Packages from the 1990s and 2000s
 

Here is a modest suggestion: go through the list of packages and consider removing the ones that have not been updated in the past decade. Many of them are only of historical interest. Users who want them can get the source code from older Slackware releases.

This could reduce the maintenance effort.
Ed

How would removing them reduce the maintenance effort if they have not been updated in the last decade?

LILO hasn't been updated for years, maybe we should get rid of that as well.

Lilo has served me well for 15 years. I don't see a need to replace it. Patrick mentioned that he will maintain lilo.

I was joking... sometimes British humour doesn't come across very well without emoticons.

If something works updates is not required. I'm against remove anything if not broken. Especially Pat build something only if it is required by external reasons (i.e. so version bump).

Moreover some of thing you mention I've used lately, and some are basic tools used in troubleshooting, system maintenance or testing.

An I quite sure you use one of this things TODAY and you like it (bsd-games fortune cookie).

Haha! Indeed. It is often difficult to determine the emotional content in posts.

I dare say there are a few good candidates for moving to pasture/ but not all of those are as useless as EdGr believes.

I meant that the source code hasn't been updated in a decade. The binaries still need to be built and installed.

I don't install bsd-games because I got tired of being pummeled by the fortunes.
Ed

I know it's a strange concept, and in this modern era things are continually modified, or even thrown out just when they're getting good in order to start again (Gnome 2), but in the old days one might actually finish a program. I suggest that perhaps they don't need updating because they're 'complete'.

I see. I didn't catch that. Still, most of those are only rarely rebuilt anyway. For example, xgames was rebuilt last year during the mass rebuild, but before that it hadn't appeared in the ChangeLog since 2011. I don't think the maintenance burden for these things is large enough to be worth removing them. Maybe if something fails to rebuild one day, but that would be on a case-by-case basis.

But!... But!... how do you play ATC? ;)

You could have just chmod -x'd the /etc/profile.d/bsd-games-login-fortune.sh.

Really? I like the witicisms and avant-garde comments, sayings. Each to his/her own. :)

There is nothing wrong with old working code, but the source not being updated in a decade implies that no-one is likely using them.

There is a cost in users installing them and sifting through /usr/bin (for example). This would be okay if the programs were still useful.

Along with the witty quotes, there are also offensive ones. I don't miss those.
Ed

Based on what?

Who is forcing you to sift through /usr/bin, and why do you think your arbitrary 1 decade time limit determines what is useful?

With all due respect, I don't see much of a logical case presented here. All I see are a bunch of bad assumptions.

I like bpe as it is simple to see a hexdump of a file.
xv is a useful viewer and our BDFL has a sentimental attachment through his input.
todos/fromdos are useful to me.
keymaps have no need for updates.
Simple programs that do the job do not need updates.

Ignorance is bliss.

This is absolutely still useful and important.

Packages from the 1990s and 2000s
 

I don't think it would be a good idea to remove tar.

BTW I use often xv to check image files from cli and as said, PV already stated he will not remove it.

And, last but not least, if it just works... Do not fix/remove it!

The packages need to be reviewed individually. Some are still useful, but others are not (or similar functionality is provided by currently-maintained packages).

The lack of an update is just a clue that a package may not have users... :)
Ed

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think I remember hearing that pkgtools depends on the behavior of that old version of tar?

I personally believe that Pat knows what every single package does and has full cognisance of their relevance to the distribution. I doubt very much that some packages are just lying there derelict.

This is why clean-system exists in -current, and I'm sure that 15.0 will be trimmed accordingly.

No, the lack of use-cases is a clue that a package doesn't have users. Some packages don't need to be updated because there is no improvement necessary. I just discovered Spider Solitaire because of this thread, not updated since 1993 - and it runs absolutely fine.

Also I use the xscreensaver 'rocks' on my netbook because it is extremely low resource. That hasn't been updated since 1992, I wouldn't like it to be removed just because it's old.

Well, "amp" could probably go. Just how many ways do you need to play an mp3 file? :D

Back in the day, it was my go to for mp3 playback but I doubt I've used it in a decade.

So there you go. We just saved a whopping 130K! Woot! ;)

libmad is there for xmms.

Everything else should be using LAME.

Amp is a standalone I believe:
And also, broken:
segfaults at end of playback. Probably doesn't like id3v2 tags (which weren't introduced until 1998).

