Now all we need is a ports system only binary instead of source. Swaret doesn't cut it. I used Gentoo for over a year until I got bored watching packages compile and the only thing I miss is the lovely and intuitive ports-like system.

I've been a slack user since the early versions, then to redhat 5.2 then back to slackware for 7 - current.... to bsd.... windows and solaris and beos even....but I've ALWAYS come back to slackware as my main distro. heh It does something for me I guess *shrugs* Never seen anyhting more stable or faster for my needs

i cant compile everything. i hate waitng for the kernel to compile, so i would jump off a bridge waiting for KDE or gnome.

LOL good point h1tman.

It can take a looong time to install gentoo, depending on what stage you start at.

-Shade

I'm with you on that! Waiting for a kernel to compile is enough waiting time for me. I'll stick with pre-compiled binaries anyday unless I can't get it any other way and then, only if the source code is a couple mg or less.

Gentoo is fine if you have plenty of time and need the "bleeding edge". Even a stage 3 install is annoyingly long, and then you have manual configuration of EVERYTHING after that.

Once you get used to a nice and quick Slack install and configuration that maybe takes 30 minutes, you'll come running back to Slack as quickly as I did.

That's me

Despite finding solutions to all the problems that made me switch to Gentoo in the first place, I doubt I could switch back to Slack now and be 100% happy now because Slackware is just too slow in releasing new packages into current. I'm prepared to put up with long installs and compiles (and as evidence I put forward the fact that I install Gentoo from Stage 1, including such things as XFree86 and OpenOffice, that's nearly 250Mb of source right there, over a 56K modem connection) if it means I get new packages almost as soon as they're officially released by the developers.

What's wrong with kernel compiles? :)
From scratch (new tree) takes about
8 minutes ;D

Cheers,
Tink

Tink,

Are you talking about kernel compiles with Slack or with Gentoo?

I've been trying to get Debian running on my computer for about 3 months now, and I'm just totally frustrated! It's so hard to get my hardware to work, and everything seems so esoteric. I am determined to get Windoze off my machine, but first I must get my hardware recognized and get some basic applications working in a Linux distro. There is work that I have to do with the comp.

And as far as kernel compiles, if you mean recompiling your own kernel, let me make an observation. You've been using *nix for years. Your 8 minute compile wasn't with a brand new fresh system. You know your hardware, and you used the old config, or don't even need to do that anymore, because you're so familiar with your hardware. I can do make menuconfig and answer all the questions in 8 minutes, or less, because I know my hardware very well. But I don't know how to make things work in Linux, and it's so frustrating. Sorry for venting.

Is Slack easier to get the hardware configured with than Debian? I don't mind reading and learning but Debian is about to killl me! I won't give up this time, however, as I did with Linux back in 1999!

If you want Debian, I suggest you give libranet a try. It didn't had any problem with my hardware, plus the apt package management is great. And you can always upgrade to pure debian if you want.

Yep, when I ventured in the linux world as a newbie, after the first obvious distros (mandrake and RH) I felt very unsatisfied and decided to try something more challenging. So I tried Gentoo. I couldn't cope with having my laptop compiling a package up to 16 hours in a row when it was my only machine...
Then I tried slackware.... The rest is history :-)

Good luck though! If you have time, patience and another computer, I am sure it is great...

Yanik,

I have Debian installed on this computer, and just compiled a new kernel (2.4.22). Now if I can get my onboard piece of sound configured with ALSA, and my ATI Radeon 9000 module installed, I think I'll be okay. I believe this new kernel detects all my hardware, provided I've got it configured correctly

I have Debian installed via Knoppix on my wife and daughter's computer. It can't play a CD in XMMS, I think because it doesn't have cdfs support in the kernel. There is no sound, etc. There are many things that need fixing to work. It was easy enough for my wife to browse the web with Mozilla, and I setup KMail for her to get email.

I also installed Knoppix at one time on this comp. It detected all the hardware, even the extra USB things I have. However, I had the same problem with no sound. And my USB flash disk worked perfectly running Knoppix from the CD. As soon as I plugged it in, an icon popped up on the KDE desktop and I could access it. However, once Knoppix is installed on the hard drive, when I plug in the USB flash disk the comp freezes. Sort of reminds me of another OS

Since Knoppix via the hdinstall doesn't allow much rw file access, and everything is installed under / and that means moving directories around, it seems like a pain for my particular needs at this time.

What have been your experiences along these lines with Libranet?

I decided that if I had to do all that configuring to get things to work, I'd just as soon install Debian and not have to remove a bunch of packages I'll never use, like OpenOffice.

Laurentbon,

Does that mean you're running Slackware, and satisfied? What version are you using? What kernel? What applications do you use the most? How do you install new packages in Slack?

What is it that you mean is great?

Well, I have onboard sound, It's a VIA82xx chipset I think, no prob with ALSA at all.

I have a geforce 4, no prob here. If I look at the official message board, there I thread about a radeon 9000 driver prob, with a solution. The libranet support database also has a guide for ati radeon users. So I guess it isn't a big issue here.

As for the flash disk, I have no clue.

Libranet has the adminmenu, which is a great utility for system administration. You can do everything from updating your system to recompile the kernel and configure everything (sound,video, printing, blablabla.)

The classic 2.7 edition is free, just give it a try. 2.8.1 is much improved though.

Yep Slackware and very sarisfied! I currently run slack 9.1, kernel 2.4.22 recompiled (many times) for acpi support (I have a toshiba laptop) and alsa support amongst others.
Window Manager is Gnome, Dropline installer (www.dropline.net/gnome).

To update packages: if they are packages included in dropline, i use the dropline installer. Alternatively, I fish new packages I want to install from the dropline 'Contributed packages' section or from www.linuxpackages.net (dedicated to slack packages.) I am also thinking of trying out swaret...

Application most frequently used:
- Evolution for mail (included in Dropline gnome)
- Firebird for browser, simply the best... Got dedicated packages from Mozillazine forum site (link on demand)
- Gaim (also included)
- Totem (same)
- Open Office (from contributed package)
- Xmms (included)
- Gnome-network to connect to other boxes via VPN

And some others...

as for my mentionning of being great, I was refering to the initial post from SlCKB0Y moving to Gentoo about gentoo..

I missed the second page of the thread when I posted my message -hence the little relevance- my apologies...
L

Could you explain what you mean by the official message board? Where is that, please?
Hey, thanks for your comments.

Last night I recompiled my kernel in Debian, and it looks as if everything is recognized.

I've got the ALSA pages printed out about installing the driver for my onboard Intel i810 sound chip from the sound card matrix, but there are some details which are obviously not in that document. I downloaded the driver and printed the doc for it, but I don't even have all the files that the doc says to install.

I've read other documents, also. As has been my experience since attempting to migrate to Linux, everyone has a little different information. For instance, at ALSA there is the Linux Audio Users Guide. On that page there are 14 links to other How-To's and such. And they all have a little different twist. Where in the world can you go to find a simple "How To Install the ALSA driver for the Intel i810 onboard chip"?

It's 5:10 a.m. here, and if I can't search and read and figure it out by 9:00 a.m. when the computer stores open, maybe I should just go buy a sound card that's listed in this kernel.

The documentation for Linux and open source software is so poorly written, and esoteric, that it makes it very hard for new Linux users to properly build a workstation. I hope that when I become an experienced user, I don't have the attitude that so many seem to have - that this knowledge should be kept in the closet where the newbies have to beg for it, and read for years through horribly written documents (with many details left out) to try to determine how to use the stuff.