Slashdot Mirror
Slackware 9 Unleashed to World
kiltedtaco writes "Slackware Linux 9.0 is out! Based on gcc 3.2, and equipped with kernel 2.4.20 (ptrace-patched), XFree86 4.3, GNOME 2.2 and KDE 3.1. You can read the full announcement, or just go grab a copy for yourself at either the Slackware Store or these lovely mirrors." I know a lot of people who first cut their teeth on Slack when trying Linux. It's cool to see that it's still around.
darn i just downloaded the beta yesterday!
Hey, do I get fp? :-)
its amazing the popularity slackware maintains despite its simplicity. Just goes to show how desireable simplicity can be for some.
In SOVIET RUSSIA... erm...NSA AMERICA, the Internet logs onto YOU!
Why should I use it in preference to RH or Debian or any of the countless other distros? Does it have some special features? Is it easy to install? Does it have some packages you can't find elsewhere? Have they made some amazing customizations to the kernel?
Doesn't it make you feel good to know that our freedoms are protected by politicans, lawyers and journalists.
The only thing that makes me happier than FreeBSD releases is Slackware releases. Always clean and small, always reliable, always complete. My first and favorite distro.
Thank you Patrick.
I love Slackware! It's simple and it gives me complete control--just what I want in a Linux distro. If it ever *ceases* to be around, I'll have to take up the Slack myself. ;)
I'm running an upgraded, 9.0 Slackware right now. It's awesome, everything works great, and how you would expect it too. btw.. Does anyone know if there's an automatic update utility for Slack, like Debian has?
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"In times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act."
-- George Orwell
Since the official Slack FTP is a bit slow from everyone trying to grab it, here are a couple (unofficial) mirror lists:
;)
alphageek.dyndns.org
AbnormalPenguin.com
I've already downloaded mine, so everybody have at it.
Actually, it's been out since Tuesday... but anyway, to us freaks, who kept up to date with -current branch, it was nothing new.
I've also got it running nicely on my laptop (HP Omnibook 9000), it's damn fine. Kudos to Pat and the gang.
Smegma.
Have a old computer that doesn't have a whole lot of space? ZipSlack.
Have no CD-Rom on a computer or just want a FAST easy ready made distro? Big slack. (just extract the zipped files over from a zip disk on the Hard Drive. Edit a text file... reboot :-) Fully functional Linux Distro.
The problem is that usually it takes a bit after the main release before the goodies really come out.
I use SuSE for most everything else but these ready made Distro are great.
Patrick Havens (Mr. 573333 to you.) Graphic Artist / Coder / Father / Journeler
I know a lot of people who first cut their teeth on Slack when trying Linux.
I almost didn't become a Linux convert thanks to Slackware...I made the mistake of trying to install Slackware as my first Linux O/S back in '96. It was a nightmare straight from the bowels of O/S hell. I spent weeks trying to get my 486 running with X (this with no prior Unix knowledge). I finally gave up, and a few years later discovered SuSE and their YaST installer.
Ironically, I now run Slackware on most of my machines...go figure. It's a slick distro, and I've learned a lot since those dark days of '96.
Been using the beta for about two weeks now, and I'm incredibley impressed, this may be one of the best Slackware releases yet (and I've been using it since...like, 3.0 days, or 'round there. Damn, I'm getting old).
Check it out - Slackware is still alive and kicking ass!
In fact the 9.0 was on mirrors last nite, but the only ISO image was for 8.1
I am always amazed that people are into distros like Slackware. No easy gui install that anyone can do without effort. No way to automatically update the system for security updates. And that's the way they like it.
Usually this is when a Slackware user starts crowing about bloat and spewing phrasing like "redhate". Slackwares's installer and system maintenace methods were normal in 1993, a bit dated by 1996, and positively outdated by 2000. Now that were in 2003 I'm still amazed that anyone wants to deal with all of that manual work in order to get everything completely working.
I guess its all about priorities. People who use something like Red Hat just want to sit down and be productive right away. While Slackware/Gentoo users just want to "master" their computers and dig on "noobs" for not taking the "hard way". I've always thought that was funny since linux is basically linux and a distro like Red Hat is just as powerful as Slackware no matter what the deafault theme looks like.
Oh well. Some things never change. Some people think the ease of use found in modern distros is a sign of weakness. I think its a sign of progress. If I had to return to my linux box from 1996 I'd slit my wrists.
