hehehehe. I also used to recommend slack, now I just tell them to use ubuntu/openSuse and then tell them I don't know how to use those distros

cheeers, me tooo, ystrday also i copied suse and mandriva

but i use it in my office computer room, both mandriva and suse(not in my machine), i have to configure those machine, thus i have an average idea about those. suse's yast is quite good

among all these gentooo is the best !!!

For The End User: Slackware vs Kubuntu?

Kind of like For the Vegetarian: Bananas vs. Pears?

Stay away from what you're allergic to and eat what you like

Personally, I like to know what is going on under the hood of everything and I like to be able to tweak it as necessary. Thus, Slackware is a good choice for me.

I think the *buntus are great for testing software quickly without much thinking on the install process. They are also what I suggest to most people looking for basically a free alternative to Windows.

For you, cwizardone, if you like the Slackware style but want something more like apt-get then Arch Linux might be something worth looking into. If you prefer the *buntu style, but want something with a slower, more well tested release cycle, then Debian might be a good fit for you. I believe Hevoos made a similar suggestion.

Have fun with whatever you choose!

I didn't read through all these posts and didn't even read the first thread as I should but I just need to post this here on this Slack VS. K/Ubuntu topic.

I had a little experience a few days ago with KUbuntu.
Me and the girlfriend use the same computer, she is(was) used to WindowsXP and I'm a plain Linux user or have been for the past few years. First of I had a dual boot with Slack and WinXP, but had to remove WinXP because there wasn't much space left on the machine for anything else(60GB laptop disk, no point in buying new, bigger disk). So I removed WinXP and, ofcorse she complained, so she slowly got used to Linux and using Linux in a newbie way, like turn on, login, start FireFox, browse and then shutdown again. So when she got kind of used to it she found it interesting and wanted to know more, about new applications etc.
Then I remembered, Ubuntu, very user friendly! MY GRANDPA CAN USE IT!....yeah right...my arse...(pardon my words)
So I install Kubuntu, as she was used to KDE and I am used to KDE thinking, lovely, she'll learn so much about Linux.
Great! I download Kubuntu 7.10, burn it and let's install. Not to mention Install crashed 3 times in a row...lovely beginning. So install succesfull, lovely, let's reboot, everything should work fine as other say. Login with my user name, create another for my girlfriend. So far so gewd. OMG look at the time, g2g to bed, work day tommorow. And next day my phone rand about 50 times, just from my girlfriend, not working this, not working that, some crap which was working out of the box on a Slackware distribution. So I get home, she asks me what the hell did you do, I installed another distro so it would be easyer for you. Her reply: "WHAT? This is ****! Install back Slack!"
So what I did? Put in Slackware DVD installed and configured within 60 minutes...

Not that I wouldn't know how to fix this stuff in Kubuntu, but hey, why would I if this is the "Linux for humans" and "everything works out of the box". If anyone asks me why Slackware and not Ubuntu i.e. because its ****. Why not anything else? Because Slackware is the best there is. Thank you Pat for such a wonderful distro!

Agreed. Slackware is the best there is. I also really like Debian, but, nothing is as good as Slackware.

I totally agree with this, and that's great and funny story .

I remember some time ago after I installed FC6 it was so extremely buggy that I gave up on Fedora, and so I decided to try Ubuntu, just to see how it is, the most popular distro (I already had my doubts just because of its popularity).

So I remember that I downloaded the desktop install CD, burned it, then ran it. It was quite buggy (it took several times to do the install properly), and all it did was make the most general install possible using all the default options. This was not acceptable to me, so I downloaded, burned the alternate install CD which allowed for a bit more customization, this one was less buggy. So, I had the install as best as it could be, and then I logged in and found that it was rather difficult to use, seriously. Everything was setup very oddly, you had to sudo into everything with your user password (is this secure ?), and there were lots of GUI tools to do everything, but they never quite did what I wanted, or it took many clicks and searching around to find out how. There were these nice pop-ups in the corner telling me "updates are available" and system sounds, both of which brought back some bad memories of Windoze. I didn't like it, and oh I forgot, it was buggy, quite buggy. I was not impressed. Then, when I went to shutdown, it wouldn't do it. It froze at the shutdown screen and refused to shutdown except for using the power button. Great.

