Well, it's all open source, so grabbing inittab from another distro should pose little problem. By the order of the modifications, it seems like it would be that way.

Checkinstall is very, very, very, VERY unreliable.

Checkinstall misses files VERY often, and cannot track static libraries or staticly linked binaries for example. What if you build a package with static libraries in it? It won't work. Not to mention how common statically linked binaries are. Also, for ANY package that requires a doinst.sh that does ANYTHING other than symlinks, checkinstall will fail there too.

DO NOT EVER USE CHECKINSTALL! That is an automatic tool which you should never use. I wouldn't be surprised if you have 10+ broken(broken as in they don't include all the files that you originally built) packages on your system because of it.

./configure
make
make DESTDIR=/work install
cd /work
configure package, write doinst.sh, etc. etc.
makepkg pkgname.tgz

Even that is not foolproof, as many programs do not follow DESTDIR. Also, writing slackbuilds is often more harmful than benefitial, as it's usually when I upgrade a package, I usually enable different features, making slackbuilds useless.

Because of how weak slackware's package management is, the only sure fire 100% way to make a package is to use a third party package build system, like the Dropline build system or the build system from Amigo, becasue checkinstall fails to include all files more often than not, and make install with DESTDIR doesn't work on many packages.

Personally I love Gentoo... it's a lot easier to use than Slackware so far for me. I picked it up in a matter of hours, granted the install took me a good 24 hours (GNOME took 13 to install). Which brings me to an interesting story I guess, I installed Gentoo (like 3 hour process) on a friends laptop but when downloading and compileing GNOME it just kept giving me errors. I eventually got around those errors, just to get more when I "startx" trying to get into GNOME. Now, working on this computer for 4 days straight with errors (Gentoo forum = slow) this really really really pissed me off seeing I should have left to go back to my apt. literally like 4 days ago. Currently I'm at home, I have an apt. by my house.


So, Slackware was a nice difference when installing. The one part of install I haven't yet fully grasped with Gentoo, the fstab file, was done for me. I liked that, however I like having a BASE system... like nothing installed when I first start practicly which is what the Gentoo Min-install gave me. It had some games, sure, but I didn't care. With every other distro I try, including Slackware, I get all this crap I don't want and I personally don't know where in the hell to go to delete them because I didn't install them. I'm still new to Linux, so this is why that happened, and over all I think Fluxbox is pissing me more off than Slackware right now. I mean, they're both pissing me off in ways.


Slackware is a little more graphics oriented, but it doesn't have a GUI file system program (atleast not in the full install) that's worth anything. I find myself moving files command line and then I find out I can't delete them unless I su in even though they're in a folder in MY HOME DIRECTORY! (Note: this really pisses me off)


The online guides I've found are semi-helpful, Gentoo has a great online help section. So far I've tried Ubuntu, where the help section was wrong... wrong... and then wrong again! Yeah, every time I install Ubuntu I delete it in less than 24 hours. I started out on Arch Linux, and it was good but it was my first linux and the computer died shortly after install. Then, Gentoo... with GNOME... my LOVE! Later I installed Enlightenment, and I've been going at it every since. It's so easy to add programs, remove programs, and unlike Slackware + Fluxbox there aren't a bunch of stupid little things that bugged the ever living crap out of me. I couldn't get the cd drives to work in Gentoo, but my friend who is Linux inclined sorted out my fstab and then they worked fine.


So far with slackware, I can't do anything... I don't have sound, which I'm going to guess is because my user isn't in that group but guess what! The online manuals don't cover how to put my user in the group not to mention I don't have a list of the groups. Gentoo has a nice program where I can do it in a flash.


I'm still learning slackware, so I guess I'm bias, but so far I haven't gotten anywhere practicly in the last 24-48 hours. By this time after I got Gentoo up and running I was installing and trying out new programs, downloading and adding wallpapers (which stayed after I friggin rebooted -stupid Fluxbox-), and had no issues what so ever. I know what I want, and with Slackware I have to go search for a blasted .tgz file of it because I don't know how to take the script and compile it myself.


In the future when I have a better knowledge of linux, I'm sure I'll be happy with every distro practicly... but until then .tgz files are really pissing me off because OpenOffice and Enlightenment do not come in one (atleast that I can find). Thankfully gkremll and xmms came in the full install or I'd probably have deleted it and went back to Gentoo.

