In my experience with slackware I think it's best not trust tools that make the update automatically. I do not even use slackpg, directly use the basic tool upgradepkg.

What I do is the following:

- With rsync, I maintain an updated copy of slackware version concerned (normaly in a USB disk)

- I take a look to the ChangeLog.txt to see if there is any important message to warn me about something out of the ordinary.

- I copy the directory /patches to a directory on my computer with a meaningful name (you can put a date or a consecutive number, which you like best). This I do to have a history of all the packages patches that I've applied.

- Then I run two scripts, the first one informs me that packages are being updated, from the oldest to the most modern patch. Basically it is something like:

ls -rt | xargs upgradepkg --dry-run> summary.txt 2> error_resumen.txt

This way I can see that packets are being updated before doing the update and it leaves a record.

- I do the actual update with:

ls -rt | xargs upgradepkg > upgrade.txt 2> error_upgrade.txt

- I look at the upgrade.txt file to view messages about possible new configuration files that have not been installed (stay with the name .new).

- If there were any new configuration file I compare it with the old and I decide that to do. If you want you can keep these old configuration files saved in somewhere to keep all historical changes for the configuration files.

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With repect to the change from slackware to a rolling type distributions you have to now that these are problematic because due to the continuous changes of versions of packages there are many changes in the configuration files, making tedious the maintenance. In addition this concept of distribution fits poorly with server environments where you'd need to have a good infrastructure to make the changes first on a test machine before passing the changes to the production machine.

This type of distributions are useful if you need to try some new software or also for to have a Linux system that needs to be very modern so it can work on a given hardware.

I see this type of distributions more as a complement than a replacement to Slackware: what you can not do with slackware then do it with the rolling distribution.

A very interesting rolling distribution is Voidlinux. It is similar to Arch but without the systemd monster (as slackware).

I don't know what you all are talking about. To stay up to date with security updates, I just uncomment a mirror in slackpkg, check the changelog at my convenience, and do "slackpkg update; slackpkp upgrade-all" when appropriate. On both 14.1 and on -current.

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Although I prefer to do it manually instead of automated with slackpkg, I agree with Dugan - what the heck is the difficulty of looking at the changelog at your own convenience and updating by your preferred method?

After 23 years, why any discussion at all?!

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Dugan, I basically do the same, use upgradepkg to apply patches, it's just that I like to have a detailed history of all the changes I make in my machines and I have all the patches I installed on my machine, not just the last.

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While I don't use it myself, if you want automated updates with stability, Debian stable would probably be a good place to start (you'd have to make the move to systemd though).

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Debian will if you set it up, e.g: Apper\settings or cron &c... Ubuntu or Mint tho?

You know, if you live in freaking Milwaukee, I would think that you would be able to write a coherent sentence in English.

is pretty close to mindless gibberish.

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There is my update sequence

We didn't see a lot of updates to Slackware, but probably 14.2 has been brewing steadily due to one profound reason, maybe several, so here's my guesses, and thoughts on your topic...

1. Patrick has a life outside of Slackware. While Slackware is his business, like any person, he tries to probably keep home and professional life seperate as much as possible. For we know, he might be married, be trying to raise a family, keep his sanity levels balanced, etc.

2. If you're relying on vanilla packages for IT and security, that's been a subject I've attempted numerous times to hammer into some hard headed people, that's just bad practice altogether. If you have the source, create your own branch off the main tree, maintain it and security patches, and use the mailing list to keep track of updates off the main tree. Build packages to your security standards and needs, and learn and do for yourself. You're the system administrator to your system, not Patrick.

3. A lot has happened over the past three years in GNU/Linux. I won't imply but there was probably a lot of testing, trying out, and evaluating futures of things to stay the course of sanity and saneness for Slackware, and it took a lot of time. I could probably imagine, but releasing anything in such turbulence and a maelstrom might not have been exactly wise, but who can say?

14.2 is due out soon, so hold your horses and ready some disk space to clone your own source, apply your own patches, rebuild 14.2 to your needs, give back when you can obviously, and stop thinking that jumping ship when the ship isn't sinking is an oh so brilliant idea. This is Slackware! Have some chamomile tea, sip a white chocolate latte, grab an ice cold IPA beer, kick back, relax, and get your slack on and listen to some tunes by The Grateful Dead, especially "Touch of grey." It really applies to Slackware.

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...especially if you can't count from #21 to #22
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=e.g.
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=%26c
I won't help you stereotype Carrollton, you got that covered.

2 members found this post helpful.

I do not want to sound harsh or nagging, but what is the point of threads titled like this? Are we supposed to start convincing the original poster to not leave Slackware? Or are we supposed to feel somehow guilty that a Slackware user is leaving the distribution?

Seriously, if you have some questions or frustrations: just ask right away, stating clearly what your issue is. Or if you have made up your mind -- just change your distribution, no one cares.

Now answering the questions: there have been a lot of updates to Slackware 14.1 since the time it was released. This was already pointed by others. About installing packages from -current: if you really want to do that, then recompile them on you -stable (aka 14.1) environment from the scripts provided for -current.

Since some users have appeared to be very sensitive here, I want to state it again: I am not trying to offend the original poster in any way. Just stating my opinion on threads titled like this.

6 members found this post helpful.

Following a hiatus of nearly 20 years, I'm glad I switched back to Slackware. I tried Slackware fairly early on (2.2(.2?)), really liked it, but other interests prevailed, and my platform switched--several times, in fact. I accept my rationale for doing so at the time, but coming back has been the best computing decision I can recall ever making. I salute Patrick, Robby, Eric, Willy, and the other contributors who make this distribution so clean, predictable, and rock-solid. Using it has been fun and satisfying, and has paid many dividends for me both personally and professionally.

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My history with slackware is more or less like yours. At the end you go back to the origins, realizing that the first choice was actually the best.

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I keep my systems up to date via AlienBOB's rsync_slackware_patches.sh script. Patches get downloaded automatically, then I review them before upgrading. One could easily automate it further, but I prefer to review the changelog before running upgradepkg.
Most of my third-party packages are from slackbuilds, for that I use sbopkg -c.

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