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?

[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?

Hooray for slack!

[lambent]

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.

Re:Que pasa? Nada.

[Pommpie]

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]

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.

All hail Pat and the Slackware Team

[stox]

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

Re:Que pasa? Nada.

[Cairnarvon]

``Tornado resistance'' is probably more of a hardware feature than a software one, wouldn't you think?

Congratulations, Pat!

[hitest]

Congratulations, Pat! Thanks for your dedication:-) I'll always be a Slacker!

Re:ok and?

[Inner_Child]

That's actually a fairly apt analogy - the Stones are one of those bands that people either love or hate, regardless of the band's longevity.

So thank you. Thank you for the first good analogy Slashdot has ever seen.

Re:Que pasa? Nada.

[mrbluze]

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

I just read some reviews on Slackware, then Gentoo. I run Ubuntu at the moment. I think people bash Slackware because it's difficult to install and maintain compared to others. But if someone gave me the job of installing Linux onto a computer that will later be difficult to physically access and must work no matter what, say, for example, in an operating theatre, then Slackware is a worthy choice. Seems like it's possible to get exactly the features you desire with slackware and nothing else.

But it seems to me that everybody is thinking that every Linux distro's big wish is to pass the wife-test. Not everybody wants to design, build and maintain their own car. Most people just want a car that works and gets fixed for them, but it would be a sad day if we had no alternatives like slackware.

I thought this was news for nerds....

[Skylinux]

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:Will it like my Hauppauge PVR-150 TV card

[julesh]

It's my hope that someone can tell me that "Yes, Slackware will work for you."

Slackware will work for you if you know how to make it work. Slackware is a distribution for experts. Slackware is a distribution for people who don't mind^W^Wwant to get their hands dirty.

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

[Dusty101]

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.

Re:Bittorrents ...

[MollyB]

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:System Requirements

[Anonymous Coward]

Alot of us old schoolers used floppies to get our first linux boxes rollin back in the day. Slackware actually had everything broken down in floppy 'disk sets'. This is back when alot of folks didnt have cdrom drives. And they certainly didnt have broadband. We downloaded floppy disk images over a modem, and we liked it!

I'm sure thats all gone. But it would be a shame to see them abandon their roots.

Re:excellent question

[farrellj]

I built a custom distro, MfxLinux, based upon Slackware, so I have rooted around the innards of it, so think I can give you a much better answer...

Yes, a lot of a distro is the packages and release engineering...but a huge portion is making sure that everything works together, that all the libraries a program needs are installed, that if those libraries need other libraries or utilities that they are installed as well. It's also making sure that everything is working OK with the versions of libraries, compilers and utilities that are installed. Add to that testing everything with the kernel version. This is the real heart and main work of a distro builder.

This is the real core of an operating system, and it is something that Patrick Volkerding and company do very , very well.

ttyl
          Farrell, architect of MfxLinux

Re:Que pasa? Nada.

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm kind of annoyed by all this "teh Ubuntu is for newbies" talk. I came up on Slackware, and I'll always have a place for it in my heart. That said, I run Ubuntu on my desktop now, because I can't be bothered to check a fucking mailing list for security updates or write a script to fetch them for me. I don't want to have to compile dozens of packages I use that aren't part of Slackware, and then keep track of security issues for that software. I just want a platform to run my apps that I don't have to think about, and the more "bloated" distros like Ubuntu and Fedora do that.

As for Gentoo... hey, you're entitled to your lifestyle choices [wikipedia.org]. Just don't expect the rest of us to follow suit. :)