Hi,

That's why I stick with Slackware. I've tried others just to see what everyone is boasting or shouting about. Some of the init techniques are interesting but I'll use M$ windows when I want it. I prefer my GNU/Linux Slackware for your above stated reasons. Not to impressed either. I like the UNIX feel and I don't have to BSD to get it.

I claim that 'Distro Hopping' should be a dance. We have enough distributions that should fit anyone. Slackware is the one that fits me.

As I said earlier, even though I prefer Slackware for normal use, sometimes using one of the *buntus on the side is a great way to quickly test some software. I mention this again, because Kubuntu might be a good way to quickly test KDE4. I could really care less if Kubuntu breaks because it is just a test box so to speak. I'll just be reminded why I use Slackware

Correct!

I've tried Kubuntu and Xubuntu, too, recently. Both came with a very polished look, especially the XFCE based Xubuntu appealed me. However, after playing around with them for a while, I found that, if I want what they are good at, OpenSuSE is an even better solution. It provides the same degree of comfort as the *buntus, but much more control and flexibility.

One strong point about SuSE is the way, system upgrades are dealt with over years. Eg, when Apache 1.x was upgraded to Apache 2.0.x several years ago, the whole configuration was migrated automagically: I didn't have to change a single line manually, although the configuration file changed significantly, due to new modules being used etc.! All this was done for my by YaST without causing any flaws!
SuSE achieved this seamless upgradeability by adding an abstraction layer for system configuration: Instead of editing the original configuration files, you edit files in /etc/sysconfig, and have YaST adapt the original config files, if you want to leverage the benefits of SuSE's concept. But you are also free to decide to edit the original files, if you prefer. However, once you do that, you can no longer rely on YaST to properly maintain that particular configuration file. Once you touch it, you are responsible for it. (Of course, you can delete it and have YaST recreate it.)

Although some people go nuts about GUI tools like YaST for systems administration, there are certainly some advantages for people who don't have a background as a computer scientist or who aren't professional Unix cluster administrators.

As to the *buntus, I found that one reason why they are so "end-user friendly" is the fact that they hide the superuser. For instance, when you install a new package to the system, you are not asked for the root password, but for the password of the logged in user. This approach is supposed to hide the complexity of Unix privileges from the end-user. While this is a quite valid approach, I like the abstraction layer in SuSE better, as it tries to make Unix simpler, instead of pretending not to be Unix, at all.

However, I must say, that I intend to try a completely different thing in the near future: GoboLinux: http://gobolinux.org/. Maybe it's for you, too.

For the time being, however, Slackware is my main system. How can that be, after praising SuSE so much, above?
The reason is, that I have developed a lot of faith in Patrick Volkerding's way of decision-making over the year. Since I have started using Slackware, every release was as consistent as a Linux distro can be. While other distributions have fixed release schedules, Slackware is released only, when all the constituents and components play together, reliably. Yes, in a way it was a bit of a pain that Slackware had no HAL and no udev and no D-BUS for such a long time, and that I had to mount my USB stick in the most traditional, archaic way, by first trying to figure out the device name, then su'ing and finally issueing the mount command. However, many stability problems of other desktop distros were exactly caused by their early adoption of things like udev, HAL and D-BUS. When these components found their way into Slackware, they were mature and stable. The integration of these trinity in Slackware was perfect, from the moment they were included with the distro.

While OpenSuSE 10.3 is a fantastic distribution, the two releases before weren't up to what you would expect from one of the most popular distributions in the world. Most distributions vary in quality from release to release, especially if they are trying to include the greatest and latest in terms of services, kernels and applications. This leads to inconsitencies Slackware users have never been confronted with. What is more, systems administration including installing and configuring software packages doesn't change without good reason in Slackware between releases. Therefore knowledge acquired in one version can be reused for many years, usually. With other distributions, including SuSE it's different: In their effort to add more complexity, but hide them from the user, things change a lot behind the scenes of the GUI tools. While things may look quite the same in YaST, the configuration files in /etc/sysconfig may have a completely different structure and even different names, compared with a previous release.

