New slackware user

Config · 05-15-2002, 08:00 AM

I am about to try out Slackware (I will download 8.1, once released. BTW, when do you think is it going to come out?), but I have a few questions floating in my mind:
I heard, that there are no, config utils. This means that you have to do everything by your hand and get your hands dirty in config files. Right? (That's what I love doing...

)
Second, I heard of a packaging system tgz, or something....is this going through regular ./configures & makes or is it somewhat different? I wish to know this since removing a piece of software installed by make install can get tedious....
Thanks for clearing things up...

vfs · 05-15-2002, 08:33 AM

1) there's 'vi' as config tool

2) No. The packages are binary tar+gzip.

The only tools are 'setup' and 'pkgtool', 'fontconfig', 'netconfig', 'pppsetup'.

HTH,

vfs.

vfs · 05-15-2002, 08:34 AM

Oops! If you install things from source, you'll have the same work that you'd have installing in RH.

vfs.

Config · 05-15-2002, 09:41 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by vfs
1) there's 'vi' as config tool

Ohhh... how could I forget

Thanks btw for the fast answer

urinal cake · 05-16-2002, 01:50 AM

You might give pico a try. The backspace and delete keys even work properlty before you fiddle with your new install, unlike vi or vim, as many find. But watchout, as soon as you open a file in pico you're in edit mode!

frig_neutron · 05-16-2002, 02:26 AM

Yeah, and keep in mind that pico is FAR more limited in editing tools than vi. Learn to wield vi like a wizard is what i say.

RWallett · 05-16-2002, 05:17 AM

Hey, I LIKE pico!!!

Slack is great!

I started using it because Amazon had 7.1 w/CDs and book (GREAT book!) for $20, whereas RH and Suse had just gone over $50. Despite everyone's warnings about "how difficult Slack is to configure", I didn't think it was that bad. I've since upgraded to 8.0, and like it even better.

My only complaint is that while it's very easy to find RPMs for RH, it's sometimes a little harder to find .tar.gz's for Slack software (I haven't tried the RPM to .tar.gz converter--anyone else have any experience with it?)

vfs · 05-16-2002, 06:36 AM

do a

rpm --init-db

if you never installed RPMs in your slackware system before.

Then install ALL RPMs you want with:

rpm -ivh package.rpm --nodeps

I wrote a (broken) tool to make things easier. You could give a try:

http://linux.tucows.com/system/preview/223933.html

HTH,

vfs.

tifkat · 05-17-2002, 02:50 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by RWallett
My only complaint is that while it's very easy to find RPMs for RH, it's sometimes a little harder to find .tar.gz's for Slack software (I haven't tried the RPM to .tar.gz converter--anyone else have any experience with it?)

You can find user-contributed slackware packages for lots of stuff at Linuxpackages. But hey, compiling from source code is so much more fun isn't it??

sapilas · 05-17-2002, 06:49 PM

well slackware rocks..(been using it a few years).if you wanna use it as a server os... with a few hardware...

if you have a tvcard, printer 720c, usb webcam, well you better give a try with suse8 it just rulez...

aspecially the way it detects and configs the hardware is unique...

Config · 05-18-2002, 03:10 PM

I won't use Slackware for beeing productive. I am using it for learning

wartstew · 05-31-2002, 12:21 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by vfs
2) No. The packages are binary tar+gzip.

The only tools are 'setup' and 'pkgtool', 'fontconfig', 'netconfig', 'pppsetup'.

HTH,

vfs.

Well there is a little bit of a packaging system embedded into those tar+gzip files. There is a little "install" script that is automaticly run by the "addpkg" or "pkgtool" that set things up, for you, as well as logging what it does so that the package can be uninstalled cleanly by "pkgtool" or "rmpkg" It all seems to work quite well.