I generally prefer gparted and its GUI for partitioning, as its simple and I've been using it a long time. This build is running on a 128G USB stick, Mate 20.

I have one other USB 3.0 stick, and I have been having a dickens of a time with the installer for several Distros. In theory, isn't the USB exactly the same as installing to an SDD/HDD? Has anyone else a scenario where the same install (& its partitioning software) would work on a hard drive but not a USB?

it might help to know more details about what problems you are having with the installer. partitioning doesn't work at all? or? do other tools that do the same thing work? have you tested the health of the disk?

I should know better than to ask a vague question here and not explain that its purposely vague. I'm asking if the process is in theory the same, or is there something that is different that increases chances of failure? I'm not a full time user but I've done at least a few dozen linux installs over the years. Obviously, the more you do it the easier it is. I feel like currently most installers are easier to use than the first one I ever tried, Fedora 8. The only one that ever defeated me was Gentoo, in 2008.

I have 2 USB 3.0 disks. A 128GB sandisk, which I am currently using Mint 20 on. The other is a 32GB some other brand, dont have it in hand RN. When I got this PC I had a live bootable mint 19 USB and Installed (not simply copied) that on the 32GB 3.0, so I know it works.

Fedora 32 worked for me on the 128GB, but I wanted Mint to be on the bigger disk as it will be the main install on this PC. Debian also refused to get past the disk imaging with a USB drive. I'm fairly certain that I can force the install by running gparted live on the USB first and then running the Fedora installer. I'd used that methodology long ago, but hadn't had to recently. It seems logical that when we transition from one hardware standard to the next, the software for said technology increases in efficiency over time. It certainly seemed that way when over the years with /hda transitioning out.

I'm a fickle human being to boot, and I'm probably going to install Slackware. I love Fedora and Slackware, but there's something about Slackware that will make me invest more energy into installing and maintaining it.

If you want a slackware live usb with persistence AlienBob did all the heavy lifting for you. https://alien.slackbook.org/blog/sla...-live-edition/

I love playing with live distros. Slax was a favorite but Knoppix was King IMO. I'm going to check this one out. I have a ton of USB 2.0 sticks so I can try anything I like, albeit much slower.

Only in theory. There are gotchas available stemming from differences in device enumeration among differing BIOS, kernels, drivers, USB port selected, device access time, etc. that can cause differences in device naming. UUID implementation for booting, mounting, etc. were designed in part to avoid these, but no system is perfect.