As all you dear readers know, Slackware 11 has been out long enough to give us all some thoughts on the subject of 'things that need to be improved/worked on'

My list:

• I miss the floppy installs. Maybe in the next version, it will give us that back (Note: I own stock in Verbatim, and my oldest is going to college next year. Bring back the floppy install. I need a bigger dividend check...)
• The DVD iso makes the install too easy. Get rid of it. Just use the cd-roms, that way, when it sits there for 14+hours waiting on you to get back from the in-laws house for the day, it won't be ready to go. It will just sit there, asking you to put in the next cd. The DVD only takes 15 minutes! Sacriledge! Burn the disks! Too fast!
• Stability (in the desktop user sense). This version doesn't lockup in odd places. Put some random code in, Pat. This laptop has been working for 2 weeks solid now. It needs a rest...
• The base price is too high. Free just is too much. It's worth at least twice that. How can I spend all my hard earned money on Slackware without buying t-shirts and mugs? 'Everybody' knows a good OS costs $100-$200, and even more for the 'Pro' version...
• A pre-compiled smp kernel? Why does anybody want or even need that?
• I miss my virus's and spyware, along with their pop-ups and browser hijacks, and the quick screen shutoffs I had to do when my kids were watching what I was doing online. Now I can't do that anymore. Haven't used the button on my home computers monitor in weeks.
• I have too much control over my system. I can configure it until it doesn't work anymore. And the CLI! Who wants that?

The point I'm trying to make is that with this version, Slackware really shines. It works, it installs, it does what it should do.

Keep up the good work, Pat! (Apple II+? Mine was a Commodore PET. The Apple was only for games...lol)

Haha, that's the best comment on slack I've seen lately. I haven't had an opportunity to use slack 11 myself, unfortunately.

Maybe I should make it a "Top Ten List- Things I Can't Do With Slackware 11".

Then David Letterman and NBC/CBS can sue me for copyright infringement...

Here's another one:

• I still can't believe that Slackware allows you to compile and install your own programs, without requiring to use a "special for this" program. To me, that just isn't 'yum'-my, or 'emerge'-ent enough...

hahahaha, okay my turn now ((all in some good jest I might add))

TOP 5 REASON'S WHY Slack 11.0 Stinks =D

Reason 1:

Mr. Pat V. includes the build essentials, like make, kernel-headers, kernel-source and gcc. Everyone knows we cannot be trusted with this. Clearly we should rely on adding sources of packages made by god only knows who for our computers. And don't even get me started on kernels. How dare he allow me the possibility to update my kernel from the master linux kernel archives without requiring someone to issue a distro specific patch when and if they get around to it.

Reason 2:

Mr. Pat V. includes nfs out of the box. Huh? Why would we want that when we can make our linux computer's think their windows and use samba? Sure it's slower to use samba, and I may have data loss, and I also have to broadcast netbios info around my lan and risk my security. But hey we shouldn't forget about MS because we use a linux distro?

Reason 3:

Mr. Pat V. includes the sources he used to make the distro. Respect for GPL, bleh, no one care's who made it right? So what if GPL dictates the sources are to be included with a distro. I want a live cd darn-it, no sources, no 'atta-boy' to who made this stuff. Just write me some software and go away ok!

Reason 4:

Everyone know's 8 meg kernels just own, this kernel on a floppy stuff is for the birds. I want my pc to scream like a school girl when it boots.

Reason 5:

Obviously Mr. Pat V put no time into this. When I run my pc I only have about 5 things running in the background. So many other distro's have 20 to 30 at least! The fact that I can start using my computer in like 30 seconds or so from when I cold boot clearly shows this distro is no longer relevant. Don't even get me started on the installer, OMG....every computer loads in under 20 minutes, what's up with that? One really has to question the validity of a distro that just runs, even from the setup.

- I used to know much more about the Linux world before I started using Slackware. Because I was jumping from distro to distro. I'm stuck now.

- As winter approaches, I begin to miss the warmth of dependency hells (please take me back there ).

Yes, I recently blew out my last Ubuntu box at home. Ubuntu is good, but, it isn't Slackware.....I'm an all Slackware house now, I've got three stable, rock-steady Slack boxes:-) Er....well my daughter does have an XP Pro box and she states emphatically that M$ owns Linux, lol.
I also changed distros regularly prior to Slack, but, now Slack is it for me.

So,hitest, what do you "Hate" about Slackware?

LOL

The list is far too long to get into, but, these are some of the things that really bother me about Slackware.