If you wanna get rich, you know that payback is a bitch
Happy memories.
*raises glass* This one for you, Patrick, thanks.
I remember back when software was soft and cuddly, with short little legs; we didn't need leashes for it. And we *liked* it that way!
Read the EFF's Fair Use FAQ
Slack has been my first - and my current. I played around with SuSe - it was godawful. By the way Patrick - I have been able to install your 1995 Slackware (3.2?) Onto an IBM MCA PS/2 M55SX with a 60 GB ESDI disc, and 2.9 MB of memory (Thats right - 2.9mb !!!) Too bad I fried the machine later... :(
Oh well ! Time to go dload the 9.0
I remember my first time. With linux, that is.
Yep, Slackware was my first try at a distro. I bought the 4-disc set of Slackware 3.0 in January '96 because I wanted to buy something but I didn't have enough for a music CD and hey, this was FOUR CDS for ten bucks! Awesome!
So I got it home and read the exhaustive 48 page installation manual-cum-liner notes and figured out how to make the boot disc for my Sound Blaster OmniCD.
I never got PPP to auto dial and never had sound, but I somehow managed to wrap my 15 year old head around xf86config and all in all it was, to this day, the smoothest linux install I have ever done. It all just seemed to work. At least, that's how I remember it...
But maybe I just tell myself that to dull the pain of having no package managment. Maybe the past isn't as good as we rememeber.
But I still have that CD set.
Hilary Rosen's speech was about her love of money and her desire to roll around naked in a pile of money.
Looking at ftp://ftp.slackware.com/pub/slackware/slackware-9. 0/PACKAGES.TXT, it looks like this version of Slack doesn't include Enlightenment....
Anyone know why?
My first "real" computer was a 486/66. I bought it used, and it came with Windows 3.1 on it. After firing it up and marvelling that people actually paid money for such a piece of crap, I went to the local bookstore and came home with a book that included a Slackware CD. Dunno what distro, but it would have been an old one (3.0?). I've run Slackware ever since.
I had no difficulty getting the thing going, PPP, sound (an excellent excuse for boning up on DSP!), the works. It ran fine in 8 MB RAM. OK, except for Netscape, which page-thrashed for about 2 minutes then ran fine. Upgrading to 32 MB (the capacity of the motherboard) cured that. Now I run a Pentium 3 with 768 MB RAM, plugged in to ADSL. The OS started as Slackware 8.0, but I've upgraded many packages, and run a 2.4.20 kernel. It flies...
To this day I recommend Slackware as a "sharp tools" distro - if you know what you're doing, it's immensely powerful and flexible. If you don't know what you're doing, you're screwed.
FWIW, my most recent Slackware install was Slackware 8.0 on a Toshiba laptop that RedHat 7.3 (the company standard) refused to install on. It would get to about 3 packages before the end, crash, reboot, say GRUB and sit there staring at me. The PCMCIA network card did all the right things, automagically. I had to fiddle a bit with the X configuration to set up yet another weird-ass laptop video card. Big deal.
Thanks, Patrick. Well done!
...laura
Except for Samba, PoPToP,
1. Slack has Samba included in the N disk set weather you choose to install it or not is up to you.
2, Slack uses Popa3d by default but your welcome to chang it to whatever you like.
I've set up a number of Internet and LAN servers, including one for my own business. What I like the most about slackware is its simplicity and transparency in installation and configuration. I can reliably get an installation up and running properly in very little time, and configuration and customization is easy - all off 1 CD, in one go.
Pat Volkerding has done a great job with this distribution; it really is carefully put together. I've been a fan since version 7 and I have already purchased Slackware 9 to show my support. If you like Slackware, please buy a copy from the Slackware Store to help keep the project alive.
fellow in the next room uses it, loves the thing.
Fellow in the next room here,
Slackware is nice and simple. I first started with Redhat 7.3 but I didn't get on with the Redhat way of doing things. Much generic documentation found online didn't apply because Redhat had rearranged the backend so that it would work with their GUIs.
Slackware pretty much installs software where it was intended and encourages you to configure manually or use standard configuration tools such as XF86Config that you can read up on in any HOWTO. Also the packaging system is unobtrusive allowing you to install from source or say Loki or Mozilla installer without messing up packaging management (problems I found with Debian and Gentoo).
