FTP and upgradepkg for updates. ./configure; make; make install for everything else.

There are a million answers to this question.

They way I did it was to keep an up-to-date local repository of the Slackware stable tree, and manually apply updates whenever they were found.

slackpkg has eased things quite a bit... but it wasn't until 15.0 that I started using it properly. Habit can be a powerful force.

It was OTB's (RIP) 15.0 installation video which showed how easy slackpkg is, that made me realise I'd been doing things the hard way for several years.

In the beginning, I found it best to save what you wanted to keep and reinstall from scratch. With Slackware 9.1 slackpkg and swaret were introduced, checkinstall was added in version 9.0. With Slackware 10.0 Patrick started adding obsolete packages to UPGRADE.TXT and also added slacktrack. Being stubborn, I stuck with manual upgrades. Eventually I started using slackpkg, I was hooked. I have never used swaret or slacktrack. Keep track on third party the hard way. Back then I normally used pre-built packages. When the third party slackpkg+ was introduced I gave it a try and loved it.

Today I build almost all of my own packages, have my own repository for them. The only pre-built packages I use are multilib and 14 packages from Alien Bob, plus 3 from Alien Bob's restricted repository. Oh and slackpkg+, which I use with slackpkg.

Started using Slackware around 99 as my daily driver. Still don't use slackpkg. Nothing against just never needed it. I used to watch the change long and just download what I needed.

These days I just rsync the tree from a mirror and periodically run
upgradepkg *.t?z in the /patches directory.

When it comes time to do the distro upgrade, I usually do about what is described in UPGRADE.TXT.

If I wanted to run -current, I'd probably start using slackpkg though.

Hello hazel, FWIW I never allow slackpkg to upgrade kernels. I roll my own so I, too, blacklist kernel packages, source, modules and headers but allow firmware updates since those AFAIK are just "blobs" available for system hardware and the modules that communicate with and control them. TYhe most common benefit with kernel firmware updates are improved wifi and bluetooth function, which I rarely use, so that may make me overly cavalier about allowing firmware upgrades. I'm most interested in audio system drivers being at their best, so the minor risk, if any, is worth the possible gain.

I use slackpkg for updating everything, including kernels. No problems so far...touch wood...fingers crossed.

I allow headers. They're harmless and serve as a heads-up that there's a new kernel available. I don't need firmware, as my machine uses standard hardware (Intel processor and graphics, realtech network card).

As to rolling my own kernel, I used to do that on CRUX where it is compulsory. It had the advantage of creating very small kernels which didn't need an initrd. I don't do it on Slackware, as I assume Patrick has optimised the kernel config in ways that I couldn't hope to emulate.

To be honest I don't remeber anymore, but surely installpkg or upgradepkg, and removepkg, the friends you still have today in. But I have to mention that I rarely did keep it up to date like today in the past.
The internet was slow 14,4kbps then 56kbps then ISDN line then ADSL and today FTTH. So the laziness was really the real cause for me :) but as somebody already mentioned you had pretty anything you need in the distro
and you had to just install some extra stuff with configure,make and make in stall and keep that up to date if needed.

I using it from 3.4 release or something like that, I still have my wallnut creek cds and should be somewhere in the flopies too :D

I had forgotten swaret ! And checkinstall to build packages (?)...

I think was downloading packages and use pkgtool I guess.

I don't even remember well when I bothered to look at slackbuilds...

swaret was a tool in Slackware for about a release and a half (written by Patrick Volkerding more than ten years ago). It is still available but I have no idea how many people use it, if any. According to the website the last release is 20 years old.

yes to this