Slackware is a general purpose distribution for desktops, laptops, and servers.

Slackware takes the approach of offering the most software for functionality, with the least amount of bloatware that is optional. This is why SlackBuilds.org exists. Patrick includes only the more required and recommended of dependencies for packages, very similar to how LinuxFromScratch operates.

You can however, rebuild existing packages with extra optional dependencies supported if they are installed however.

Well put. I would say that the entire philosophy of Slackware is to be thorough.

Slackware provides a full, stable working installation of Linux with a wide variety of programs available to accomplish just about anything you might want to accomplish on a computer right out of the box; along with several (seven the last time I counted) desktop environments/window managers for users to choose from; while giving users flexibility to install additional packages, if they wish, and control to resolve dependencies themselves, so that users are fully in charge of what resides on their machines. (How's that for a mouth full?)

At least, that's how I look at it.

I started with Slackware (v. 10.0) and, wherever I've wandered, I've always come back to the elegant simplicity of Slackware.

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Yes, approaching things wrongly !


LOL need remind myself never expect complicated problems - until first check simple ones...


During installation allowed myself to be distracted by young boss then phone, when returned thinking at end selected completed. Much easier IF realized had NOT completed installation of components on disks 2, 3 and 4 {-O


Installation progressing.... with disk 3.

skipped disk 4 ?


.

If you install the following dirs :

a
ap
d
f
k
l
n
t
tcl
x

It provides all the basics. You get all the needed system libraries and all the services, both for the server usage and for the desktop. Then you can add user space packages (emacs, kde, xfce, etc.) as you see fit.
Of course, for a server, you can remove x and sometimes part of d, but on the whole, you'll want to keep most of the stuff as it's usually a building block for the rest. You're example for Jack is not quite right for instance : jack uses alsa, it's just a layer on top of it, IRC, so you'll just add jack but keep alsa nevertheless.
Then if you want to trim it down, you can remove a well chosen list of packages in d, n, ap, t and x (httpd and similar server packages if you're building a desktop, gcc, x if you're installing a server). Just don't touch packages in a and l, they're all required to run the system.

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Be it on servers, on desktops or on workstations, add package group y to the list. Vital.

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That's how I always felt about Slackware. I'm just too lazy (busy) to bother with building things that I use, but aren't included in Slackware. Kind of sad, because I prefer Slackware, but I can install Mint/Ubuntu and 99% of everything I use/need is there and working. So... lazy... but there it is.

"I would say that the entire philosophy of Slackware is to be thorough."

I completely agree. Excellent choice of words.

Zipslack, if it's still being made, is designed to be minimal though. "Basic Linux" was literally a Slackware 7 (or Slackware 4) installation that was pieced together to minimal. Slackware proper, however, really is intended to be installed as a holistic, "this stuff all works together in a big lump, but feel free to add to it if you like" distro.

That said, if you have lots of time on your hands, pkgtool and the a series is all you need for a nice, lean system lol...

Well, thank you everyone for helping me understand Slackware a little better. I'm going to probably have to do some further testing in a virtual environment, and then replace a few boxes with it to see how I enjoy setting it up.

As for now though, I've spent some time messing around with a virtual desktop, which I set up with more of a "slacker" approach to it all (I only really removed httpd, vsftpd, openssh, and that's all I can really remember, maybe a few smaller packages, but nothing extreme like entire libraries and such.) And installed pretty much just the a, ap, d, l, n, t(I think?), tcl, TeX(or at least it had TeX), and X series.
Then took the time to try installing Mate. Having Lynx pre-installed was nice because with a quick google I lazily downloaded all the binaries from MSB. And installed them all, and X was working perfectly, didn't enjoy the menus being spammed, but decided I'd remove all the Mate/slackware applications I didn't want later (or because it's a vm just not care.) and for the while, hid them with the menu settings.

Currently grabbing wine just to see if I can get an windows application to run (yes... I'm running a windows application, in a windows layer on linux, running in a virtual machine on windows, logic = totally 200%.) I expect it to be absolute crap because of the fact I'm running wine in a VM, but this test is more about seeing how easy it was to download and install something from slackbuilds, and how "out of the box" wine could be to install (as it would be a necessity for desktop use), read the info/readme files, didn't mention any Deps. So I've assumed that it should work (just crappily)
I think I can mark this "Solved" or, more like "enlightened" ... Been enjoying Slackware so far, and I can only expect greater joy from it. Though I'm not sure I agree with it's ways, it'll probably take a while longer use for the Paradigm shift to really be appreciated.

