I found this link via google, so if this is not the right forum i appologize, i do not have the time to look around and find the right forum.

With that said:

I have recently decided to make the switch to linux. I have tried Ubuntu, but i had trouble with the internet access, and the installing programs. Slackware has seemed to be the best choice. I have decided to download slackware from

linux.softpedia.com/progDownload/Slackware-Download-425.html

Because the FTP and HTTP that slackware provide confused the living hell outa me.

Any who here are some of the questions i am wondering befor i download and i would appriciate it if some onw would answer them:

1.) Will i be able to partion by downloading it like this ?
( just incase i have troubles )

2.) I am feeding off my uncles DSL by using a linksys wireless-b usb Network adapter, will i have to reinstall it when i get slackware, and how hard is it to install usb devices ?

3.) Will this limit my selection of programs, because a lot of programs are made only for windows, or is there away around this via slackware.

4.) Is there anything else i need to know before making this switch ??


i appriciate any help, thanks

KIFIKA

Welcome to LQ!

1. I would recommend partitioning your drive prior to installing Slack rather than to make partitioning a step within the installation. Just personal preference.

2. Hard to say, you may need to manually load a module kernel using the "insmod" or "modprobe" command. To fully answer your question you need to specify more details (exact model number, etc)

3. If I understand your question correctly, programs are OS-specific, and generally you cannot just install and run a Windows program on a Linux machine. There is software (such as Wine) that will allow you to run Windows programs under Linux, but if you are thinking that any program can be installed on any computer, unfortunately that's not the case. To use an analogy, if you had the Mac version of a given program, it wouldn't be compatible on a PC. Likewise, you wouldn't be able to just start using a Windows program on a Slack box.

4. Helpful links:

* The official Slackware site - for all things Slack
* The revised Slack book - an excellent resource and handbook
* The bitbender Slack installation tutorial - a first rate guide (including screenshots) that walks you through the entire Slack installation process. It's somewhat dated now (v9.1 IIRC) but still highly relevant.
* LinuxPackages - Need additional programs for Slack? Look no further. In a word, invaluable.

Lastly, I'd encourage you to fully explore Slackware. It was/is the first distro that really made sense to me, and as the old saying goes "If you want to learn <distro>, install <distro>. If you want to learn Linux, install Slack". There are other excellent distros, but Slackware for me remains at the top of the list. Have fun!

these come as .iso files, u simply burn it to cd and boot it with then u can partition ur drive
but only with fdisk, r u familiar with it???
but if ur ubundu partition is still there u can let slack to go to that place.
setting up slack for newbeee is a dream, if u r not familiar with linx,it will take much time.
is it there in windows??
u feel the hardness, some times it will work smothly. will need a little configuration
u get all but need to download. even run win appli in linx
go through the first thread by shilo
http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...d.php?t=174447
for setting slack

much more linux are for newbees, suse, mandrake, comes with graphic configuration tool

Some people will say that users new to linux should stay away from Slack -- Slackware was my first distro and I've never looked back; from what I've heard here at LQ, with my friends, and elsewhere, the saying is true: If you learn [Red Hat/Fedora/Mandriva/...] you learn [Red Hat/Fedora/Mandriva/...]. If you learn Slackware, you learn Linux.

Happy installing, KIFIKA

You should ask yourself why you want to run Linux.

If you think of Slackware as a replacement for Windows and you don't want to spend anytime tinkering with it you should either stick with Windows or try an install of Linux that has a graphical install that automates everything for you.

The best ones for that would be Xandros Open Circulation or Suse etc...

Before you do anything try a Live CD distro. My favorite is Slax www.slax-linux.com it's based on Slackware but you just pop it in your CD drive and reboot your computer (after you burn the .iso to a disk as an image not as data). You can get a good feel for what works and what doesn't

It's true that most of the commerical programs that work in windows will not work in Linux. If you are not customizing your system with wine or something similar nothing will work that doesn't have Linux drivers or installers. You most likely will not have a problem with your USB or network.

If you choose to install Slackware you must keep an open positive outlook. When something doesn't work perfect out of the box look on it as an opportunity to learn something. If you can't do that newbie or not you won't like slackware.

Im very new to Linux myself and slackware is great.

[QOTE]If you learn [Red Hat/Fedora/Mandriva/...] you learn [Red Hat/Fedora/Mandriva/...]. If you learn Slackware, you learn Linux.[/QUOTE]

First of all, Linux is a kernel. No matter what distribution you are using, the kernel is part of it.

