Slackware 12.1 Released

SlackFan writes "Slackware 12.1 has been released, with kernel 2.6.24-5. 'Among the many program updates and distribution enhancements, you'll find better support for RAID, LVM, and cryptsetup; a network capable (FTP and HTTP, not only NFS) installer; and two of the most advanced desktop environments available today: Xfce 4.4.2, a fast, lightweight, and visually appealing desktop environment, and KDE 3.5.9, the latest 3.x version of the full-featured K Desktop Environment.'"

ok and?

[by Anonymous Coward]

same stuff as in every other distro. the same "most advanced desktop environments available today" can be found in hundreds of other distros too. Why not advertise based on what makes slackware different from the rest than taunting the software that everyone else has?

excellent question

[goombah99 (560566)]

What exactly does go into making a "distro" anyhow. My only experience with this is making my own custom Knoppix CDs that woke up as apache servers. Seemed pretty freakin easy. it was sort of a chinese menu of what you wanted to leave in and leave out.

But of course I was standing on the shoulder's of giants. Someone created the look and feel of that and made all the config files work. But how much of that is what goes into a distro and how much is pretty much set by the packages them selves. e.g. choose gnome and is basically the look and feel set?

these days everything seems like it comes down to four looks, KDE or gnome in user interface and redhatish or debianish in directory layout and packages.

THe only distro I've played with that felt amazingly original in every aspect is Damn Small where everything is different and very tight. (never tried Puppy).

So what exactly goes on to make a "distro". What makes say ubuntu different than one of the four chioices (kde,gnome, debian, redhat)

Re:excellent question

[notamisfit (995619)]

Really, any distribution boils down to package selection, package management, and release engineering. As per your example, Ubuntu uses Debian unstable for packages and apt for management, but only supports a small subset of unstable, and releases every six months. Yeah, just about every GNOME and KDE distro looks the same (well, scratch that for KDE, considering how much Mandriva, SuSE, and Kubuntu patch it all to hell and think they're actually *improving* it). Slackware's more of a throwback to the days when a Linux distro was just an easy way to get a system up and running, as opposed to an all-inclusive software library.

Re:excellent question

[turgid (580780)]

Making a distro is quite an involved software integration exercise.

It's not just about selecting a bunch of packages. It's about selecting the right versions of the source, configuring, compiling, testing, debugging, patching, testing, packaging, installing, testing, testing and more testing.

A lot of bugs in core utilities get found in this way, and obviously they have to be fixed. Whether that's the disto maintainer, the developers or random community members depends on the individual circumstances.

Bugs pertaining to architecture (big- vs. little-endiam, 32- vs. 64-bit etc.) get found. Bugs in shiny new cutting-edge versions of applications, obscure kernel bugs caused by very particular combinations of configuration parameters, you name it.

As the complexity of GNU/Linux and unix systems increases, it's an ever-increasingly difficult job. That's why large, diverse communities of testers and developers are important.

As for Slackware, it's simple, conservative, very high quality and very useful/usable.

It's a shape Pat hasn't done an official AMD64 version. I've moved to SLAMD64 for my newest machine now. I should really make a donation to Fred.

Re:ok and?

[gambolt (1146363)]

Slackware isn't different from other distros. Other distros are different from slackware.

slackware:linux::Rolling Stones:Rock&Roll

What makes Slackware different...

[Tumbleweed (3706)]

It's Slacktastic, and chock-full of Volkerdingliciousness! Slackware - part of a well-balanced breakfast.*

* Notes: Not to be used as a flotation device. May stick to certain types of skin. Do not taunt Slackware.

Re:ok and?

[Jurily (900488)]

Cool ad. Is the "STAY AWAY!!!" logo on the booting screen too?

Re:ok and?

[Chris Mattern (191822)]

"Welcome to Slackware. Now go home."

Que pasa? Nada.

[DarrenBaker (322210)]

According to their home page, this is the first interesting thing to happen to Slackware since 2005. It's the most boringest of all distros!

Re:Que pasa? Nada.

[Pommpie (710718)]

Which is why it works so boringly. No crashes, no wacky untested software with potentially unrealised bugs, no fancy memory-sapping 3D effects... where's the fun in that?

Re:Que pasa? Nada.

[zappepcs (820751)]

To some it is boring, yet to others it's a sign that not only is Linux not going to go away, but it is available for any business, government institution, school, person etc. to modify and use it as they please. There is no single church around the globe despite the rather vigorous efforts of several groups. There should be no single OS. The simple reason for this is Born out by your comment. We simply cannot all play nice together and agree on what an OS is supposed to be and do. For that reason alone there should never be a single OS. Vive Slackware! Vive la difference.

You never know, one day next year (around March 15th or so) you will find that you have the perfect application for the use of Slackware. All of a sudden, it will seem like a cool OS for that application and you will have a moment of de ja vu and silently thank me for this moment.

