Slashdot Mirror
Slackware 7.2 [Not] Released
Pete Blackley writes: "The best Linux distro out there has just released a new version; check out the README. And it comes with kernel... 2.2.18! Some things never change, and I am glad it works that way. Don't forget to check the autoslack package in the unsupported dir: it means the imminent death of all the "Slack lacks apt-get" arguments. PS: If you browse the ftp.slackware.com/pub tree, you'll see that Slack currently runs on vanilla x86, SGI VisualWorkstations and SunSparcs; I'm just waiting for the PowerPC port! PPS: All the crap about Slackware's death really is an exaggeration." That's what I like: a distro that isn't afraid to say that its death is an exaggeration. Update: 01/13 01:47 PM by michael : Slackware says - rudely - that 7.2 isn't released yet. This situation - confusion about what is released and what is not - is one that most software developers avoid by utilizing new-fangled conventions such as "beta".
And all this time I've been thinking that this situation -- confusion about what is released and what is not -- was one that most reputable web sites avoided by utilizing new-fangled ideas such as "research".
----
"A fool does not delight in understanding, but only in revealing his own mind."
2.2.18 is great, it has the AGPART stuff, the DRI modules and all of the USB backported!
This means that 3D Acceleration works with XFree86 4.x, so all of the newest games are a go!
Really, from and end-user point of view there isn't much difference between 2.2.18 and 2.4.0.
As for slack, never used it, but Debian Unstable sure is sweet!
Cheers,
Ben
/* Slackware says - rudely - that 7.2 isn't released yet. This situation - confusion about what is released and what is not - is one that most software developers avoid by utilizing new-fangled conventions such as "beta". */
Why shouldn't they be rude? Some linux-kiddie site presumes to announce their releases for them, when they're still working on it - I think it's reasonable to tell them to get lost. And what most software developers do is make a new-fangled "release announcement" when the release is ready. If slashdot would put even the *slightest* effort into verifying stories before they run them, these things wouldn't happen. Fuckwit.
-lx
Slackware, it's like that comfy pair of jeans that you have in the closet. Sure you could get a new pair, but you've broken them in. I will admit that in a work environment I'll grab the RedHat CD, but that's only because people look at you funny if you start compiling packages. In that environment I'm 'selling' Linux. At home, it's different.
I was showing a couple of MS consultants how to install a program that didn't have an RPM available on a redhat box. I did the 'make install' and then an ldconfig. One asked what the ldconfig was, and they laughed as I explained it... until I told them they'd be rebooting on an MS box at that step... There are people out there that still think anything with a command line is behind the times... But when I go to a W2K box, cmd still works. I think Slackware gets a lot of the same comments from other distrib users that Linux gets from Windoze users. Kinda odd.
As far as I'm concerned Slackware 7.2 isn't released until Slackware-current gets move to Slackware-[number] and the ISO folder gets created and populated.
Just because Patrick has put the README72 into the Slackware-current folder doesn't signify a release, impending or otherwise...
having said that... should I go into the office to download possibly available ISOs tomorrow.... hmmm...
First was:r rent/GET_A_CLUE_SLASHDOT.TXT
r rent/THIS_IS_NOT_A_BETA_EITHER.TXT
r rent/CURRENT.WARNING
ftp://ftp.slackware.com/.1/slackware/slackware-cu
Then came:
ftp://ftp.slackware.com/.1/slackware/slackware-cu
But Slashdot fools never noticed that:
ftp://ftp.slackware.com/.1/slackware/slackware-cu
has always been there.
Another silly person... Read the changelogs and you will see that this was fixed last wednesday...
nah.. if it was a holy war then people would be hacking each other's web sites. Linux CyberTerrorist, news at eleven.
How we know is more important than what we know.
I've been using Slackware since 1996, when I first started with Linux. I think, overall, it was and still is one of the best distros. I wouldn't recommend it to pure newbies, but it works great for me. I've tried numerous distros, including Red Hat, Caldera, Mandrake, and Storm Linux. None of those has worked as well for me as Slack -- they all had performance or security issues that did not please me.
