[TriLUG] Tony's final comments about Slackware (for now!)--Again taken from PENGUIN SHELL from Lockergnome

al johson alfjon at mindspring.com
Thu Nov 29 21:15:34 EST 2001


  11.29.2001 GnomeREPORT


I've had quite the week here in Iowa. The weather has turned to November,
our Spanish customers accepted their telecopes in our shop on Monday, I'm
starting to pack for a two-week install, and I've rediscovered the subtle
pleasures of a thin stable Linux distribution.

Admittedly, Slackware has presented some challenges this week. Things that
I've taken for granted in the other major distributions for the past few
years, I've had to work for in Slack. It's meant even later hours and longer
nights. I've puzzled over the paradox of a fully mature distribution without
an advanced package manager. In the same moment, I've marvelled at raw
stability and looked ahead to the potential of a long-term well-nurtured
Slackware system. At the end of the Great Distro Review, I may come back to
Slack. It's got me charged again about the potential to build an OS that is
truly my own.

Therein lies another paradox. I greatly enjoyed the Mandrake leg of the
Great Distro Review. It was easy to install, beautiful to look at, and rich
with every possible tool to make my experience comfortable. Slackware was
something less than all that and, by being less, was something much more.

I can't easily say that I'd recommend Slack to a brand new Linux user. If
you've been only a casual computer user with no programming background,
you're likely to find the learning curve to be very steep. There are other
distributions, such as Mandrake, that will make the transisition much
smoother. Slack'll be around. You can always come back to it. On the other
hand, if you've had *some* Linux experience, are interested in putting your
own personal stamp on every element of your system, and have time and a
perservering attitude, Slackware could easily become your distro of choice.
...
And tomorrow? To paraphrase The Bangles, "It's just another DIY Friday."


Tony Steidler-Dennison






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