Slackware 9.1 Released

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Posted by CowboyNeal on Saturday September 27, 2003 @01:05AM from the hitting-the-streets dept.

ThatComputerGuy writes "Slackware 9.1 is now officially released. This is another great release, featuring GCC 3.2.3, GNOME 2.4.0, KDE 3.1.4, ALSA, and Kernel 2.4.22. Check the official announcement for the full feature list. Note that ftp.slackware.com will not allow ISO downloads starting with this release; instead, the first distribution of the ISOs will be via BitTorrent."

13 of 241 comments (clear)

Min score:

Reason:

Sort:

9.1 Release by Accipiter · 2003-09-27 01:07 · Score: 5, Informative

ISOs for 9.1 won't be available via the main Slackware FTP site due to bandwidth limitations, so BitTorrents have been set up to distribute the load.

Torrent for Disc 1
Torrent for Disc 2

The 9.1 4-disc CD set is also available from the Slackware Store. I usually place my order for the CD set and download the ISOs so I can have it available to me immediately until the nice disc set arrives in the mail.

--
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
(If you can't figure out how to E-Mail me, Don't. :P)
slackware ISO: a tip by lanswitch · 2003-09-27 01:09 · Score: 5, Informative

Note that ftp.slackware.com will not allow ISO downloads starting with this release; instead, the first distribution of the ISOs will be via BitTorrent."

1)download an old ISO (8.1 or 9.0 are just fine)
2) install and run swaret (see freshmeat)
3) you now have a Slackware 9.1 box.
1. Re:slackware ISO: a tip by Leffe · 2003-09-27 01:29 · Score: 2, Informative
  
  Wouldn't that give you Slackware-current instead(9.1 for the momeny) ;)?
  
  Anyway, that tool looks really cool - I'm going to give it a try.
  
  Swaret
2. Re:slackware ISO: a tip by Slack3r78 · 2003-09-27 05:18 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  The only time I've seen BitTorrent run slowly were for files with just about no demand. For something like an ISO from a major distro, you should be able to essentially max out your connection. I used the Torrent of the RH9 ISOs when I was visiting a friend at Georgia Tech to test their connection and got something like 880k/s out of it. =)
3. Re:slackware ISO: a tip by Anonymous Coward · 2003-09-27 11:12 · Score: 1, Informative
  
  let me guess, you didn't forward ports 6881-6889, right?
Slackware rules! by Anonymous Coward · 2003-09-27 01:09 · Score: 5, Informative

Been following -current and the 9.1 betas and RCs. Stable, ultra fast and simple as ever, with stacks of the latest software. The addition of two fully-fledged package management tools (Swaret and Slackpkg) is the icing on the cake; there's little to fault here (although GNOME 2.4.0 doesn't seem totally rock-solid yet).

Then again, Dropline GNOME for Slack provides one of the best and most attractive GNOME installations out there, and they'll update to GNOME 2.4.1, 2.4.2 etc.

If you're tired of all the frills in Red Hat, Mandrake and SuSE et al (good as those distros are), and want something clean, speedy and stable as hell, give this Slack a go.
ISOs are on ftp at ftp.oranged.to by Exter-C · 2003-09-27 01:16 · Score: 2, Informative

Ive put the ISO's online at ftp.oranged.to

disk 2 was corrupt so its still on its way but if you want the discs go for it.
Re:Benefits of Slackware? by Anonymous Coward · 2003-09-27 01:20 · Score: 5, Informative

Slackware is solid and well-tested. Gentoo is fun for the bleeding-edge, but if you want an ultra-reliable, secure and simple system, Slack is the way to go.

Most Slack stuff is compiled with -march=i486 -mcpu=i686, so it's optimised for more recent boxes. Equally, that article not long ago showing that Mandrake and Debian were faster than Gentoo says a lot; I like that Slack uses sane optimisation options to keep things zippy but retaining stability.
Re:Why Slackware ? by Anonymous Coward · 2003-09-27 01:23 · Score: 2, Informative

Slack now has an apt-like tool: Swaret. There's also Slapt-get if you search for it. What makes Slack special over Debian, you ask?

Debian (stable) is immensely stable, but very var behind the times. Slack uses recent, proven and reliable releases to make an up-to-date distro which still won't fall over.

Equally, the filesystem layout, installer and general administration is much more straightforward than Debian.
What makes Slack different or special? by Anonymous Coward · 2003-09-27 01:29 · Score: 5, Informative

A lot of folks in here have been asking why Slack still has suck a cult following. It's a fair question; Slack doesn't get a great deal of exposure with the mainstream distros taking all the column inches now.

In a nutshell, Slack delivers Linux as it should be. Whereas distros like Red Hat and Mandrake deliver an "experience" (which is certainly good for newcomers), Slack says "Here's lots of great Linux stuff, packaged up and guaranteed to work out the box. Now make yourself a cool system!".

Slack's focus is on stability and simplicity. Instead of massively-patched packages, complicated init scripts and wizards galore, Slack goes all out for an easy to administer installation. It's very reliable; 99% of the time, only tested and stable releases are included.

Additionally, Slack's bootup time is half that of Red Hat 9. In general use it's much snappier too.

Above all, Slack isn't ideal for newcomers but if you've got some Linux experience under your belt, and want a system you feel YOU'RE in control of, download and give it a try.
1. Re:What makes Slack different or special? by Lumpy · 2003-09-27 01:58 · Score: 2, Informative
  
  The best example I could give was the one that was given at the last LUG meeting here....
  
  Redhat and Mandrake are like a top of the line Caddilac... all the features, a dream to drive, comfort everywhere and the dealer gives you excellent service and instant oil changes.
  
  Slackware is like a ricer car. you can make the install from a small economy box that will run on anything easily, or a luxury Sedan with all the options, all the way up to the every option, powerhouse that will blow everything else away on the road... you have to change your own oil, but you get to completely tweak every aspect of it easily by ripping out a component and replacing it with the high performance version without having to fight the car's computer system (redhat RPM system)
  
  if you are a tinkerer and a tuner wanting every drop of power out of your box? use slackware...
  
  if you want to use linux without having to think about the guts? use Mandrake,Redhat.
  
  --
  Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
Re:slackware sites?? by brank · 2003-09-27 03:24 · Score: 2, Informative
A quick rundown:
- LinuxPackages (formerly LinuxMafia), for user-contributed binaries not in the base distribution
- UserLocal is a 100% lynx compatible user community for Slackware.
- LinuxQuestions has a Slackware forum.
- Dropline Gnome, which packages GNOME stuff for Slackware. For a while, this was because Pat didn't include any GNOME 2 stuff. Now Dropline's packages are a replacement for the base Slack GNOME. Sometimes they're more up to date.
Of course, there is the infamous alt.os.linux.slackware. It's not as hostile as some people say, as long as you try Google first.
--
it's green.
Re:Problem --isn't one by Rooktoven · 2003-09-27 03:41 · Score: 2, Informative

Actually you don't even need swaret-- though it makes things easier I'm sure. Just download everything you need from slackware-current, and
upgradepkg --install-new *.tgz (the install-new gets packages that you may not have earlier versions of installed.)

Voila-- you're done, and you have a totally current system. And done more easily than any of the rpm based systems, IMO.

Remember, the version number in Slackware is just a snapshot in time. Unlike Redhat where the rpm version names of different programs vary from each release, you can pretty much upgradepkg any named package and /var/log/packages will reflect your new version.

--

Acquiescence leads to obliteration