Why Slackware?

[blackhawk714]

Hello to all. I was just wondering about slackware. I have tried it before and have found it rather difficult to manage, but not impossible. I am now using Fedora core 1 and find it very easy to use, but am kind of looking for something a little lighter. I am no stranger to installing linux for I have done a stage 1 gentoo install as well as 4 stage 2s. I just wanted to know from all you slackers out there why I should switch. Thanks for your time and help guys. As always it is much appriciated. :)

<edit> I also wanted to know if anyone has gotten the fglrx drivers to work in slackware for I love games and have them installed (with almost no effort I might add) in Fedora core 1. Thanks guys. I also wat to use fluxbox as the WM as I am using that and love it) </edit>:D

[questionasker]

if youve tried it, anf found it rather hard to amnage, do you really need anyone's opinion of why you should switch? i mean, if youve used it, you would now if you liked it enough to switch.

anyway, id say the best reason is the configuration.
thats what makes it alittle harder to learn, but it pays off in the end.

[goth4christ]

I'd have to agree with questionasker. If you've used it before and didn't think the extra effort was worth the benefits, then it's probably gonna be the same.

Slackware has done some great improvements over the last release but the way you administer is still the same. Lots of console tools and editing config files with your favourite text editor.

The benefits are extreme configurability, a better knowlege by the user/admin of how the system actually works, and in my opinion more stability. If you've mastered slackware setup you'd probably have no difficulty with wine configuration :p

I also recon that package managment is also a good feature of slack, but then again I don't know how Fedora or Gentoo pkg managment is, or what you're looking for.

It's all about what YOU want in a system!!:)

[bwkaz]

Look around for rpm2tgz for the ATI drivers. Though I'm not positive if it'll work...

[AndrewLubinus89]

Rpm works fine in slackware (although you have to --nodeps everytime (it sometimes has better results than rpm2tgz)). Fluxbox comes with 9.1 and I find it very easy to install new window managers if you want a different one.

[Arjay]

I've used two distros in the past, firstly Mandrake and secondly Slackware, since 7.1. I dunno why i like it, it just has that feel about it...maybe it has that more geeky feel...lol. I suppose i get more satisfaction out of Slack because i am forced to learn the internals, ie config files, and that makes me feel like i am learning something. Another reason is, if i have fancy graphical configuration tools then i will use them, but what i want really is to learn linux properly so i can become an expert at it...and that is what Slackware *makes* me do.

I've also read that Slackware is still one of the closest distros to unix and if all goes well in the next couple of years i would like to see myself working in a linux/unix environment, and i think Slack can give me a good foundation.

Cheers :-)

[asklepios]

Originally posted by hard candy
take a look at this post (http://justlinux.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=122565)

It seems the cultural life of Slackware is much more edifying than Suse's. Which would you rather hang with? the Church of the Subgenius or efficient, tightlipped businessmen? I think your choice of software should be based on your emotional needs- since when you get down to it opening a file in Slackware or in Suse gets you pretty much the same result (some of the windrow dressing is different).
That's it- We'll start a movement for people choosing their software based on their emotional makeup. The heck with efficiency, speed, utility, etc.
If WinXp gives you a warm, fuzzy feeling and Redhat leaves you emotionally detached- then go for WinXP.
I used to choose software based on its age- if it was new, I wanted it. Then I went with price- if it was free, I wanted it. Later was the frills- if it had fancy plugins, addons, etc I had to have it. Now I choose based on whether software fills an emotional void- if I install it and I feel better, then I keep it (sort of like significant others). One time I found a repository of Debian packages, I had an
overwhelming sense of peace and serenity (I was going to say orgasm, but that leads to sex, and I didn't want say I had to have software to have sex, only the hardware :) ).
Now that I think of it, really most of us are doing that now, basing our choice of distros on our emotional responses. Sometimes we install stuff because it came free with a magazine, or in the mail, or we clicked on a link. But I believe we keep software because it gives us good feelings.
Again kind of like a spouse, if it keeps doing what it's supposed to and we still have feelings for it, then we keep it/her/him. Otherwise, it's uninstall time! (of course even if you uninstall it, you may have to keep paying license fees/alimony depending on the contract ).
So I guess it boils down to choosing the right distro/spouse or getting a pet.
http://www.justlinux.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=122717
i read that post around 10 days ago and i feel that is absolutely true. you just attach to something and then swear by it. imo that is what Slackware does to you. i have tried RedHat, Mandrake, Debian and then Slackware. now, i can't do without Slack but chosing a distro is absolutely emotional thing :p

