In a recent flamefest on the topic of getting NetworkManager to work on Slackware 12, and by trying myself, I've found that NetworkManager can be made to work up to the point where it tries to retrieve an interface's address via DHCP.

Apparently, changes need to be made to slackware's "dhcp" package, namely editing some script to do with dhclient. However, I couldn't find out what to put where. I hope someone can enlighten me!

Why not download the relevant Dropline package and see what they are doing? Or a Fedora or Ubuntu package? diff the original and the new ones to come up with an easier to read patch.

I dont have a problem with NetworkManager and the default slackware dhcp.

Steps to make things work:
Install dhcp-3.0.5-i486-2.tgz
Install libnl 1.1
Install NetworkManager TRUNK, removing an invalid declaration in the slackware backend, otherwise it wont compile
Install NetworkManager applet TRUNK.

Enjoy.

Words of warning: dont use dhcp 4.xx cos it doesnt work. 3.10 works and so does the default slackware package, as long as you are using trunk builds of NetworkManager.

So, umm - you don't need dhcdbd? That is one of the packages I had to install which are giving me a headache.
Also, "NetworkManager applet" sounds like you're talking GNOME - you're not on dropline or something? If not, then replacing that with kNetworkManager should work for me, too...

Nope, dhcdbd or whatever its called is no longer used in trunk version of NetworkManager. However, if you want to use the trunk build you must also use networkmanager-applet cos knetworkmanager doesnt compile for trunk builds. I also want to add that you might wish to compile wpa_supplicant with DBUS support if you want to get wireless working automatically, or else you will have to start wpa_supplicant manually at every boot.

That is at least one piece of good news

Being on a stock Slackware 12 (i.e. no GNOME), that is obviously not an option... or is it?
Without a graphical interface, this whole endeavor is pointless, I'm afraid

I tried install knetworkmanager but the page and a half of gnome deps put me off. I mean WHY ON EARTH build a kde app with a ton of gnome deps?! Where's the sense in it?

This is just what I was looking for! Yesterday I finally managed to get knetworkmanager going, but I still have some problems. First, however; if you want to use networkmanager 0.6.5, you have to use dhcdbd and patch dhcp. I used the patch from arch-linux, http://www.landofbile.com/crux_ports.../arch-nm.patch . It applied cleanly to dhcp-3.0.5. Hope this helps

Incidentally; I compiled knetworkmanager with vpnc and pptp support, but they're not offered in the networkmanager menu. Does anyone know more about that? And a second issue; networkmanager manages to loose my wpa-key every time I close it, while it should use kwallet to store the key. Anyone know how to change that?

(I hope I'm not jumping your thread too much )