Second, Slackware has BSD-style init scripts, unlike most of the other linux distributions which use System-V. So through this, Slackware "sticks out", and does something which may or may not be considered so "pure linux" (if you understand what I mean).

For a long time I have been looking for a distribution which will just take the Linux vanilla-sources, the GNU C library, a standard base, give you a nice text-mode installer [like gentoo], and let you install packages via fetch, unpack, configure, build, install. How much more "pure" GNU/Linux could you get than that ? Of course, such a distribution would probably not be liked by many .. and wouldn't be successful .. but maybe still be one of the only distros that are wortht using.

I know Linux is the kernel I wasn't referring necessarially to the /etc/rc.d methodology -- I repeat the quote because I have found it to be quite true. Learning to use (and love) Slackware has required a lot of research (in some cases), a lot of configuring, and a lot of time spent on the command-line. I have a -much- better understanding of Linux than I feel I would otherwise, gauging by what I hear from other users. The heart of Linux is the ability to give the user exactly what they want without anything else. With the lack of 'handy' scripts and auto-configuring wizards, not only do I only get what I want and not unexpected software I didn't intend, but I also learn how the program works. *shrug*

My $0.02

All we have is time.

You can partition your drive prior to installing or as part of the process. I find cfdisk easy to use, however, you may not. You can always use your favorite software to partition the drive prior to install in Slack.

Yes, you will have to install it. Wireless nics are still not fully supported. In most cases they can be used by using "ndiswrapper" and the inf file that comes on the driver cd with the nic.

Not exactly sure what you are asking. There are lots of great alternatives to windows programs for *nix. There is also Wine, which can help run windows only software in *nix, although I am not a fan of it.

Yes, Linux is not windows. A lot people who try to turn Linux into windows or a clone of windows become extremely frustrated and eventually go back to windows. Be prepared to learn. I found it easiest to forget everything I learned running Windows and start with a clean slate. It was faster and I didnt get caught up in trying to make Linux work exactly like Windows. Linux is a great OS, but it doesn't always help you. It expects you to know what you are doing, it doesn't read minds, but is extremely powerful.

Most of all, enjoy Linux.

@ Poetics:

Personally I run Gentoo. I like Slackware, it's a cool distribution [Gentoo and Slackware are my 2 top fav. distros] but for "some reason" I get along better with Gentoo. [I don't why but I feel like I need to state that I'm not the "ricer" kind, who's running Gentoo because he wants to get the very best out of his hardware (which is not to say isn't a good ideal but .. I doubt it's an achievable goal in most cases..)]. You said the heart of Linux is to keep bloat out.. well .. maybe it's not the "heart" .. but it's one of it's capabilities. However, with distributions such as Red Hat/Fedora/Suse/Mandrak [GUI-centered], keeping the bloat out becomes more and more of a tedious task, as the developers count on their users to be "new" [to non-windows] and to usually go for a full install anyway.

I've heard many people say that "boy, I learned a lot from installing Gentoo" [I love bashing other gentoo users who say stupid stuff like this]. You're just following rules in a Handbook provided on the gentoo.org website. Except for maybe learning a few new commands, how to partition your hard drive and to apply a filesystem [kernel configuration isn't even necessery as you can use an automatic "genkernel" generated one].

However, the Gentoo installation is very good because it gives you a minimalistic system to start with. You have the base tools, the package manager and all you need now is imagination. I love Gentoo because of this. I install Only those packages I really need, and if it ever happens I install a program I come to not use, I always remove it along with it's dependencys (well .. dependencys not needed by other packages).

This is one way to learn Linux. If you can't select packages from a list [and not even know what on earth each does], it means you have to know the names of the programs you need.

Also, Gentoo loves making the user work with configuration files [although default configs aren't half bad, and I like to start with them instead of "from scratch" ones..]

Anyway .. I don't even know why I'm doing this Gentoo talk here, heh .. but .. anyway..

-- -- --

Now, for Slackware being "for newbies or not". It depends on the newbie. If you have a new user who will run back to windows when he finds out he can't fix something on his own (most likely to happen) .. slackware is probably not a good distribution for him. Or if you have a user who doesn't really want to learn anything .. or really care what Linux is .. or simply is switching to Linux for the wrong reasons .. again .. Slackware might not be best. Of course, some new users have Slackware as their first distribution and learn to live it, love it.. but I suppose such cases are more rare than say .. new users doing the same with a GUI-centered distribution.

My suggestion is .. start off with something easy to use, GUI centric, and try to learn the basics there. Once you feel confident, go through other distributions {i.e. Slackware, Gentoo, Debian and what not] and find one that fits your needs. Fundamentals are the basics of fun.