Hi punchy71,
I'd have to suggest that you do a little reading and them jump right in to a full version of Slackware with both feet. There is a bit of a learning curve but it's nothing that you cant read you way through.
Slackware dose not have a gui for setting up the hard drive and if that is a problem you can just use the G-Parted Live CD to do it. I've tried several of the Slackware derivatives and none of the ones I tried measure up to the real thing.

I wonder why nobody has mentioned Salix yet. It is basically Slackware with added dependency management and with versions aimed at one specific DE/WM. It is the version I use when I have to setup simple "install and forget" systems, for example I used it to install a basic system with LXDE and Audacious on an old computer that is used as a jukebox.

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@ punchy71: you opened a very similar thread in the Linux newbies forum, and 7 more about other distributions in various others forum.

I understand that you are in search of a distribution, but please don't open that many threads for basically the same question, unless you just would like to make many people busy.

On a more positive tone, maybe you could just visit http://distrowatch.com if not already done, and/or select a few ones and try them in virtual machines.

Everyone has their powers and limitations and what one finds easy or scary might be the opposite for another. When I first began using Linux I was an old hand at partitioning so it was no big deal and I thought from using DOS I was decent at command line but what was an obstacle for me was booting to command line on a Linux first boot and finding almost none of my familiar commands worked. Had I read even a little (though back then I didn't know where to find such material) I would have at least understood "man" pages and "vi" and what was required to "startx".

So I went to a book store and bought O'Reileys "Running Linux" and "Linux in a Nutshell". My copy of "Running" is very old so I can't speak on how much the 5th edition (2005) has been updated, but one of the benefits of Linux is that most of the fundamentals don't change, so one can actually build knowledge. "Nutshell" is superb! Nobody can recall all the commands, all their switches and exact proper syntax so this reference is just indispensible, IMHO.

The important concept is however that you should install full Slackware exactly because it seems hard and/or scary because just as partitioning was a breeze for me but Unix commands was a huge weak spot, difficulties only show where you need to learn most. So please do as some have suggested, say more of what your concerns are.

An argument can be made that if all a PC user wants to do is "read my email, check facebook, play a few games, and maybe mess with some photos, movies and music" that Windows and/or so-called "user friendly" Linux distributions are sufficient. Maybe such people also drive a car and haven't a clue how to change a tire. IMHO even such people can benefit and actually get a solid return on their time investment by running Slackware. It, and what it requires of you, will put you in the driver's seat and set you free.

Best Wishes and welcome to the Slackware community


PS LiveCD's are also an excellent way to try out distros wit little commitment and no risk. Porteus is Slack based and quite good and also comes in 2 flavors - feature rich KDE and lean 'n mean XFCE4.

you also can look at salix

Say more about which distributions these were, and what you didn't like about them.

The learning curve for Linux is the same as it is for Windows, people just don't consider all the time they spent over the years learning Windows, or how mediocre their skills with it actually are for the amount of time spent. No offense to anyone.

I heard Slackware was the "hard to use" distro. Good thing I'm a rebel and don't listen. Turns out its easy as pie. I'm no guru, but my desktop in 14 is tight for the (relatively small) amount of time I spent on it.

I have a basic understanding of Linux, but far from a lot of knowledge and i use Slackware. Just read docs and it honestly isn't that hard. Slackware has given me better performance than Arch. I am very glad to be using Slackware.

I agree, although I am no master (far from it). Didn't think with "hard" at all. Some problems? Sure, but nothing that a good reading (or this forum) can't solve. By the way, never understood why people say Arch Linux is hard, it is one of the easiest to maintain.

Echoing some of the earlier comments, I would say that Slackware is both "easy to use" and "user-friendly", very much so. It is, however, NOT "beginner-friendly", unless the beginner is dead set on learning how to install, administer, and maintain a GNU/Linux distribution.

That being said, I wish punchy71 all the luck if he/she decides to give Slackware a try. This is a beautiful OS, and an extremely practical one. It gets the job done

Yeah, for the first time ever I've got rid off windows (only use it for games) and it was with Slackware. And I am pretty happy with it, it is the best linux distro imo.

And stop calling me Shirley.

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I agree. I tried Salix in Virtualbox after reading your post and it is impressive. You can automate the install or go in manual mode if you wish. The ISO comes with a good software selection.

"It's the direction something travels in, but that's not important right now."

samac

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"Have we got clearance, Clarence?"

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