I used Dropline GNOME, that also replaced the X series, and the 2.6.* kernel from /extra. It worked flawlessly. As a novice to Linux, automounting was a must for me at that time. Also, the network manager that DLG provided was far superior than anything Slackware shipped.

I am curious. So if someone would provide us with -current+ (+KDE 5) I will test it and see is capable to run on my old hardware. But no tinkering no rebuilding packages. So I will install -current without KDE 4 and on top of this put KDE 5. I have spare old box. The solely purpose of my test is about performance. Eg. the first time during all my Slackware user experience I consider to use generic kernel because huge kernel loads so... slowly. So due to this I expect other problems with performance. However it is not an issue as there is always alternative for heavy desktop like KDE (why people say it is lightweight?)

Newcomers are being advised to begin with desktop distribution. Due to fact that their first experience is Windows. If they will stay long enough with Linux they would try other distributions - among them possibly Slackware - but Slackware is not being marked as easy. For me seems reasonable that newcomer having some previous experience the thirst thing would do is to run KDE 5 if included. So the quality of KDE 5 in Slackware will be quality measure for all Slackware. If KDE 5 would fail - Slackware would fail - and person would jump to another distribution - missing opportunity to start with Slackware. My conclusion is: if to add desktop to Slackware then nicely polished.

Now that it's been basically confirmed that Plasma 5 will make its way into Slackware, I'm going to take the plunge and switch my laptop to -current. I haven't tried KDE since Eric stopped updating the 14.2 builds, so I'm looking forward to seeing how it's progressed since then. Just have to finish up a personal CAD project in the next day or so, and then I'll go for it.

5 members found this post helpful.

am i not allowed to have my own thoughts? not allowed to have my own opinions? i already have my own mind and i am not letting others change it for me or do my thinking for me, i am open to opinions and after i seen your rambling long-winded drivel i and more likely to ignore it

i think KDE-4 and up (including KDE5) to be a bloated mess, but if you want a bloated mess of a kitchen sink for a desktop as your daily driver then be my guest, i have not installed KDE-4 in a few years and i dont need to i seen it already, i think xfce is getting to be a little bit of a kludge too, but i keep xfce installed just in case someone comes over and wants to use a PC, i think Mate and TDE would be better Desktop Environments than KDE-4/5

if it was up to me, and Pat V let me take the wheel for one release i would do this

ISO #1 for slackware would be smaller, it would have the core of slackware that makes it all run, which will be arranged fit on a 650/700 cd-r iso size

then ISO #2 would have all the extra stuff, xorg, /xap stuff and KDE, mate, TDE, and the source ISO #2 would more likely be bigger and require a DVD (maybe two DVDs)

anyhow, this comment is getting too long, but yeah that first ISO #! would be small enough for a CDr ISO or can be put on a USB, and will let a user get a fresh new slackware install going,

Since I upgraded from KDE4 to KDE5 on my -current desktop yesterday I've been struggling with stability & settings. It's all my fault since I left the old KDE4 config files in place before the initial Plasma signon. My recommendation to those that want to try KDE5 is to create a new user prior to initial logon. Copy & chown files from the old user to the new user as needed. I'm a happy camper now that I've done it this way. As Eric wrote in the README, this is a non-trivial change.

Current is graciously provided by Eric (aka Alien Bob) for anyone to download. "Old" in PC hardware is a relative term, but almost all Linux will run on almost any hardware. Until recently I had a PII 433MHz 512MB Sony laptop with 14.2 installed on it and with KDE 4X DE. It was agony to boot but once up it ran just fine particularly on the Web since that is primarily a function of network bandwidth. Probably the oldest PC I currently use is an old single gore AMD FX-57 box with 2GB RAM. There is no agony there with either 14.2 or -Current. By some standards my main is old since Asrock no longer even supports it. It no longer hosts bios or driver files, not even an archive, for any operating system. Nada.