Hmm, you may have a point.

pulseaudio? Even though it goes tits up at the end, it plays ok on ALSA.

edit: actually, I've tried a few other files, and it's segfaulting all over the place.

seems ok if I decode/reencode with lame, so it must be something in the files that's upsetting it. I've had them years, god knows what created them originally. :)

That may be one implication, but for example I use 'telnet' almost every day, and as someone else said - they're complete.
They occasionally just need a patch every now and then to build with the latest toolchain.

btw, some of the archives (prefixed by '_') you've listed are the old 'framework' archives that were used by some of the first incarnations of the 'SlackBuild' scripts, that usually just creates the directory structure, or contained some config files, or device nodes or something. They're still used by those particular package's SlackBuild.

The program a lot of people are using for that these days, is sxiv.

Try use aoss,
it works for me.

Same here, on pulse audio...

There are reasons to remove things other than them being old, e.g.

But you obviously have to be careful!

But trivial to fix. Problem was aggressive optimizations in modern compilers not expected in ancient times:
And whole patch for clean build:
If someone is still interested with using it may test it.

Recently I had a need at work to look at using minicom for a serial interface connection. We don't use Slackware at work, but I was able to install the package from the repos. Thus maintainers of other distros still support some of these "old" packages too.

Not broke don't fix?

Enjoying this ridiculous thread. Of course it was a toss up if I wanted to use dillo, dwb, or emacs with w3m....I went with emacs. :hattip:

PS: since we are voting on throwing out the baby with the bath water...lets ditch all pre systemd software.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhiCFdWeQfA

Labinnah - you should put out a new version of Amp. :)

Xscreensaver is current software.

Telnet is unencrypted - user beware. I use ssh even across my private network.

Minicom is still useful because serial ports never went away.
Ed

Good idea!

You are going to actually do it and come back to tell us the results of your findings, aren't you?

Pat gets to do this because he is the one getting paid (sometimes). :)
Ed

I had no idea that my old friend procmail was quite this ancient! Still sorting mail for me in 2019 :)

Edit: Mind you even the original creator of procmail thinks that it should be retired...

QUOTE=dugan;6023095]
The program a lot of people are using for that these days, is sxiv.[/QUOTE]
Looks great... But not in a full Slackware install nore in the slackbuilds.org repo :-D

xv was mentioned in another thread just a few weeks ago.
Removing xsnow would lead to loud protests from some.
Don't know which of the programs on OP's list that are used in the background without my knowledge. I do use tar occasionally. I use Leafpad every day, and it was last updated in 2010.

What makes Slackware (and Linux) great is that you can tweak your system to your own likings (on your own risk). No one forces you to make a full install. No one stops you from deleting stuff you don't need. I've got rid of xgames, pidgin, and a few others I never use. IMHO OP could just uninstall all the packages on his list and live with the consequences (should there be any).
Each to his/her own. Live and let live.

I looked through this list and found 28 packages I have used recently. Some (like xv) I use all the time.

Mature code is not obsolete. Software doesn't have to churn to be useful.

This is very true.

I use Slackware as a base OS on which I develop my software. I primarily use my software, although there are an enormous number of open-source programs and libraries underneath.
Ed

I rather like fortune... I change it to fortune -a so it pulls from all files. I use a login shell for my X terminals too, so I see it many times a day, every time I open one.

It's one of the things that make me feel at home in Slackware, fortune.

Yeah, I look forward to my fortune every morning, too. And without xsnow, how would I decorate for Christmas?

One of the many things that annoyed me about Arch was that ddate was "deprecated."

I took it to the next level and added
to my ~/.bashrc so that I can get more wisdom each time I open a new window in screen. The one I got just now:
cowsay is available at slackbuilds.

You know, there's this thing about how your itches are your itches and perhaps aren't the same itches as other people's; so, if you want them scratched, you should do it yourself. There's another thing as well about everything is easy to the people who don't have to do it.

I guess my advice to you is to not hold your breath during the period when you expect this to be done.

I am just making a suggestion. I am already quite busy with my own software.

This observation applies only to very small programs.

Programs of any size are never complete, never fully debugged, never free of security vulnerabilities, and never immune to changes in other programs around them. Non-trivial programs require maintenance.

For people who posted silly responses, think about whether you want software on your computers that has not been maintained for a decade or two.

Good night, everyone.
Ed

what about software that is maintained but i haven't used in a decade or two?