Slackware 10.0 Officially Released

BRTB writes "Slackware 10.0 is out! X.org 6.7.0, kernel 2.4.26 (2.6.7 optional), KDE 3.2.3, GNOME 2.6.1, GCC 3.3.4... it's all new, and just as stable as you'd expect from Slackware, if RC2 was any indication. There's an official announcement, as well as some ISO BitTorrent links, and a mirror list. Of course, the non-cheapskates among us should go buy the CD-set to support the project. Have fun, everybody..."

Comments

Re:Yet Another Distro

[GoofyBoy]

You do realize that Linux itself is a "garage basement project"?

Re:Yet Another Distro

[Yi Ding]

Just what Linux needs... Yet Another Distro

Please, keep these garage basement projects out of the news... we already have enough distros. Thanks.

Yep, that's right, the distrobution that was out before kernel 1.0 is now considered Yet Another Distro. Oh how the times have changed.

grass is always greener

[bcrowell]

I guess the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. I keep getting disgusted with FreeBSD and wanting to switch to a different unix...until I actually try a different unix and get just as annoyed with it :-)

What do slackware users perceive as its strengths? My perception is that slackware is the distro where you install everything from tarballs, with no automatic system for satisfying dependencies (as you'd have in Debian, Gentoo, or FreeBSD, for instance).

Actually I'm starting to feel that automatic systems for installing software and satisfying dependencies are more trouble than they're worth. In FreeBSD, I often feel like a prisoner of the ports system. If I want to run application A, it forces me to upgrade library B. But then the new version of B breaks application C. Oops! Try recompiling C. No, that doesn't work. Oh, it's because C depends on library D, which then depends on B, so you really need to recompile D. Note how the whole story started because this automated system felt it was so important for me to upgrade library B, when in fact I would have probably been fine not upgrading it.

The real issues are (a) software needs careful testing, and (b) open-source hackers are sloppy about making changes that break stuff. If slackware is really thoroughly tested, that could be great...

Re:grass is always greener

[ag0ny]

Back when I wass still using Linux (Slackware had been always my distro of choice), I used to download, compile and install everything myself instead of using the precompiled packages.

Perhaps that's because I'm a do-it-yourself guy.

Around 3-4 years ago I started using FreeBSD. In the beginning I was using the ports system for everything, and often got into the same dependency hell that you're talking about.

Now I'm using a "hybrid" approach:

- Things that don't change often, I install from ports and forget about them.
- Programs that I think will need to update from time to time, I download, compile and install under /usr/local/software/packagename-version/

I feel quite comfortable doing this because each package is sitting on its own directory. It's also easier to handle dependencies:

Say FooProgram-1.0 requires libFooBar-1.0 and BarProgram-1.0 requires libFooBar-2.0. I would have this:

/usr/local/software/FooProgram-1.0/
/usr/local/software/BarProgram-1.0/
/usr/local/software/libFooBar-1.0/
/usr/local/software/libFooBar-2.0/

Of course, the compilation phase sometimes gets a bit messy and requires some tweaking, but IMHO it is worth the extra effort. There should be no dependency problems. Also, removing an old version of a program is as easy as removing the directory where it has been installed.

I know this approach will not be suitable for everyone, but it works for me. I hope this helps you.

Donations

[Via_Patrino]

"non-cheapskates among us should go buy the CD-set to support the project"

If you want to support the project you dont need to buy anything, donate directly and all the money you wanted to donate (not just part of it) you reach the end you wanted.

Re:Twin kernels

[dangerz]

Why are some linux releases still hanging onto the 2.4.26 kernel

The 2.4 kernel has had 26 revisions in it fixing bugs.

The 2.6 kernel has had 7.

That's why :)

Re:Yay!

[zoloto]

Now if the slashdot effect would take effect on the following torrets, we'd be in business much quicker:

Slackware 10.0 Installation ISO disc 1
Slackware 10.0 Installation ISO disc 2 (GNOME/KDE/KDEI, /testing, live rescue disc)
Slackware 10.0 ISO disc 3 (Sources part 1, /extra , Slackware book)
Slackware 10.0 ISO disc 4 (Sources part 2, ZipSlack, /pasture)

Please download and keep your torrents open to at least a 1:1 ratio! I do it, so can you! LEave it on ALL NIGHT BABY!

Offtopic: I for one welcome our slashdotting overlords.