I think you guys may have a new Slacker here. I've really enjoyed how simple it is to setup, and after realizing it's approach to modularity is completely different, how nice it is to really be "lazy" about a system, but still be active in it's administration, and it's build, rather than having to be so proactive like in Arch, installing everything when needed, and then getting that feeling of, "omg if this breaks I'm going to lose everything." Slackware has really given me the feeling of "meh, if it breaks all I have to do is install a few things and configure a few things again, no biggy." and I suppose it's assumed that if you have personal configs you really enjoy and don't want to remake every time (such as those for conky), or were time consuming (compiz), you just save backups.

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If I can give an advice: keep openssh, ssh is useful even on LAN or on a VM to be able to remote configure or update your workstation(s). As a matter of fact, it's not rare that I "talk" to my VM locally through ssh/screen. It's also helpful in "training" as you get used to it when you require that for a distant server. Of course, it's a matter of choice/preference.

You'll quickly find that Slackware, is one of the easiest distributions to maintain due to the simplicity of the design, as well as the most user and admin friendly distribution.

While you will have to resolve package dependencies yourself, after a few download, build, and installs (DBIs) from SlackBuilds, it's all second nature.

Eventually, you might even feel the itch to check out Linux From Scratch, and maybe even FreeBSD.

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It really depends when I install SSH, typically only for headless servers do I ever think about installing OpenSSH. I just never have a need for it when I have VM or a Desktop, as a VM is in some words a machine with a VNC server already on it, and with a desktop I typically always find a way to the console if I need one. Typically SSH is only really there if I know I'm going to need it because of the fact it adds risk and vulnerability to the machine it's on, as the same goes with php, mysql, apache, on desktops where these things aren't needed, it can add some level of vulnerability and risk that I personally, just don't like associating with desktop workstations.


I've actually found that to be so, because updating the systems packages is nothing more then a "slackpkg upgrade-all" away, and if you really really need to remove every application for some reason, I've found that slackpkg clean-system (or something similar) pretty much removes all the packages that you've DBI'd (which btw, thanks for the acronym.) Just so everyone knows, I managed to get the very simple notepad++ application to run under wine under VM... Wine installed all it's dependencies pretty much on first launch (though I promise I'm not going to expect that from every application ever.) Also ReaperX, I already have an itch to go play with LFS. Though before I even tackle that, I want to continue using Slackware for a while to see if I continue to enjoy it as much as I have so far (mainly just seeing it actually work for once.)

I don't want to convince you, I don't know your usage.

But I want to correct something, which is related to the subject of this thread...

Having ssh installed on Slackware doesn't introduce any vulnerability while you don't "run" it... It's running or not running the server daemon that influences the "vulnerability" (and the way it's been configured too).

Edit: The same apply for any service... Your only "gain" will be space.

Well, I totally rejected Slackware 13.1 when i first tried it, solely because I was too used to of yum and graphical front-ends for installing a package. I didn't get the idea of a kitchen sink and no automatic dependency management because I was too lazy to take matters in my own hands.

Now that I look back, I feel like I wasted one precious year dangling around with Fedora and Mint until I read a lot about Slackware's history, usage, stability, reliability and dared installing and configuring 13.37.
The initial time that I've spent configuring 13.37 and learning the Slackware way, was worth it. I broke my system a lot of times, installed wrong packages, reinstalled a lot of times. But worth it in the end.

Regards.

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This needs to be in a prominent wiki or maybe even a note on package selection.. especially for people like me who don't read or follow instructions very well. I guarantee there will be a time I could use this info and have a hard time finding it.

I found that funny... If you don't read or follow instructions... How a wiki/note could help ?

In order to Slack you MUST read.

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I have a different take on this. Last year I was asked to go look at a failing Debian server that was setup at my companies branch site. It was really old. I quickly found out that the person who set it up did a minimal install of only packages that were needed for a server. Nothing else. That may sound like a good idea - That is, until you have to work on it!

I had to figure out workarounds for nearly everything I needed to do because every program I needed was missing, and since the system was partially broken - I couldn't install anything. It was a real pain.

So when people talk about minimal systems customized for a purpose I just kind of roll my eyes. Nope, I setup my boxes with a full install of Slackware (except for the games). I have all the tools I need regardless of the state of the machine. And with today's cheap storage - there's no valid reason not to.

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