Patrick Volkerding (born October 20, 1966) is the founder and maintainer of the Slackware Linux distribution.

[11] Early versions of Slackware would entreat users to send him a bottle of local beer in appreciation for his work.

[2][3][8] In 2004, Volkerding announced via mailing list post that he was suffering from actinomycosis,[13] a serious illness requiring multiple rounds of antibiotics and with an uncertain prognosis.

After that six-month contract, Robert Bruce of Walnut Creek CDROM began publishing Slackware as a CD-ROM set.

[17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24] Walnut Creek CDROM,[25][26][27] 60% owner of Slackware Linux, Inc., was sold to BSDi[28][29] and later to Wind River Systems.