Chances are that from a standard install you won't get sound, X11 your CD-Writer or other `peripherals' running but then, just remember that the HOWTO's and other goodies are stored in the /usr/doc directory and of course there's www.google.com. You learn a lot about your computer in just getting things to work.
I cut my teeth on Slack, but then I had a whole summer to mess around before I really needed my computer. If you don't mind the command line (you may be surprised what can be done at a terminal,) and have a bit of time on your hands then try Slack. Oh, and also get a copy of `The Book' from slackware.com, it's a nice conscise but very helpful manual, especially for first install.
Regards
Nemes
The last name doesn't sound very Irish, but Saint Patrick to be sure. And you just missed your very own day, tis a shame to be sure.
Infuriate left and right
You'll notice at the slackware store that there is a wonderful paperback book licensed under the GPL entitles, "Slackware Linux Essentials". It is perhaps one of the best linux books I have ever read and am thankful to be involved with.
Mysel and many of the "BOZOs" in alt.os.linux.slackware are currently working on a revised edition to bring this book up to date with the latest release of Slackware Linux. You can take a look at our (so far meager) progress here. I encourage anyone who wants to participate to give me an e-mail, you can find my address at that link, as well as a mailing list for this project. Any contributions would be greatly appreciated.
Slack on!
Slackware, what else when it must be secure, stable, and easy?
http://media.punkmac.com/slackware-9.0-iso/
since its still hard to find at the moment, figured i'd toss it up. check those md5's as normal.
enjoy
# mount -t iso9660 /dev/cdrom /cdrom /cdrom/PACKAGES/enlightenment*
I found it in my copy...# ls
enlightenment-0.16.1-i386.tgz
#
We would, but apparently the right passed a law against this kindof thing...
Blessed are the young, for they shall inherit the national debt. --Herbert Hoover
A colleague of mine put it best when he said of Slackware that "it doesn't try to do anything I don't want it to".
That is Slackware's beauty - if you know what you are doing, it doesn't get in the way.
can't find a setup.exe....i'm out.
What I REALLY want is, a way to upgrade from version n to version n+1 without reinstalling from scratch. It is saddening that no easy way to do it exists,
Slackware has had an easy-upgrade capability since 8.0. I upgraded from 7.1 to 8 with absolutely no problems. And it was easy.
Check this out - easy upgrade instructions. While it's not as simple as "apt-get upgrade", it's hardly a nightmare. Give it a shot.
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon? :P)
(If you can't figure out how to E-Mail me, Don't.
Why doesn't Patrick ever make sure all official mirrors have the newest ISO before getting his server slashdotted? :( If he just uses to 3 mirrors, his server load decreases by 75%.
Happily there are also a lot of unofficial mirrors. Now I only need to get a md5sum from an official mirror.
.sig: No such file or directory
Still around?!?!
Of course it is still around and it is really good. I use it for older or "non-standard" systems that other distros won't install on without a lot of hand-holding and research into why the next newest and greatest graphical installer for distro X keeps hanging.
Two things that are great about Slack. First, it doesn't assume much about a system, but at the same time holds your hand enough that you don't have to know the scan rates (et al) or other specs your hardware intimately unlike *cough*debian*cough* (though I really like debian). Second, it fails gracefully. If something doesn't launch or was scanned improperly (or whatever) Slack will try to bring it up. If it can't, it throws and error exception, and continues about its way as best it can. I HATE when many systems just hang on installs. THAT is the WORST behavior. Graceful failure is an art and Slackware is very good with its paint brushes.
Case in point. Work gave us these crappy IBM laptops that actually are ACER low-enders. I love IBM and hoped for a better model, but we got these. Having a dual-boot situation of 2000 and Linux woud be really helpful for the types of problems these laptops were meant to help us troubleshoot, but getting SuSE (one of my favorites), RedHat, or Debian to load was a nightmare... mainly due to the USB configuration (it uses an internal hub architecture to split the USB ports... or something... whatever, Linux doesn't like it) among other things. Slackware (the distro that I cut my teeth on, Slackware 96 from Walnut Creek) was mentioned as a possible route. After grabbing the CDs, It installed (with a much easier to use installer than I remember) without one hitch. I love it.
So... give it a try. It is stable, it looks a lot like System V Unix and it is a great little OS.