"Other software" in this case means anything you've installed using a thirdparty repository.
This includes packages from AlienBob, slackbuilds.org, ...

Packages from the "original" repository don't have to be compiled.
Many "thirdparty" packages (AlienBob's packages for example) don't have to be compiled either.
Packages from slackbuilds.org are built from source and therefore have to be compiled.

2 members found this post helpful.

THANKS ! I think I have got my answer !

But just to make sure : does that mean that updates (kind of by definition) happen (just) in terms of packages ? (that was my understanding)

1 members found this post helpful.

If you're using slackpkg or pkgtools, you're updating via binary. You can also grab any slackbuild's build directory and build the package yourself. (Sometimes you need to do this...)

I'm not using Alien Bob's DAW, but I am using a few other audio-related packages of his: frescobaldi, obs-studio, and supercollider. Thing to be careful of is that if you update slackware-current, odds are good something will need to be recompiled against the newer libraries. For instance ImageMagick updates often break obs, which means I have to rebuild that one. Sometimes python updates can break frescobaldi and lilypond, but that hasn't happened in awhile. (Not since the switchover to python 3.) Jack seems to be OK most of the time.

If you update, and something breaks, try downloading the slackbuild (It's in the "build" directory) and recompile the thing. 99% of the time that fixes it.

Also, if you're using slackpkg or slackpkg+, be very, very careful about just overwriting config files. (You should be prompted after an upgrade as to what you want to do.) I always ask for a prompt and keep the old file where it is. I'll go into that directory, and then compare the two files, adjusting my old one as necessary, while keeping my preferences intact.

1 members found this post helpful.

You're welcome. Yes.

Thanks for very helpful and important information