1. Stability.....I mean who needs a computer that will run literally forever and have killer uptime? My daughter, who runs XP gets to do this Ctrl+Alt+Delete thing....that looks fun. Her pretty blue screen is soothing to look at.
2. There's no malware, js virus activity. My web browser never gets hijacked, I never get to try to fix a registry. I think a registry is some type of thing that is very mysterious and causes anxiety among computer users. I'm always happy and relaxed using my Slackware box......I never get that sinking feeling feeling when software stops working.........this is no fun at all....I want some stress in my life.
3. It bothers me that there isn't a company like Symantec that regularly prompts me for cash on an annual basis. Why doesn't Slackware debit my chequing account or something? I guess I'll just resign myself to the sad fact that I'll be continuing to donate money to Slackware and buy baseball caps. It is weird and very disturbing to have free stuff.
4. I really hate it that huge programs like OO launch very quickly when I'm running Slackware. I never have time to endlessly daydream about things, my Slackware box is reliable, quick, it encourages me to get to work. Slackware is a slave driver.
5. As I understand it my daughter has fragments that gather on her hard drive. I never get to get rid of those things on my Slackware box. Why do we put up with this? I may go back to windows.

I miss my BSOD's, that frequented me when I was still running Windows...
They were cute.
Well, kinda.
Blue has always been one of my favorite colours.

There's a BSOD screensaver in Slackware, so you can't
forget those OS core dumps -- only one I use.

Another irritant or 2:

• It runs fine with a 800Mhz processor and 128MB ram. How can the computer manufacturers justify their speed and price with these lowly specs? Come on, make it a resource hog. Keep Intel and Kingston in business...
• I hate being allowed, no, REQUIRED to customize my setup so it works only for me. I want it to be designed by a commitee, who decides what I can and cannot have on my computer. Like those guys with the 'MS' logos on their hats. Or the ones with crimson caps...They OBVIOUSLY know better, they get paid...

@cwwilson721: It runs fine with a 800Mhz proc

I hear that brother, one pc I use is a 133 ....and that's not frontside bus either =D

@Bruce Hill: You know, I've read that Slackware includes this "BSOD screensaver"; or maybe I read that it USED to be included. Do you know where I can find it please? That must be hillarious. Now that I think of it, I believe I read somewhere that Mr. Pat V had it at a tradeshow or something like that, it must have been hillarious.

@hitest: regarding Symantec: You know I probably have every version of everything that they ever made x10, pro, noob or regular. I'm probably the only person who has a license for each pc. Heck I probably have every security tool ever made for Windows, and one of the main reason's I'm here is the security. It seriously came to a point you could not "throw any money at the situation" for me. Gosh the time I have back on my hands, hehehe you're so right "Slackware is a slave driver". I do have to say tho, Symantec makes one really awesome product, WinFAX pro and the way it tied into other applications. That was a superb program. I only have winmodems (when I bought them I never even heard of linux) =( and no I have to go buy a real modem and try out gnu/linux fax applications, I have not tried them yet, but based on everything else I've seen, I'm very optimistic about how that will go for me.

LOL, funny post
Here's my try, all for fun/kidding, no offense pls:
* In Slackware you don't have the great thrill you get from Gentoo when you do an emerge --update --deep --newuse world and then you go: "hmm...i wonder what's gonna break now?"
* If you don't get those eventual breakage issues, you are not forced to scan the forums before every upgrade, and you are not forced to learn linux! (which is worse)
* I hate not being forced to compile almost all single program and being offered the choice of binary programs that install in a few minutes. Binaries are for infidels
* I also miss a mandriva like club and a red hat network alert icon

Well, that's it for now

@mannyslack: I also miss a mandriva like club

LOL, not for anything, but when I went to Mandriva when first wanting to try Linux, I was dumfounded at how much marketing is on that site. They would save millions of dollars of bandwith savings if they just turned off 1 out of every 10 self-promoted ads. Good-golly it's beyond blatent, that's just downright obnoxious.

@Old_Fogie,

I know what you mean about Symantec products. I really do run all legal software on my daughter's XP Pro box:-) I was running Norton AV 5.0 several years ago on an old winders box and was a bit slow in upgrading to a newer version and got a nasty java seeker virus. Now I do run the latest and greatest Symantec products out of fear, heh-heh:-)

@mannyslack,

I was a big fan of Mandrake/Mandriva, and even vaguely toyed with the idea of trying out Mandriva One. The system specs on Mandriva One are nuts. Minimum 256 MB RAM, recommended 512 MB? For a Mandriva product? I love my Slackware main box that just screams, it is a Plll 800 with 384 MB RAM. Life is good:-)