Hello Everyone!

I hope my question is provocative enough to garner a variety of responses and I need the advice of those with much experience.

I have been a penguin-head for just under a year now and there is nothing that will change that. I only use Windows for SimCity 4 and that is only until I can get that program to work with Wine or Cedega. In this short period of time I've advanced from a straight newbie to a few steps above newbie but by no means an expert. I am determined to change that. I started my foray into linux with Ubuntu Hoary and have been hooked ever since. In fact I still keep a Knoppix CD with me when I go to a friend's house because it's not windows. Ubuntu was on my system for about 3 weeks before I tired of it and "needed" something else. I had a networking professor give me a copy of Fedora Core 4 and I practically swear by it. I have learned so much of the basics with Fedora and I know that I can trust it (at least on my laptop). But I've been needing more and I really would like the advice of all those out there with the years of experience that I don't yet have.

Slackware 10.2 has seriously caught my eye. I'm starting to get a bit frustrated with what I feel to be a lack of independence with Fedora.

Though I love Fedora I would like a superior replacement. I do however, like the whole package management thing. There is nothing easier than just typing in the package you want and it's magically there with its dependencies providing yum can find it. Is the self-managed package scenario with Slackware really that hard? Part of me likes the idea of not having to recompile my kernel when my wifi card doesn't work or I need my nVidia drivers because there's a "kernel module" package available. Or any applicable scenario regarding software management. This is what is really pushed my attention to Debian. I liked apt-get in Ubuntu far more that I like yum and I know apt is a Debian thing. On the flip side I want to see what kind of intestinal fortitude it takes to manage the packages in Slackware; including the whole idea of compiling from source.

I suppose that I'm looking for something where EVERYTHING works, unequivocally, with the exception that I want to make everything work myself. Before I make a decision I need to know some basics.

In order for my wifi card to work I need an SMP kernel and the NDISwrapper. I also would really rather have my nVidia 3D working properly.
For Slack or Debian:
Do I have to compile the kernel for everything?
If so, do I have to use the one(s) that come with the install or can I grab a fresh one if I need or want it?

I understand that media (mp3, dvd, wmv, etc.) are better supported in Slack than in Fedora. The same for Debian? I went through some BS to get them to work in Fedora but all is well. Any comments?

Don't go nuts answering those questions, I will be able to hunt down specifics once I install it. I actually have many questions, but rather than bore you all I'm hoping for some intuitive advice from people who've been there.

Slackware seems very foreign to me and I blame the user-friendliness of Fedora for keeping me tied to a psuedo-newbie status. I do, however, plan on giving slack a try as my primary distro to use. If Slack doesn't work out so well for me, what are the thoughts on Debian vs. Fedora or Slack?

So what should I try first: Slackware or Debian?

I have much to learn. Please help me shed this pseudo-newbie status.

Any input would be much appreciated.

- Bill

With Debian, you probably won't have to compile anything at all.

I suggest you try Slack first. Slack will probably be easier to decide whether you like it or not - there's just a lot less distro-specific stuff there to evaluate than there is with Debian.

I tried Debian once, the install is a very long process. Personally I like Slackware better than any distro I have tried (about 20 or so). You can get most popular software in a Slackware package. Also with Swaret, you can upgrade and install new software like you do with Yum or apt. I think apt is the best.

I find Slackware runs faster than Fedora. I can not remember how fast Debian runs (been too long ago). I do use Slackware for my web/email/mysql, DNS and file server. I have had no problems with it. I also run it on my laptop and am happy with it. If you have to compile software, it is usually as easy ./configure && make && make install. I have learn more about Linux using Slackware than all the distros I have used combined. One you get a grasp on what is where, it is a very easy OS to use. I have groan to love the command line though.

Debian has a new installer now, it's not as painful as it used to be.

Been there, done that. RedHat 6.0 was my first Linux distro. It got to the point where I felt smothered. I was becoming more and more frustrated with it.

I tried Slackware and immediately fell in love with it. I was in control of my computer and doing things my way.

You may be disappointed with the apparent lack of software packages under Slackware. A standard Slackware installation has somewhere in the vicinity of 550 packages. Under Fedora, there's closer to 2,000 packages.
As someone who has lived with Slackware for 8 years, my answer to that question is an emphatic NO. Every time I try one of the distros which automatically resolve dependancies, I get frustrated with it. I'll do as I damn please with MY computer thanks. I hate handing control to something which thinks it knows better than me.

Occasionally, there'll be a package which takes more effort to install than it's worth, but if I can't get it working 9 times out of 10 I'll find that someone else has already compiled a package which is available for download.
Intestinal fortitude?? Who are you, the Rock?? Anyhow, it doesn't take much to compile things under Slackware, because its build environment is excellent.
Pffft. Try Windows. This is open source. Code written by humans with nothing better to do. It's a miracle it works as well as it does.
Answer: Both. Slackware will fit on a 5 Gig partition. Debian may need more, but if you were to give them say 20 gigs each, you could run them in parallel - although obviously not at the same time. Stick with the one you like more.

I ment that 5 million questions it asks you. Or do you mean the new installer doesn't ask them. The non gui didn't bother me.

Now its only 4.5 million questions and takes about 20 minutes to do get complete woking system installed.


Set up your system dual or even tri/multi boot. You can run Debian in a 5 GB partition easily, my Debian system has a little over 5k packages installed and its under 5GB (its on a 10GB partition).

The big plus Debian has going for it is APT/Synaptic and the tons of packages available for it. Debian and Slackware are both pretty easy to install and to install new apps on.

Try them both and see which one you like.

As craigevil says, it asks a lot less now. It's still text-based, but in particular, it doesn't ask you any questions about your hardware, other than the ones for configuring X.

I also had problems with Debian at the beginning. Lots of good info in this thread: http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...d.php?t=421871

Slackware v. Debian is still more like Fedora v. Slackware. Debian does a lot of stuff for (to) you.

Slackware: love at first sight and still happily married. Simple, clean, no surprises. Everything makes sense. Outstanding user community.

Debian: hated it, uninstalled it, tried it again a few more times. Everything works when you know how to manage it. Hate the init scripts, but it's nice having zillions of packages. Nice go-to distro for trying stuff out when you don't feel like spending an hour building something just to see if you like it. But boring. YAWN, really boring distro. I don't use it much. You can get a nice Slackware or Debian desktop machine in around 2G unless you're really an app-junkie.

Hey everyene...

I'm going to give Slackware a sporting try. I actually downloaded the Slackbook and read through the entire thing. It was actually just a clincher for me as I've been leaning toward Slackware more and more. Most of the research I've done is with kernel compilation and package management. I'm ready for it.

Thank you all for your input, it has been quite valuable.

-Bill