Re:Somebody help me out...

[johnnyb]

Slack appeals to the "traditional UNIX" group of people. I actually started on Slack 3.(5|6) that came bundled with a book. The book said it came with a complete UNIX system. I didn't really believe it - I was assuming it was some sort of trialware - and learning about people who actually shared code with each other freely really changed my perception of the field of computer science while I was in college.

Slackware today still has a lot going for it:
* it doesn't assume much about you, except that you know what you're doing
* it is built for speed - it attempts to be cruft-less (and from what I've seen it succeeds quite well)
* it's packages are backwards-compatible w/ .tar.gz formats
* BSD-style init for those who like it (I'm a SysV guy, myself)
* a competent community

It's kind of a do-it-yourself kind of environment, which, for some reason, Linux people often enjoy :)

Re:Yet Another Distro

[bigberk]

Yep, that's right, the distrobution that was out before kernel 1.0 is now considered Yet Another Distro.

Another interesting angle about Slackware is that it has been profitable for some time. Pat does a lot of the work himself, and his small team helps him with CD orders etc. Much of the testing is community volunteer work, of course. RedHat might have 1,000 employees doing what Pat+friends can accomplish. Hey, here's an article on ten years of Slackware

After trying many different distributions I have settled on Slackware. The BSD-style configuration is, I find, straightforward and powerful (even though I wasn't a BSD user before Linux). Slackware does not impose specific configuration styles, layouts, interfaces or layers on you and I enjoy the resulting flexibility and freedom. I like the "EZ" .tgz packages. You either use the slackware packages, or compile from source (I use a hybrid approach). I have NOT found RPM or FreeBSD ports to be particularly more convenient. Sorry, but it's true.

Security notices are rapid, accurate, and to the point thanks to Pat himself. Things in the Slackware installation work properly, without embarassing-looking glitches. It is intelligently put together, and tested to perfection.

Overall the distro is the lean and the easiest to tweak in the least amount of time. I personally found it the easiest to install of all Linux distros. Slackware is a winner.

Re:"Awesome!" say 95% of computer users.

[copponex]

"I bet with Windows, I can add my friend's music collection to my playlist! Oh... DRM."
If you can't afford the songs, then you don't really want them, do you? Borrow an album, sure, but do you think fair use should really include "permanently borrowing" thousands of songs?

"I bet I can create a wireless network without an access point! Oh... Need Linux for that."
Linux and roughly twenty pages of howtos. Which wireless cards work with which distros? Oops, I meant which revisions of which wireless cards works with which distros?

I really wish I could use some sort of "wizard" in XP to "share" my connection. Oh wait, I can.

"I can't even change the MAC address on my ethernet cards."
Gosh, I wish there was an item for around $100 or so that allowed me to "route" all of this "internet" traffic. Guess I'll just have to read the howtos and learn how to use all the unix commands.

"And my sound card skips and crackles, because it's older and not well supported. Same with my old video card, damn. No solution except to downgrade to Windows 98, huh?"
I would have tried downloading drivers, but you sound like you've got better ideas.

"To install a sound card: plug it in, hope it works, swear if it doesn't."
It sure is easier to look for modules, compile them, and then add them to the kernel, isn't it?

"Then buy a new card, but be sure to buy a brand name card, or the drivers will suck."
Gosh, you're right. I've never heard of anyone trying to make sure pieces of hardware worked with linux.

"I think I'll write some software!"
I do it every day, honest. Oh wait, I'm 95% of computer users. I don't think I write software, do I?

Re:Yay!

[finkployd]

If I had a geekgirl..too bad I'm stuck with the average woman.

I suspect that if she ever stumbles upon this comment you will not have her much longer :)

Finkployd

Re:Somebody help me out...

[evilviper]

I think it's simple. Slackware is the most simple of all distros. It doesn't have SysV scripts, just the basic /etc/rc scripts, which are incredibly simple, easy to configure, etc.

It has the simpliest package manager of any. It doesn't get in your way, and it's trivial to make a package. In fact, it's trivial to install a slackware package without the package manager.

All packages come with the dev files (headers, libs) so you don't need to mess around with all the roadblocks other distros put in your way that make it harder to install the dev files for your programs.

There's plenty more reasons, but I find that to be a good run-down of the biggest reasons to use it.

Re:Yay!

[Pieroxy]

It depends if you want an OS for getting things done or to play around.