Why Slackware?

MMYoung · 03-02-2005, 09:16 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by synaptical
thanks for clarifying that (and in your second post). in my packages directory are a mix of i386 and i486 packages, mostly i386 it looks like, but maybe there are more 486. but i didn't know you could compile for a lesser architecture and still have the program take advantage of i686 processors.

Well, I ain't never counted them, so I ain't 100% sure either

.

As an example, I just pulled this off my Slackware 10.0 DVD (I haven't made my 10.1 DVD yet). It's the build script for alsa-uitls-1.0.5

Code:

VERSION=1.0.5
ARCH=${ARCH:-i486}
BUILD=1

if [ "$ARCH" = "i386" ]; then
  SLKCFLAGS="-O2 -march=i386 -mcpu=i686"
elif [ "$ARCH" = "i486" ]; then
  SLKCFLAGS="-O2 -march=i486 -mcpu=i686"
elif [ "$ARCH" = "s390" ]; then
  SLKCFLAGS="-O2"
elif [ "$ARCH" = "x86_64" ]; then
  SLKCFLAGS="-O2"
fi

Later the variable SLKCFLAGS is inserted into the script just before the ./configure line:

Code:

CFLAGS="$SLKCFLAGS" \
 ./configure \
 --prefix=/usr \
 --sysconfdir=/etc

Might want to check out this ARTICLE about GCC Myths and Facts. Real short, to the point and got some good info in it. There's also some pretty good reading on the (ahem) Gentoo site.

Later,
MMYoung

MMYoung · 03-02-2005, 09:21 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by cavalier
To quibble (and don't we all love that?) most of the boxes you installed Slack on, probably would have worked okay with Fedora Core 2 or Xandros or something more glamourous but less interesting than Slack. Interestingly, they didn't on my laptop, where Slack did everything, right, the first time. I was re-impressed.

Well, way to go! Just bust my baloon why don't you!
I bow down before you! I'm not worthy, I'm not worthy!
Just kidding!

Guess the point I was making is that I've always heard how HARD it was to install/use Slackware and that the only problems I ever had was ones that I created, for the most part.

Later,
MMYoung

cavalier · 03-02-2005, 10:43 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by MMYoung
Guess the point I was making is that I've always heard how HARD it was to install/use Slackware and that the only problems I ever had was ones that I created, for the most part.

I'm totally down with that. So many things work so well with Slackware that I find myself doing things just because other people say they're hard to do! Like installing and configuring Wine and VMWare, just for kicks.

salviadud · 03-03-2005, 04:58 AM

I've been using slack for a month now. and yes, the first thing you do is go "damn... what now?"

this is the first linux distro i've tried, and from what i've read, the one i'll stick with. the command line is nothing to be afraid of, absolutely nothing!

and with this example, i'll tell you why slack rules... i was running xmule and the program bugged or something, it crashed, but i could'nt quit using the GUI... so what did i do?

before installation i did took my time to read the manual, so i shoot up the

Code:

ps

and see the list of options, i then find out how to see all processes running, and then

Code:

kill

pfffffffffff, xmule gone. now, why such a long story for such a simple command like that?

well. i also have windows xp on another computer... if something stupid like that happens...

reboot the damn thing...

slack is GREAT for beginners like myself. like learning to swim by diving in the water.

but the best about slack is the community. when i get to know enough about it, i'll anwer some questions myself, you guys make this thing happen..

man, what a long post... thanx for reading.

Darin · 03-03-2005, 07:10 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by digitalhead
Quote from... who knows where.... "If you know Slackware, you know Linux. If you know Red Hat, all you know is Red Hat"...

That and, "It just works" are probably the two biggest quotes you will hear about Slackware. I've used both many times to explain my preference.

Personally, I started in computers prior to the modern GUI days and doing tech support, so I spent considerable time at the command line using DOS commands. Since the CLI does not scare me in the least, I found it an easy transition to Slackware. At some point in your Linux endeavors you will need the command line, even in fancy graphical distros, it's nice to not be lost when you are there.

Most of the graphical tools in Windows, as well as in Linux, attempt to hide all the details of what they do from the user. This works fine until something you try to do isn't working. I despise all the 'wizards' in windows and find it insulting to be the administrator of a high end server and be forced to have a paperclip walk me through setting everything. Linux GUI tools are almost more annoying than the Windows ones, when they fail to work right they not only don't do what you want but they always seem to cannablize the config files as well.

Slackware's boot process is incredibly simplistic yet functional, and after you gain a certain comfort at the command line it becomes painless to work with. Despite this, it is set up to accept [redhat et al] initialization, so if you wanted a bunch of Sxxsome_procedure files laying around, those would work too.

When something in Slackware breaks or isn't working, I can just dive in and fix it. When the same thing happens in [other distros] I'm usually stuck between some GUI tool that isn't doing what it should and some config file I can't find or can't figure out how to fix.

carboncopy · 03-03-2005, 08:08 AM

Why I use Slackware?
It gives me control of Linux. It doesn't force you to do things in a certain way.

Of course there is cons to this, you can go ahead do it in a bad method. But, what the heck, it is MY MACHINE. And I want to do it MY WAY.

Just want to add my 2cents to what the rest had said.

Oh, if you like to do things your way all the way, NetBSD sounds good. I tried it, and am impress by the no holding hands method.

Read or drown!

Edited:
P.S.
After you use and familiarize with Slackware, you will find your way around any distro, from RedHat to whatever obsecure version, Solaris, *BSD, Mac Os X with no problems.

At least, that is my experience. Took me 2 hours to scan through Mac Os X book to know where things is place (Unix world not aqua eye candy) and you will be rock n roll on it like any other Unix like OS.