Well, actually I may understand your attitude in a way, but first, let's not get harsh and use words like that. I won't start explaining you stuff now or try to make you change your opinion... just don't get all nervous and maybe ever keep trying... one day you're gonna love it. I don't know about Enlightenment (but I bet it should be too) but OpenOffice package you can find for sure on http://www.linuxpackages.net/
It's actually top of the list in Top 10 Downloads on the left menu of the web page. Do a search for all you need, and most of them should be there. Heads up.

Slackware is bloated, but even worse it is POORLY bloated. IE, it comes with 6 web browsers, but doesn't even follow a 'one app for one purpose' rule, meaning that you can have 6 apps for one purpose, and then no apps for another.

No problem for experts, but for anybody else that kind of bloat is the worst.

Left Face Down, give it some time, you're ony used to "emerge package"+wait.
For your official package needs:http://slackware.it/en/pb/
For OO, from OO website: Here it is: http://www.linuxpackages.net/pkg_details.php?id=7951

We don't have "modular" kde, x which are amazing in gentoo
However if you stick to it, as you say, you may really come to apreciate and enjoy Slacware's simplicity

Thanks, I cleaned up the post a little bit language wise. I guess to sum it up, with Gentoo I had to learn a lot but I controlled everything. With slackware, it auto detects and when something doesn't work it's more of a hassle than anything because I don't know where to start.


Personally, I can't agree more... I noticed that but I don't know how to delete the other ones. I'm still learning, I'm guessing it's some where in the list when I open up pkgtool but I don't know which is which (as I didn't install them) so I getting iffy and just don't do anything in fear I'll screw up something.


One of the first things I noticed is I have like... 6 browsers. Then I noticed I don't have a file program wheere I can go through folders and just drag and drop stuff to other folders. I have to do it command line.

Konqueror is the only file manager in slackware right now. Which if you're not using KDE, you probably don't want to use at all.

All of your installed packages are listed in /var/log/packages. Just do an 'ls /var/log/packages/' and you'll see every package you have installed.

To remove a package, type in 'removepkg /var/log/packages/PACKAGENAME'

Whenever I want to remove a package in Slack I'll generally just grep out the app name from the package list. So if I want to find the lynx web browser to remove it:
This will give me the exact packageName to remove.

then remove the package:
As far as having a decent file manager, I think that is more of an issue with the Desktop environment. You can use other DE file managers with fluxbox, or just use a friendlier, if heavier, DE (e.g, kde, xfce, gnome, etc.)

I haven't tried Gentoo, although I've read quite a bit about it. I guess I'm not too excited about the long initial install, but it sounds like a great distro. I love Slackware for its simplicity in design, excellent responsiveness (even in kde/gnome). In addition, its just rock solid stable.

I just can't stand that you n00b Gentoo-lovers come to flame Slackware without purpose and still expect some help later, that pisses me off a lot and right now I just felt the obligation of answer your rant back. Now, if you all excuse on advance, there I go:


Slackware installs in 30 mins or less (on a decently fast machine). Everything working outright even X11 with KDE.

Nice community you chose, huh?

It always is.

Like in real life, my dear Gentoo-lover, nothing must be done for yourself. Or you might risk to get used to that way.

"The computer made me do it". Of course it did. Did you just said FULL INSTALL?
Wanna delete packages? cd to and list whatever is in /var/log/packages and do removepkg <zee_package> and it's gone for good. Or just type (as root) pkgtool and follow the instructions.

Fluxbox could piss off anyone, though. Try something else, KDE just to mention my favorite one.

Well... where are we going? You complaint of too much "useless" packages and now you want more? Full install (2 discs) includes KDE and XFCE, that's more than you need for point-and-clicking right away.
Now, SLACKWARE IS NOT GRAPHICS ORIENTED. Got it?

That's an very old trick that good ol' UNIX implemented a lot of years ago. They called it security. You can be root all the time, but you could break the system in a heartbeat. Welcome to Unix/Linux buddy.

I would have deleted that crap in less time. I wouldn't even install it. Congrats, that's the right way.

I just remembered this quote from the fortune program: "Of course UNIX is user-friedly! Though he is too selective of whom his friends are."

Modify /etc/group as root. You want a lighting-fast group list? try less /etc/group. There you go.

and that is Slackware's fault of course.