:-)
One good example of why I like Slack better: the NVidia drivers. I could not get them to work on Red Hat 6.2 or 7.0. When they did work, they were very crashy. It also took forever to get them to a usable state. But when I dumped RH and put Slackware back on here, the drivers installed flawlessly in minutes.
Also, somebody on here posted: "The thing that utterly frustrates me is that NOTHING COMPILES!" -- I've never had a problem compiling programs on Slackware. In fact, programs I could never get to compile correctly on Red Hat, Mandrake, etc. work just fine on Slack.
I'm not saying Slackware is the best, but it's certainly ONE of the best, especially for server-side uses. Use what ya like; the other distros are good, but I'm sticking to Slack.
Debate is a healthy thing
And besides, people who are expert can even offer valid insightful opinions about features and technologies, rather than roboticly mouthing a party line.
The last thing we need is an army of thoughtless marketing droids.
"Check out this years' new color scheme!"
"It is a greater offense to steal men's labor, than their clothes"
I thought Linux was about choice and freedom... I have [rustle, clatter, as he sifts through piles of CDs] five different distributions, all with their good and bad points.
Diversity is the fuel for evolution; let's quit arguing about "my distro is better than yours", and start working toward making Linux even better through competition.
Slashdot, BTW, should be ashamed for publishing an inaccurate (the release may not have happened yet) and biased (is Slackware really the best?) article. Get some journalism lessons, guys.
All about me
GET_A_CLUE_SLASHDOT
This sig intentionally left blank.
I'm still waiting for an FTP install! I love slack, but I don't have the time to download and burn an ISO...and I'd rather not buy any CDs.
Why not try out the NFS install? It's simple and really really easy.
I use it for all my machines without CD-ROM drives. It's really quick too.
To tell the truth, I have found Slack to be the easiest Linux distro I've ever used. It doesn't do a lot of crap behind your back, it installs stuff where you tell it, and it has the cleanest /etc/rc.d. It also doesn't make you deal with the POS RPM, and all the stupid circular dependencies that come with it. While KDE on RedHat is a mess of a dozen RPMs, the same thing on Slackware is kde2.tgz.
A deep unwavering belief is a sure sign you're missing something...
Sorry Michael, if slackware made you guys look bad or called into question the "throughness" of your research, but you screwed up. Again.
They have to deal with the fallout of people writing and complaining to them that they can't find 7.2, or that 7.2 is broken because of YOUR incompetance. Maybe an appology is in order, instead of more name calling. Rude indeed.
(note: I'm both a Slackware and a Slashdot fan, but clearly the blame for all of this lies with you guys this time. Show some manners and integrity.)
Finkployd
GET_A_CLUE_SLASHDOT.TXT.
While you are at it, checkout the topic at #slackware on irc.openprojects.net.
Go not unto/. for advice, for you will be told both yea and nay (but have nothing to do with the question)
Well if you would take the time to verify a story submission, they wouldn't have to tell you what a dumbass you are. They didn't use the word BETA because it has not been released as a beta yet.
Go not unto/. for advice, for you will be told both yea and nay (but have nothing to do with the question)
I too am a Slackware afficionado, but I wouldn't call Slackware the "best" without qualifying it. Nor would I call RedHat or Debian or ... the unqualified best.
/etc/rc.d rather than the mess'o'symlinks SysV-style. That makes administration much easier to learn without depending on a tool like `linuxconf`.
I certainly wouldn't call Slackware the best distro for newbies accustomed to MS-Windows and uninterested in learning the guts of Unix. That would be RedHat (or maybe Corel).
But Slackware has some unique features that probably make it the best distro for someone coming from BSD (or SunOS) or who wants to learn the guts of Unix.
Slackware runs a little behind the times in terms of program updates, but that also means that it has the fewest security holes (URL forgotten).
AFAIK, it is the only distro with a BSD-style
Slackware was my first and still my current distro of choice. I've tried others, they just don't compare.
Anyway, if you head on over to ftp.slackware.com/pub/slackware you will see there is no slackware-7.2 directory yet and no announcement on www.slackware.com. All they did was update the README file in the slackware-current directory in _preparation_ of releasing the next version.