Slackware-based Zenwalk, aiming to make Slackware more accessible as a daily desktop system by keeping its traditional base while adding a polished out-of-the-box experience, has announced its Current Milestone 2026, a new snapshot of the project’s rolling development branch.
As usual for a Current milestone, the system has been completely rebuilt against the latest Slackware Current packages alongside Zenwalk-specific components. One of the biggest additions is fully integrated Flatpak support, with Flatpak installed and configured out of the box and Flathub enabled as an application source.
Users can install Flatpak apps directly through the graphical software store while the underlying system continues to rely on traditional Slackware packages.
On the kernel side, Zenwalk Current Milestone 2026 ships with Linux 7.1.7 patched with BORE (Burst-Oriented Response Enhancer). The scheduler modification favors short, interactive CPU workloads, aiming to keep desktop applications and the overall interface responsive even under heavier load.
The desktop is based on Xfce 4.20 and retains Zenwalk’s dock-centered approach, placing application launching and running apps at the heart of the workflow while keeping the desktop relatively uncluttered.
The milestone also includes the project’s recently introduced Window Maker-inspired desktop layout, along with a freshly rewritten collection of graphical system administration tools.
Those utilities cover common administrative tasks such as network configuration, users and groups, services, storage, software management, and other system settings. They continue Zenwalk’s long-standing effort to provide graphical alternatives for day-to-day administration without removing access to the command line.
For additional details, see the announcement.
Imge credits: Zenwalk
