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Slackware 9.1 Released
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."
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? :P)
(If you can't figure out how to E-Mail me, Don't.
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.
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.
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.
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.