Keep up and never give up. No offenses meant in this post (C).

I guess first things first, like you no offence here. Though I will say you sounded really rude.

Which is currently why I have no sound right? Alright, I believe it's because my user apparently isn't the right groups but I haven't figured that out yet.

Also, the one day Linux actually sets up a wireless connection on it's on is the one day I say "Everything" works right off the bat.

I don't see my questions being answered any quicker here... 16 views and 0 replies to my thread.

It's a personal thing, but I like doing things myself. I like knowing the ins and outs of everything which is why I personally work on my guitars. I've rewired them, swapped out pickups ect. ect.

Hey, it's off topic but if you want to know something good you have to do it yourself. It's like saying you need a calculator to do basic math in my opinion. Don't be so lazy, learn it and do it.

1. I didn't know how many packages there were, so I wasn't going to sit there through possibly hundreds of packages saying yes, I want this... no I don't want this. As originally I was letting it go through (on the newbie thing) and it was doing just that.

I personally don't like KDE, I prefer Gnome if I must but Enlightenment is the best thing ever. I guess with that said, unlike the Slackware web site leads you to believe gnome was no where to be found on the install disk.

I figure you would know that this is possible, you pick what packages to install even on a full install. It's not every single package, but the groups. I chose NOT to install KDE, and a few other things, for the record. Why, I used KDE when I used Arch Linux and after going to gnome I'll never go back to KDE if I can. Just like, if possible, I prefer Enlightenment over gnome.

I'm use to this, simply put, through out most the system just like Gentoo. The thing is, with Gentoo the home directory didn't have this. With Slackware, which is what's really pissing me off, I HAVE to save a file to /home/name and then move it to /home/name/wallpapers by command line. Only to realise later, I have to move it back to /home/name just to delete the thing or copy it or rename it. That's crap, and so help me the only manual that is linked off of slackware's web site is no help on this matter. It talks about chmod and all, but even if I give myself the same actions as the root user (according to the guide) I STILL CAN'T delete the file unless I move it back.


Ok, I don't want my home folder to be that secure. If I was a company, hell yes I would want it to be that secure but for home use I don't need my wallpapers and music guarded that tight.


I don't mind command line, as long as there is a guide that tells me the commands. Basic commands work if you're root, but I can't delete my wallpapers with out moving them and I don't feel like su in every bloody time I want to do that. It's annoying, and is a waste of my time for WALLPAPERS.

Maybe the online guides should tell me what's important and what's not then. When I install Gentoo, I don't have to worry about what package Abadaae5 is. Yes, that's not even a real package but so help me the names of the packages it was bringing up when I was doing it through the newbie thing were just as giberish to me.


THANK YOU! Geez, 16 views (last I checked) in my thread and no one answered that. Reminds me of the good old Gentoo forums, excluding all my questions on basic stuff like that were answered by the online handbook so I didn't need to ask them in an actual forum where people think I'm stupid because they've used it for like years and then insult me because I'm not use to their system.

Apparently... so help me with Gentoo I can use a tar file. Here I have to search for some special file, reminds me up Fedora's RPM packages except unlike that I can't find them on half of the official sites. It's annoying... and once again thank you guys for telling me where to get the OpenOffice file.

I wont, how do you think I got Gentoo installed?

You have at least 1 replay :P but I'm pretty slow typist when I don't get enough sleep :P, so check your post you have a little bit of help, but not everything...

there's something really weird going on there... you're saying you can't delete a file in the /home/name/wallpapers/ directory?? that's a permissions issue right there... make sure all the files and directories in your home folder are owned by you... if your username is "name", then do this (as root):you could then make sure all your directories are fine like this:(no need to be root for this one, if you already did the previous command as root)


i don't think that's the issue, i think something's just not right in your setup... try the above, as it should help...

as for the "that is Slackware's fault" comment - i'm pretty sure that was sarcasm...

THANK YOU! You just made my life 100x easier... I don't mind moving things command line, ok when I have a lot it can get boring, but that was just way annyoing. I can now delete and all that fun stuff in my sub-directories in my home directory.

I've used a number of distributions over the last decade, and I've discovered that different distributions are for different people. Flame wars over distributions are highly unnecessary. Doesn't Linux have enough issues without distro wars?