[automatic]

I tried many distro before. each have different tools: tools for setup x, tools for add and remove application etc.

In slackware I find a very basic way to do things, some (maybe most) setting can be done in command line mode.

Somehow I feel purity in slackware, IMHO if one can master slackware, will have no difficulty adapting with other distro.

drawbacks that I know are:
1. my friend said slackware standard is not used in other distro, I still can't feel the different here. Well VI is diferent from KNOPPIX version VI.
2. not a ready to use distro in term of application installed, compare to mandrake (or newest PCLinuxOS) which got everything a regular desktop user need install and ready to use.

slackware <> easy
slackware = fun
:D

[SunOfTux]

I think I love Slackware so much because of its UTTER SIMPLICITY.

For example, if want to add a user to a group i will manually edit the /etc/group file. With other distros, I would have to click here, click there, stand on my head, and pray that the complex frontend program has done the job right, or worse.... that I haven't input something wrong into the frontend program... causing system failure.

Another reason I really dig Slack is because it is much more "BSD" like than other distros.

[dboyer]

dude... dude...

the name.

"slack-ware."

can't beat that!

:)

[blackhawk714]

well thanks guys, I'll keep all that in mind. I like the post about the emotional decision making in software. Very cool. Thanks again. I might consider trying slack again. The last time I tried it was version 8 fyi. LaTeR :D ;)

[nabis]

IMHO, Slackware should adapt the BSD portage system, I'ts awesome.
swaret and slapt-get are nice, but not adequate, they are using the same "installpkg".
Figuring out now how is it done in BSD.
(note: I could be wrong about slapt-get which has a --compile option).

[Trogdor]

Originally posted by nabis
IMHO, Slackware should adapt the BSD portage system, I'ts awesome.
swaret and slapt-get are nice, but not adequate, they are using the same "installpkg".
Figuring out now how is it done in BSD.
(note: I could be wrong about slapt-get which has a --compile option). Well . . . Gentoo (http://www.gentoo.org/), a source-based distro, uses a system called portage, based on the BSD ports system. TRY IT NOW! It's the only distro I use, now.

[nabis]

I don't have a 1000T broadband for Gentoo :) simple.
Also I like the style of Slack :)

[Trogdor]

Originally posted by nabis
I don't have a 1000T broadband for Gentoo :) simple.
Also I like the style of Slack :) You don't need a lot of bandwidth for gentoo. Just enough to get the sources (pretty small).

[nabis]

If you install Gentoo from stage 3 it is not different from Slackware. Trogdor, I believe you, that Gentoo is very good distribution.
*now going to make some noise in alt.os.linux.slackware, to persuade Pat to include portage*
Sooner or later all the distros will use portage I think, it's just a shame not to use it.

[s1nn]

I used slack for a long time , and still do primarily for a rock steady desktop,or server,
I recently Installed arch linux and I am pretty impressed by it, it has a binary system kinda like deb but also has a bsd style ports type system as well, and it has a very "pure" feel , with alo of commandline work like slackware

But as I said in the begining, when I need a rock steady, quick setup for a desktop, nothing beats slack

[JamminJoeyB]

Some where on these forums is a portage on any distro how-to. I put it on my Evil Entity install. EE just hasn't put out any updated packages in for every.

Portage gave me an easy way to keep all those security patches and bug fixes under control.

Still prefer my slack9.1. Use the EE install to test different kernels.