So, you want to be a Slacker!? - Part one: The Slacker culture
My favorite thread title in Slackware LQ forum is "So you want to be a Slacker! What do I do next?", by onebuck. The good mood of the title (remembering Quest for Glory game) is enjoyable, but also the intent of the thread: To help the Slackware newbies. There, the discussion evolved through almost 14 years, so I decided to do a blog post instead of just reply. Let's say that I got late to the party. But, that's fine! Inspired by this thread, I will drop here some personal thoughts about "be a Slacker". Maybe, at the end, the reader will conclude that what I am calling "Slacker" is not a "regular user" of Slackware.
First, I want to write about the history and philosophy around Slackware, or the Slacker culture. I will not actually write about it, but point out were to find some parts of it. Start with the short version, presented in this lecture by alienBOB. Since there are only the slides, you could try some fluid text like Wikipedia. To include a video suggestion in this "opening chapter", check this short documentary "Long live Slackware" , by Slackjeff (originally in Brazilian Portuguese, but with English subtitles available). After that, I believe you have got the big picture. It is time to dig deeper.
Read the words of our Benevolent Dictator for Life, Patrick Volkerding, in a 1994 interview to the Linux Journal (one year after Slackware 1.0 release). Read, also, an Q&A section to Slashdot in 2000 (after 7.0 release). Then, another interview, in 2002 (four months after 8.1 release) to The Age . It is very interesting to see how the Slackware evolves, but in essence, it seems to remain as a personal project to Mr. Volkerding. From some perspective, that is what keeps Slackware loyal to its original philosophy. Now, things get more interesting. Listen to "The Man"! Here is an interview for The Linux Link Tech Show, in 2006. And here another one, this time to the Hacker Public Radio, in 2011. As the final item of this gold collection, the 2012 interview in this very same LQ. Now, that the relation between you and Slackware becomes more personal, fill your glass with [???] (choose your favorite drink), because we will talk about philosophy.
From the slackware.com website, I quote:
If you are asking yourself what means "UNIX-like", let me quote "The UNIX philosophy" section of "Slackware Basics" book, by Daniël de Kok (quoting Doug McIlroy):
Again, simplicity and stability. The acronym KISS sums it up very well: Keep it simple, stupid! Check what the Slackware Documentation Project (SlackDocs) has to say about "the Slackware way".
From time to time, someone will try to change the Slackware Linux, in general, with the best intentions. Often, these changes could bring unnecessary complications, insecurity or instability, which means that they go against the system philosophy, and will be rejected. That is a very important observation: Slackware is a collective product, built by the community, which is formed by home users, server admins, advanced programmers, slackbuilders, terrible bloggers, and so on. However, the final word comes always from Mr. Volkerding. Slackware still as a personal project, just like in 1993. This developing cycle has been working for 28 years!!! Put some faith in it! The reason that it works is: The concept of simplicity and the criterion for stability are clear, unambiguous defined, in a single mind, in the head of one man. What could be more simple than that?
May the Source be with you!
carriunix
First, I want to write about the history and philosophy around Slackware, or the Slacker culture. I will not actually write about it, but point out were to find some parts of it. Start with the short version, presented in this lecture by alienBOB. Since there are only the slides, you could try some fluid text like Wikipedia. To include a video suggestion in this "opening chapter", check this short documentary "Long live Slackware" , by Slackjeff (originally in Brazilian Portuguese, but with English subtitles available). After that, I believe you have got the big picture. It is time to dig deeper.
Read the words of our Benevolent Dictator for Life, Patrick Volkerding, in a 1994 interview to the Linux Journal (one year after Slackware 1.0 release). Read, also, an Q&A section to Slashdot in 2000 (after 7.0 release). Then, another interview, in 2002 (four months after 8.1 release) to The Age . It is very interesting to see how the Slackware evolves, but in essence, it seems to remain as a personal project to Mr. Volkerding. From some perspective, that is what keeps Slackware loyal to its original philosophy. Now, things get more interesting. Listen to "The Man"! Here is an interview for The Linux Link Tech Show, in 2006. And here another one, this time to the Hacker Public Radio, in 2011. As the final item of this gold collection, the 2012 interview in this very same LQ. Now, that the relation between you and Slackware becomes more personal, fill your glass with [???] (choose your favorite drink), because we will talk about philosophy.
From the slackware.com website, I quote:
Quote:
The Slackware Philosophy
Since its first beta release in April of 1993, the Slackware Linux Project has aimed at producing the most "UNIX-like" Linux distribution out there. Slackware complies with the published Linux standards, such as the Linux File System Standard. We have always considered simplicity and stability paramount, and as a result Slackware has become one of the most popular, stable, and friendly distributions available.
Since its first beta release in April of 1993, the Slackware Linux Project has aimed at producing the most "UNIX-like" Linux distribution out there. Slackware complies with the published Linux standards, such as the Linux File System Standard. We have always considered simplicity and stability paramount, and as a result Slackware has become one of the most popular, stable, and friendly distributions available.
Quote:
Write programs that do one thing and do it well.
Write programs to work together.
Write programs to handle text streams, because that is a universal interface.
Write programs to work together.
Write programs to handle text streams, because that is a universal interface.
From time to time, someone will try to change the Slackware Linux, in general, with the best intentions. Often, these changes could bring unnecessary complications, insecurity or instability, which means that they go against the system philosophy, and will be rejected. That is a very important observation: Slackware is a collective product, built by the community, which is formed by home users, server admins, advanced programmers, slackbuilders, terrible bloggers, and so on. However, the final word comes always from Mr. Volkerding. Slackware still as a personal project, just like in 1993. This developing cycle has been working for 28 years!!! Put some faith in it! The reason that it works is: The concept of simplicity and the criterion for stability are clear, unambiguous defined, in a single mind, in the head of one man. What could be more simple than that?
May the Source be with you!
carriunix
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