Slackware Linux 10.2 Released

excelblue writes "Slackware Linux 10.2 has finally been released. This release comes with Linux 2.4.31, with 2.6.13 available in the testing packages and glibc 2.3.5. This time, they've decided to get up with times and switch to Firefox, Thunderbird, and subversion instead of using the Mozilla suite and cvs from the previous distros. Here are Torrents of ISO images."

Comments

cvs & mozilla still available

[richlv]

well, if i understood this submission correctly, it implies that mozilla & cvs now are missing - that's not true.

it contains mozilla-1.7.11 and cvs-1.11.20

at least in latest-current that should be identical to 10.2 :)

My (quick) distro of choice

[Punk Walrus]

I am looking forward to trying this out. Slashdot alerted me to Slack fans, and I have been using it steadily in personal and professional environments for years now. I like LFS and Gentoo, just because I can tweak every living thing out of my hardware and software, but if I need a "quick set and forget" distro just to get a box running, Slackware is hard to beat.

I don't know why people claim the installation is so hard. I guess the disk partition thing might be intimidating, but then again, I have FDisk'd so many times because Windows/DOS had issues back in the day, I find the two-tone ncurses thing to be a positive boon!

A hearty congratulations to Pat and all the people who worked for this!

Up with the times

[bwaynef]

Re: up with the times... Slackware has never tried to be up with the times. They're just now allowing 2.6 kernel (from the installer). Firefox is still a 1.0.x release so its not as stable as the mozilla suite has been (though its pretty good). I think Pat just lets everyone else work out the bugs before he incorporates it into his release. Stability and Ease of Use.

Re:YAY!

[RiotXIX]

But there are package management tools. They've been working on it. And they're useful when you want to mass upgrade several packages on your system without having to uninstall (yes I still don't know how to uninstall a generic packages..like when I download something, untar; make; make install : where can I find out where it put all it's stuff?). Having a database/registry of where an application put's it's files is a damn good idea.

"Updated versions of the Slackware package management tools make it
    easy to add, remove, upgrade, and make your own Slackware packages.
    Package tracking makes it easy to upgrade from Slackware 10.1 to
    Slackware 10.2 (see UPGRADE.TXT). The slackpkg tool in /extra can
    also help update from an older version of Slackware to a newer one,
    and keep your Slackware system up to date. In addition, the new
    slacktrack utility (in extra/) will help you build and maintain
    your own packages."

Seriously many have a perception of slackware as being dated/non-user friendly, but it's one of the most integrated/structured distros I know - it DOES move forward/evolve with the times, it just keeps it's releases at stable versions.

Re:YAY!

[part_of_you]

I am a newbie learning slackware. Many people have warned against it, but I am not having any problem with it, other than the fact that I STILL can't find the c:\ and I can't get ANY of the *.exe files to do anything

Nice one Taco

[big_groo]

Instead of linking to the torrents, which are easy enough for anyone to find, why not link to the Slackware Store and try to support Pat's efforts.

You have no problems pimping ads and subscriptions on /., but you won't link to the store of the oldest linux distro out there.

Re:Patricks Health(Actinomycosis)

[Anonymous Coward]

He had Actinomycosis.
Brave guy to keep working as sick as he was.
You can rad about it here-
http://linuxreviews.org/news/2004/11/17_0_slackwar e_PAT/

For the player haters

[CatsupBoy]

Come on, i'm tired of hearing the same old misconceptions about slackware here on /. (wait, i think thats why i stick around)

MISCONCEPTIONS

1: Slackware doesnt have a package management system

FALSE: Slackware uses a very simple package management system that accomplishes two things. 1. it allows you to track files installed. 2. allows you to upgrade to newer versions (yes there is versioning). And as a bonus, your not bogged down with dependancies.... oh wait you want cyclical dependancies???

2: Slackware is outdated/behind the times.

FALSE: Why? because it still uses 2.4 kernel? Please! stability is the issue here. Purchase a RedHat Advanced server and you'll find it STILL uses 2.4. You cant please everyone all the time, but you can still produce a quality product with proven technology.

3: Slackware is too hard to use for newbies and/or my grandparents

AD-HOMINIM: This argument is too often used against Slackware in general. For what it is, an "everything is a file" operating system, you must expect to have to get to the command line eventually. If your using it as a server in place of another Unix OS, its not any harder to manage. If your using it to replace RedHat or SuSe, still, its not any harder, and with the added bonus that you dont have as much bloat (did i mention cyclical dependancies?).

4: Pat is a selfish dictator and I dont like his direction

TRUE: So is Linus Torvolds, and as far as direction, every company, ceo, lead developer must make thier own decisions and you just cant please everyone all the time.

Before the mods make me -1 troll, let me just say Slackware is not perfect, but nothing is. I dont like the fact that PAM will probably never be added :(

I use it as a desktop and a server. My servers are usually stripped down and single serve boxes, and slackware is a perfect fit. By trade, I work with Solaris, AIX, and RedHat. The only reason I dont push Slack at work is that my company wants to spend the money to have a finger to point at (specifically a large company to point at) when a problem arises.

But in the 5 years i've been using slackware, I've never encountered a show stopper.