Hooray for slack!

[lambent (234167)]

The first distro I ever installed, and the one that's changed the least over the years. You may say that is a bad thing, but Slack is the only distro i can think of that hasn't succumbed to bloat, rot, ego, or the all-things-to-all-people syndrome. It may have stagnated for a while, but it's good to see it get back to a more regular release schedule.

Fix URL, please - s/org/com/

[robw810 (819414)]

The official Slackware site is at slackware.COM, not slackware.ORG. (and it's already dead as of comment #3).

All hail Pat and the Slackware Team

[stox (131684)]

They just keep going, and going, and going!!

Bittorrents ...

[ClickOnThis (137803)]

... are listed on this page:

http://www.slackware.org/getslack/torrents.php [slackware.org]

Re:

[notamisfit (995619)]

Seed you bitches! Rescue me from Ubuntu hell!

Re:Bittorrents ...

[MollyB (162595)]

Unconvincing username? Check.

Better than AC by a long shot.

Obscure referential sig? Check. Can't say. I disable sigs like many here. Who cares?

Playing to current popular /. groupthink? Check.

Since when is that a hanging crime around Slashdot?

UID around the one million mark? Check.

Again, who cares? Nobody decides when they will be born. Lots of high-UID's are brilliant contributors.

Do the world a favor and kill yourself.

Any of us could take that advice, but you won't find many volunteers. How about yourself? Exactly what do you offer the world that your absence would be missed?

(yes, I fed the troll. Got my Irish up...)

Re:Difference in .org and .com

[robw810 (819414)]

Yes, there is a difference. Patrick controls one of them, and has no control over the other. Just because it's a mirror right now does not mean that it will be a mirror in ten minutes.

I thought this was news for nerds....

[Skylinux (942824)]

WTF is going on here? I have been reading through the comments and it appears as if most "nerds" have been pussy wiped by other distros and don't understand the point of actually knowing your OS.

If you learn Slackware, you know Linux! Why is that you ask?
Because Slackware does not come with a bunch of highly modified packages, Slackware is build using tested and known to be working code. Configuration and partition is done by hand. Slackware does not crash if setup properly, it is a perfect OS for any server or Desktop.... if you know what you are doing but it is not for you grandma. It is an Operating System for "real" nerds :)

With all the bitching about lack of features in Slackware, it may be time for you "nerds" to go and load up Vista for the ultimate hand holding experience.

You all remind me of that computer technician we have at work, he thinks he is the freaking king but knows nothing about computers. He fixes issues by running every GUI tool on his thumb drive and hoping that one of them sticks. When I ask him how he fixed it, he has no clue and says that "Tool xyz" fixed it. When I ask him to run "regedit" his eyes open wide and he starts to sweat.... cold sweat.
Dude you are not a computer tech, geek, nerd, hacker .... whatever. Go home and learn something.... almost forgot, he is A+ certified, uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Same goes for Slackware, use it, learn it, know Linux or use openSuSE and stop the bitching.

Re:I thought this was news for nerds....

[Dusty101 (765661)]

Although the parent post's a bit... overcaffeinated, he has a point: maintaining a Slackware box teaches a lot about Linux overall. As a stepping stone for those who find it "as user-friendly as a rattlesnake", might I suggest they try out VectorLinux ( http://vectorlinux.com/website2/ [vectorlinux.com] )? It's a Slackware-derived distro that's easier to get to grips with, & runs nice & quickly on old boxes (which is why I often use it). Not totally pure in terms of 'free' (as in speech), but rather usable.

System Requirements

[dotancohen (1015143)]

The slack site lists these as the system requirements:
        * 486 processor
        * 16MB RAM (32MB suggested)
        * 100-500 megabytes of hard disk space for a minimal and around 3.5GB for full install
        * 3.5" floppy drive

Does one really need a floppy drive to install it? Of my two desktops and single laptop, none have a floppy drive anymore.

Re:So tell me...

[Nimey (114278)]

Patrick (the maintainer) is a SubGenius [wikipedia.org].

Re:

[aaronbeekay (1080685)]

If you considered it "painful" to burn the CD, maybe Linux wasn't the best choice in the first place.

Re:Xfce ?

[notamisfit (995619)]

WTF? 12.1 ships with FVWM 2.4.20. Along with blackbox, fluxbox (my personal fave), windowmaker, and twm, the REAL man's window manager.

"sudo apt-get build-essential"...

[SEMW (967629)]

Distros like Ubuntu are not developer friendly because ... you will have a hell of a time compiling anything from source unless you get all the right development libs after install

Yes, I can see how running "sudo apt-get build-essential" can be hell. I mean, at 28 characters it, umm, really puts a strain on my RSI. Or something.