Generic kernels are lighter weight than Huge. Since Generic expects an initrd to handle specific system hardware that kernel has fewer hard coded hardware items others may not have. I have included a snapshot of my recent -Current install on the Asrock Main PC. It had KDE4x which I removed and then installed Plasma5. I'm running a custom kernel based on Huge with just a few items removed mostly to enable proper CPU type, scheduling and Low Latency. The Plasma DE is default with all the "nasties" like Akonadi, Baloo, etc. I'm using both Conky and Screenfetch to show what's going on and you will see that the load is quite lightweight. The performance is very good. There has been zero package tinkering. It's a fresh install just a few days old with just enough stuff added to make this screenie.

Full size screenshot is here ------ https://i.imgur.com/rDEjiTV.jpg

Attached Thumbnails

 

3 members found this post helpful.

Your words were that you don't vote against your interests. I simply asked how KDE threatens your interests. It is an opportunity to display your thoughts not squelch them. Why so defensive? As for having your own mind, nobody is threatening that either but you seem to be threatening others by voting to remove important DE options just because you don't like or use it. If you view this as long-winded rambling drivel, welcome to the Web where everyone doesn't necessarily speak your language. Some of us actually studied Grammar and Spelling though.

I have no idea how you can say you "think" KDE is "a bloated mess" when apparently you have no experience with it past years old versions, and this despite numerous people listing their stats and comparisons demonstrating it is quite nimble and of small footprint. It recently substantially outperformed Xfce in running hardware intensive games which is a measure of the most demanding multimedia functions. That won't affect you other than as evidence KDE is not "heavy" or "bloated" which really shouldn't matter to you at all since it infringes on nothing you care about. Right?


Optical media is on it's last legs but recently I bought a 32GB brand name USB thumbdrive for a little over $6 USD so size isn't an issue there. However while download bandwidth would be helped by a smaller ISO, in point of fact as seen just on this one isolated poll, the impact on a rather large proportion of current Slackware users/members would be quite negative. Is that the sort of community member you really want to be? and based on faulty, uninformed conclusions? Hey whatever twirls ur beanie, Okie.

3 members found this post helpful.

if you dont like my opinion, then ignore it, its the only solution to this sort of encounter,

https://i.imgur.com/syz5mfO.jpg

Off topic (but hey its my thread so), but I have a fondness still for the media; and I still prefer shows/movies on disc rather than 'the cloud.' In general optical media capacity has increased and in labs there are experimental discs that holds TBs (50 TB) or so and even some that are highly experimental (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyper_CD-ROM).


I still like the idea of a disc holding TBs of data; but I guess this just shows my age - then again optical media started out with Laserdisc so....even before I was born but it was a great run at least... Laserdisc to Compact Disc to its variants we have now.....

I'm currently using BluRay disks for backups. (And I used to run a 4G SCSI tape backup many many moons ago.)

Ok I have to ask , what type of discs? I mean just single layered, double layered , triple layered or a combo there of?

dont box yourself in, other people in less fortunate parts of the world might still have to rely on CDr, i use bootable USB thumbdrives too, but other people in 3rd world countries might have plenty of brains for figuring out things like computers & Linux (including slackware) but they may not have the money and resources for modern PCs and just an average x86_64 PC with a dual core might be the best they can come up with and bootable USB thumbdrives might not be an option for them but a CD-recordable or CDRW might be workable (dont put all your eggs in one basket)

I am doing the same. As for a tape, that's too far back for me

I am using Single-Layer 25GB discs, but my drive (LG BH14NS40) can handle 128GB M-Disc discs.

128GiB , so I assume quad layered, but I have yet to encounter or find such discs; only triple-layerd 100GB(GiB) discs.

Yea, they are 4-layer.
They also claim that M-Discs, DVD or BluRay, when properly stored can last 1000 years. I tend to believe that because I have CD's And DVD's that I burned in the mid-90's that are still in very good shape. And I do store them in a cool dark closet.

EDIT!!
Apparently after looking on Wikipedia,