade and remove software packages, as well as build them:

• installpkg
• removepkg
• upgradepkg
• explodepkg
• makepkg

Install the Emacs editor from the Slackware DVD ¹⁾:

# mount /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom
# cd /mnt/cdrom/slackware/e
# installpkg emacs-24.2-i486-1.txz
Verifying package emacs-24.2-i486-1.txz.
Installing package emacs-24.2-i486-1.txz [ADD]:
PACKAGE DESCRIPTION:
# emacs (GNU Emacs)
#
# Emacs is the extensible, customizable, self-documenting real-time
# display editor. If this seems to be a bit of a mouthful, an
# easier explanation is that Emacs is a text editor and more. At
# its core is an interpreter for Emacs Lisp, a dialect of the Lisp
# programming language with extensions to support text editing.
# This version supports X.
#
# http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/
#
Executing install script for emacs-24.2-i486-1.txz.
Package emacs-24.2-i486-1.txz installed.

The package installation process has created a new entry in /var/log/packages :

# ls /var/log/packages/em*
/var/log/packages/emacs-24.2-i486-1

Knowing if a package is installed boils down to checking the existence of the corresponding entry in /var/log/packages. Example :

# ls /var/log/packages/*firefox*
/var/log/packages/mozilla-firefox-15.0.1-i486-1

Firefox is installed on the system, in version 15.0.1. Another example :

# ls /var/log/packages/kdebase*
ls: cannot access /var/log/packages/kdebase*: No such file or directory

There is no kdebase-* package installed on the system.

Use removepkg to remove an installed package. The command can take the simple basename of the package as an argument. Example:

# removepkg emacs

It's also possible to provide the complete name as an argument. In that case, it's better to call the command from within /var/log/packages and use tab completion:

# cd /var/log/packages
# removepkg emacs-24.2-i486-1

Slackware provides security updates for its latest releases. Visit the official site to know more about the latest updates:

# links http://www.slackware.com

1. Follow the ChangeLogs link.
2. Check out Slackware-stable ChangeLog.
3. Read the file ChangeLog.txt corresponding to the architecture of your system.

You can also use the Links browser to fetch updates manually. Before launching Links, create a /root/updates directory ²⁾ to store your downloaded updates:

# cd
# mkdir updates
# cd updates/
# links mirrors.slackware.com

1. Follow the Slackware File Tree link.
2. Check out the directory corresponding to your release and architecture.
3. Change into the patches/packages directory.
4. Download any available updates.

Quit Links and install your updates like this :

# upgradepkg bind-9.9.1_P4-i486-1_slack14.0.txz

+==============================================================================
| Upgrading bind-9.9.1_P3-i486-1 package using ./bind-9.9.1_P4-i486-1_slack14.0.txz
+==============================================================================
Pre-installing package bind-9.9.1_P4-i486-1_slack14.0...
Removing package /var/log/packages/bind-9.9.1_P3-i486-1-upgraded-2012-11-21,12:14:32...
  --> Deleting /usr/doc/bind-9.9.1-P3/CHANGES
  --> Deleting /usr/doc/bind-9.9.1-P3/COPYRIGHT
  --> Deleting /usr/doc/bind-9.9.1-P3/FAQ
  ...
Verifying package bind-9.9.1_P4-i486-1_slack14.0.txz.
Installing package bind-9.9.1_P4-i486-1_slack14.0.txz:
PACKAGE DESCRIPTION:
bind (DNS server and utilities)
#
# The named daemon and support utilities such as dig, host, and
# nslookup.  Sample configuration files for running a simple caching
# nameserver are included.  Documentation for advanced name server
# setup can be found in /usr/doc/bind-9.x.x/.
#
Executing install script for bind-9.9.1_P4-i486-1_slack14.0.txz.
Package bind-9.9.1_P4-i486-1_slack14.0.txz installed.
  
Package bind-9.9.1_P3-i486-1 upgraded with new package
./bind-9.9.1_P4-i486-1_slack14.0.txz.

Another example :

# upgradepkg iptables-1.4.14-i486-2_slack14.0.txz