Hi,
I have been using Linux for nearly three years now, but please consider me a newbie.
I have used RedHat, Fedora, Mandrake and Debian. I want to try Slackware.
However from what I have heard from others, I have come to a conclusion that Slackware installation is slightly more difficult.
Hence I seek advice of users of Slackware regarding its installation. Especially on what type of installation media is available, whether graphical install is available or not, what issues must be kept in mind during installation, what is the default package manager, etc., besides their experience with Slackwar vis-a-vis other distros like Debian. Is there any major performance difference in Slack and Debian in terms of responsiveness of common applications like OpenOffice and FireFox.
I have a P4 system with 256 MB RAM.
Awaiting your advice,

regarding installation please check forum

http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...hreadid=174447

Just try to install it and you shall see how easy it can be, following up the on-screen instructions shall make it easier. As long as you have already use other linux distros, it won't be as hard as if you were coming directly from windows.

Slackware does not have any graphical installer, just boot from the CD, set up your partitions, and type setup so it can configure the filesystems and packages to install. Slackware doesn't have a proper package manager neither (though pkgtool could look like it), so you don't have to worry for dependencies.

I have not used Debian, so I can not tell you about any performance differences.

Give it a try and you shall love it forever

Peace

Slack has a reputation for being difficult to install simply because some people are terrified to use anything other than a graphical installer. The Slack install is actually very straight-forward and no more difficult than installing any other distro.

After installation there are some additional configuration steps you have to go through, including configuring alsa and xorg, but it really isn't difficult.

Best advice would simply be to give it a try.

As for performance, I have found Slack to be among the fastest of distros.

If your familiar with the command line, are comfortable with manually editing text configuration files and your first course of action when you stuck is to read man pages or use google then you will not find a distro simpler nor easier to use than Slackware.

Keeping Slackware updated is a little different than other distros, it entails reading the changelog, then manually downloading the appropriate packages and upgrading them rather than have a package manager do it for you. There are some third party package managers about but many slackers will not rely on them for system updates

From time to time I try another distro but I always decide they are too complex, Slackware encourages the user to roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty, but other distros seem to try and keep you away from the system, and the System V init system seems unnecessarily complex, I always end up coming back to Slackware.

I think the only hard thing about the installation (at least for me) was the lack of tolerance for mistakes (in a sense). If you choose an option you didn't mean to choose, you can't just go "back" to the previous page and redo it. You have to start the whole thing over (unless there is something I am missing). Overall it definitely wasn't difficult to install, I just found that to be a little annoyance more than anything. Good luck with the Slack. Prepare to be addicted. ;-)

Slackware Linux Essentials
Read it, know it, get to love it.

I found reading Simply Linux by jzblack(downloadable) chapters on SLW10 install and config. very instructive. This book includes install/config guides for for many linux versions. I follow the guide on every SLW install, along with the SLW Handbook.
But the install is pretty straight forward--simpler to me than installing debian 3.0.

Thank you all for such prompt replies, non-graphic based installer is not a big hinderence as Debian too doesn't have a graphical installer (as far as I know) and I was fairly successful in installing Debian.
I shall give Slackware a try as soon as I get hold of an istallation medium. In the meanwhile I will read as much as I can about Slackware installation and maintenance.
Thank you all once again.

Slackware rocks! It is the fastest of the non-source distros, and the most stable. Configuration is dead easy--unless you prefer the "click and pray" gui method. Also, if you install software from source, slackware is the most likely for your compile to work, as the libraries are where they're supposed to be.

The installer is not hard to use and hardware detection is quite good; just read up on fdisk first, as you will probably have to partition your disk by dropping from the installer to the shell. When you finish, just type at the prompt to return to the installer.

Have fun

Just to add my two cents worth. The Slack install can be broken into a few steps.
1. fdisk- set up root and swap partitions.
2. Run setup install slack, (choose full install)
3. Set-up networking, choose DE, and some other stuff.
4. Re-boot into your new slack system
5. Log-on as root, create users, set-up alsa, set-up x windows run xorgconfig.
6. Log-out of root, log-in as regular user.
7. startx

Note: I am also a Debian user. I really like Debian, but, I think Slack is faster. Your P4 should be blazingly fast running Slack.
Slack rocks!!

Slack isn't particularly difficult to install, it just gives you a *lot* of options. In my own experience, I've found that it's helpful to know as much as possible about your hardware, though.

Well said, you need to know your hardware quite well to set-up x windows with the command xorgconfig

When you run xorgconfig you will be answering a series of questions about your keyboard, mouse, video card, etc. If you know the information setting up x windows is easy in slack.

Configuring X, sound, etc may not be very difficult. I am worried about partitioning. I have a 40 GB h/d on which reside Windows, Debian, Mandy and Xandros. I have no other option but to install Slackware over one of these. I hope fdisk gives me a way of selecting already existing partitions (logical or primary).
Anyway the best way of finding it out is by doing it. I hope to get my slackware CDs today. I will go about installing it as soon as I get them.
Thanks guys for your invaluable advise.

Fdisk will not be required if you are going to reuse an existing partition. You will need to know what's where, as slack will present you with a menu of existing partitions and ask you where you want to install.

You will need at least two partitions, / and swap. If you have other linux installs, they can all share the same swap partition.

You could actually share one home partition between many linux distros, but I would advise against trying to use the same user with each. Other distros heavily customize kde (even if you have the same version) and the rc files may not play nicely with slack.

cheers