Cool! I may pick up that issue. It would be doubly cool if it has src2pkg and sbopkg on the included DVD.

I may be old-fashioned, but I think the shareware, try before you buy model has some validity even with FOSS software.

Slackware and the various utilities that have grown up around it (slackpkg, sbopkg, src2pkg, Slackbuilds.org) are completely free for use, AND THAT IS JUST FINE! If you really like and it want to contribute, find a way to do so.

Some of us contribute money, others time, and still others work to spread the word and help new users. Some contribute in all those ways and others not mentioned.

So it's great to give people a chance to try Slackware and see what they think. If then can get it for the price of an expensive magazine, then more power to them. It sure beats downloading ISOs and burning them -- a process that takes quite a while, at least on my hardware.

Regardless, I think at least some of the people who buy the magazine and install Slackware will become new and productive users.

Regards,

-Drew

I like LXF. It is more fun than serious. The software reviews are great. And, since it is paper, I can read it in the bathroom.

I guess it is still a valid assumption that the attention of potential new users can be attracted to Slackware by simply trying out a CD/DVD packed with an informative and entertaining magazine.

If they include stuff like src2pkg and/or sbopkg, they offer added value, and if they offer a good introduction how to set up a Slackware system covering the basic concepts and explanations of all the rc.* files, newbies will appreciate it. Although Slackware is simple and well documented, it is hard for a newbie to make the first steps without someone guiding him. A magazine can be *very* valuable, then, helping to navigate through all the config files and the documentation!

And with Slackware 12.2 the times are GONE, when Slackware was less end-user-friendly than other distros, because the default configuration is now just as comfortably handling removable devices and supporting multimedia applications like any other distro. This, of course, is for one part owed to the fact that distributions such as OpenSUSE 11.1 do not longer include any commercial codecs etc. So while Slackware is getting more "complete" (in the eyes of end-users), other distros are getting more "slackish".

In other words: Release 12.2 is just "slackwell."

gargamel

Received a reply from Mike. :-)

OK, Slackware 12.2 ISO images for discs 1 and 2 are included in LXF DVD 116 March 2009.

cool It's good to know that the strategy worked. Must thank samac for suggesting it.

This is one of the most ridiculously snobbish and elitist remarks I have ever heard. Why shouldn't someone using Debian switch to Slackware if they want to? Just remember, everyone was a "newbie" to Linux once, and everyone was a "newbie" to Slackware once. It sounds to me like you feel a bit "special" for using a "difficult" distributon and you would feel less special if more people were using it.

The more people that use Slackware, the better. Using Slackware teaches a lot more about Linux than most other distributions, so the more people use it, the more educated and self-sufficient the Linux community becomes.

I came to Linux around 18 months ago after 6 years of using Windows. Slackware was the first distribution I used and it's the one I'm using now. Perhaps you think that Slackware "doesn't need me"? I think Slackware is the perfect distribution for newcomers who are reasonably competent with computers. I suggest that people start with Slackware, then if they really can't cope without a fully-featured package management system, or need more GUI tools, then switch to Debian. Having said that, KDE provides a good selection of GUI tools anyway, so the package management system is really the only major stumbling block. The process of trying to get Slackware working, even if one fails, could be a tremendous learning experience.

Pat is not likely to change his design philosophy just because Slackware becomes more popular. I'm quite sure that he would welcome more users. The "newbies" of today could become the Slackware source-code contributors of tomorrow.

So perhaps more beginners means more people posting on forums asking simple questions. What's the problem? I don't know about anyone else, but I'm more than happy to help someone out that asks, "I've installed Slackware and it just boots up to a command line. What do I do now?" Unfortunately, people are scared to do so because of people like you who would probably reply, "RTFM. You sound like a n00b. Go back to Ubuntu."

The bottom line is simple. If people are competent enough to be able to use Slackware, then they should try it. I'm sorry for getting into a rant, but comments like this really infuriate me. Slackware is an operating system, not a religion.

I couldn't agree more. I have tried out some of the more mainstream distributions, and a major stumbling block for me was the lack of support for proprietary software. Whether this is from a fear of law-suits, which perhaps Slackware is less worried about because it's not in the limelight, or a fanatical suspicion of non-free software, an attitude which annoys me, it has made other distribtions far more difficult than they should be. A new Debian user will be tearing their hair out trying to get Flash Player working in firefox or getting mp3s to play. And Slackware is supposed to be the "difficult" option?

....I came to Slackware from Ubuntu and then Debian...

Hi all,

Has anyone seen that issue yet? I'd like to pick it up.

Regards,

-Drew

I agree with you on that and the rest of your post. Indeed, there are a number of people who take this elitist attitude and many of them use Slackware, but don't think that this is true of all or even most of Slackware users. I know I've had people accuse me of being elitist simply because I listed that I was using Slackware in my profile and I responded to a post simply by stating the obvious (thinking that the OP did not try the obvious, which happens a lot), which prompted a user to rant about how elitist Slackware users are. While this can in some cases be considered elitist, this was not my intention, however from this example it's very clear that this small group of people that use Slackware can cause great harm to both the reputation of Slackware and its users ... a very unfortunate thing.

Indeed, Slackware is not hard, and it teaches you a great deal, it should be tried and used by everyone who wants to and who is courageous enough to try it. Maybe what dguitar was referring to was the tendency for many Ubuntu users (fresh from Window$) to demand things they had in Window$ and Ubuntu from Slackware as if they should be the default and Slackware should change to meet that. I must confess that these kinds of users do tend to irritate me too, but I think this feeling of theirs will pass when they understand more about Slackware and Linux in general.

Yes, have got it - I like LXF, it's very upbeat and usually treats slackware with a kind of respect and warmth.

This month has a brief article on a "slackware derivative" called Austrumi - 93 Mb and uses FVWM!!

That's my interpretation too. I must say I find them more than just a little irritating

It's definitely not elitism to want Slackware to retain its unique identity. There's already a lot of sameness among the 300+ distros out there, and only a few with any real claim to individuality. Let's make sure Slackware stays as one of those few.

I have been using Slackware since v. 8. I buy every copy of Linux Format. I like to sit or lay on sofa and read ink print. I'm very old fashioned. I like to write text or programs when using my computer. I'm not so keen on reading articles on my screen. I'll send my opinion to LXF. It's important that Linux users see Slackware as one alternative.

In addition Slackware I'm using openSUSE.

I subscribe Slacware CD because I want ot support Salckware.