I guess, this is the reason why Slackware has the highest average rating over so many releases in the LQ distro reviews. Sometimes there was a distro that was rated higher, for one particular release, but I found none, that was rated higher than Slackware for more than two releases in a row.

But yes, OpenSuSE and Ubuntu and Debian are excellent distributions, too.

gargamel

Well I moved in January from Slack 12 to Ubuntu when I was installing on my new computer (Athlon 64 X2 4000+; 3G RAM; Nvidia 7200 GX).

I'd not tried Gnome in a long time (since Slack 9 I think) so thought it was worth a shot.

Loved the default look and feel, added compiz-fusion and loved the eye candy some more. Then I needed to get my work done! Lasted 10 days (or so) with Gnome. Then installed KDE ... click, click, click, wait ... installed.

Also installed KDE4 (which is so not ready for users).

Someone mentioned non-repos installs ... very easy. Download the deb and click on it.

I like the way sudo is arranged so that admin tasks request the user password.

At least one other mentioned lack of compiler and trouble kernel compiling ... haven't tried later (though all my Slack kernels were custom), new box is fast enough I don't need to bother.

Things that I used to self-compile were either cutting edge or just rare enough not to have packages or slackbuilds readily available. Now I find that most of what I need is available as a deb or is already in the repos (testing! or in repos of distros like medibunti or Mint). Indeed I've yet to find anything I need to compile (including SVN builds of Inkscape which are in the testing repos) and several things I used to self-compile that now I don't. Critical mass is the term here I guess.

This machine came with Vista Home Premium pre-installed ... which bizarrely took more setup (didn't see all memory, video was wrong) than the entire Ubuntu install. I thought the boot manager setup would be complicated but it didn't require any intervention it just added Vista to the boot list.

Ubuntu installed the nvidia drivers and fixed xorg.conf for me which was nice. Synaptic is just awesome ... it was my reason for trialling Ubuntu (having used it on Fedora some time back). Only problem is that I now test install a lot more stuff. Ubuntu also have ensured that some FF plugins install direct from the repos rather than their normal locations - then they get updated by apt tools, etc..

Can't now see anything to draw me back to Slackware to be honest though it has been something of a culture shock. I'm just at the stage when I've finished learning about Linux and started using it. Only downside is that the LQ forum isn't as good as this one!

FWIW I used Slackware for about 9 years, have an undergraduate diploma in computing (UK) and work part-time as a web designer/technician.

I was so impressed my son's experience with Kubuntu, I installed it on my own computer over this last weekend.

However, late Sunday night I was tired and frustrated with a couple of things that wouldn't go my way. As we know Slackware is very configurable and I was starting to miss that feature. So, I deleted Kubuntu and put Slackware back on the computer and I was going down the list of things I had to do, "by hand" to configure Slackware when I remembered why I tried Kubuntu in the first place, i.e., it does most of that stuff, better than 85% of it, automatically.

I went through this cycle twice, believe it or not. Guess I was reluctant, as I said in the first message in this string, to leave Slackware. We have been together for a long time.

The second time I was farther along on the list of things to do when I came to the same conclusion, which was, "this is 2008 and I haven't adjusted the valves on a old VW Bug in over 25 years."

Let's see, install Slackware. No problem. Goes well when you do the "kitchen sink install."

Then,.... where is my list... ok...
1, run alsaconf and then
2. alsactl store.
3, run pppoe-setup (you have to do this too in Kubuntu).
4, configure, and
5. make, and
6. make install, rppppoek.
7. edit the sudoers file so users (me) can use rppppoek without have to sign on as root.
8. should have done this as number 2, but run xorg.conf
and then
9. edit it as necessary.
10. edit rc.local so the system can see my modem and
11. lp0 ports.
12. install NTFS-3g and
13. edit the fstab file.
14. install the Ati drivers and
15. check and edit the xorg.conf, again.
16. edit the group file so users can use the audio, video, cdrom, plugdev, and scanner.

Of all the above, in Kubuntu you only have to do 3, 14 (not really), and 15.

The second time I was just about at 15, when I thought of all the programs I wanted to install and all the dependencies I would have to install, one by one, to make them work. Gwenview, digikam, etc., etc., etc., which BTW come as part of the Kubuntu package. I took a break, rested, and came back and rebooted with the Kubuntu DVD.

So, Kubuntu is back on the pc and it is about the slickest thing I've ever seen and much, much easier to install and add programs. Just boggles my old mind.

Things that I couldn't get to work, or not work quite right in Slackware, e.g., the "refocus" plug-in for The Gimp, work "out of the box" with Kubuntu. Ditto, Mplayer, VLC, and several other programs.

A year ago I was pulling what hair I have left out trying to get a fax program to work. In Kubuntu (not crazy about the name, btw) I went to apt-get, found the eFax and a front end for it, clicked on install and that was it. Once installed I opened eFax and told it where to find the modem. Done.

I've pretty much duplicated everything I was doing in Slackware 12. Couldn't get Opera to run at first, but found a 64 bit version, 9.50a, that runs very well. So far nothing has choked.

Grub is a great improvement. If you screw up something, you get a recovery option from the Grub menu. Found a way to attach a password to the recovery selections so no one can sit down at the computer and get to the hard drive. Found a nice gui firewall package that lets you monitor the traffic. I was amazed at the number of hits it blocks in a very short period of time.

Everything runs and runs well. No coughs. No hiccups. It has been rock solid without a blink since it was installed (the second time ).

I'm having a little trouble running an old dos program in doeemu, but I'll figure it out.
Other than that, it has been a very positive experience.

When I'll want clickety-clickety installs I'll just go and install Winblows on one of the machines.
That's the whole point of Slackware...you can adapt it however you want, there not a thing on the system that you couldn't adapt or change to the way you want. And it wont stop you from anything. It puts you the user in control, from the install on.
And it's a great distro for home using, testing and even servers. And Kubuntu being great for testing KDE4, then I'll just download KDE4 test CD and test KDE4 from a LiveCD.

Hell if my GF got used to Slack and she didn't have any Linux experience before we met and now she is using it without a problem. She's slowly getting used to the Konsole as well.

thank you for supporting me, opensuse 10.3 is better than the new kubuntu(s),
withuout gui also we can call yast and configure.

sorry that it is "oneclick install" that is what they call, for installing a package u search in package manager click it to install

and the whole argument was to tell that if some one want more fancy stuffs, go for suse 10.3, and it is better than kubuntu,
my choice is only slackware,, i use ubintu live cd to import settings , like xorg.conf... i compare their configuration files against our pat written one, if needed i wil add more. once i remember i had difficulty in making sound work in ubntu and i dont know what to do, no alsaconf...

even if i wanted to do or adapt something, i will follow gentoo, not kubuntu.

what i felt was, we were able to fix stuffs in kubuntu very easily, because we are familiar with slackware, i dont think that a beginner can ever configure kubuntu at the first instance.

regards

Distro choice is a matter of personal taste and needs - how many times has this been said? I've tried Ubuntu and Xubuntu, but not Kubuntu, and not had any problems. But they're not for me. The only major distros I haven't tried are Arch and Gentoo, and out of all those that I have tried, Slackware suits me best. If it became more (K)ubuntu-ised, it wouldn't, so I'd choose something else.

Yeah, those are the two distros that I have not run. I ran a dual boot of FreeBSD/Slackware for a time, but, I prefer Slack all by itself.
I love Slackware. I really enjoy receiving security advisory e-mails from Slackware. Just updated to the newest versions of FF and Seamonkey this morning.