I recently tried a number of different distros because of a problem I was having integrating a new graphics card (all fixed now).

None of them seemed quite right, Slackware is so stable, quick, logically laid out and unpatched, which means that anything that you try normally works. So it was going to be back to Slackware and fight with the Kernel, a thing that I have had little success with.

Then I noticed Vector Linux SoHo 5.0, based on Slackware 10.1 but without the bloat, all the packages that I use were included and some such as GnuCash were even included, if you have ever tried to install that you will know how hard it is, dependacy hell.

I installed to a test partition and it was Slackware 10.1 with bells on. I still had to compile a kernel for 2.6.10, but the instructions were so good (one typo) that all went without a hitch. Cups was configured for my printer in less than a minute, same for the LAN, the firewall wasn't very strong so I installed the Linux Firewall Script and then it was.

Curiously enough Doom3 seemed to run about 10% faster.

With this new found knowledge I compiled the 2.6.10 kernel in Slackware 10.1 and all my problems disappeared.

I am not advocating a full scale migration, and I will stick with Slackware (too much time and effort invested to "up sticks" on a whim), however the ease of configuration along with a sensible range of packages might make it an option for some people.

I will however keep it on the experimantal partition and if it can meet all of my business criteria, then, who knows.

Samac

There are 2 things about Vector that i do not like...

1. during instalation you can not select custom/personalized pount points like /boot , /home , /usr , /var as seperate disk partitions...

2. you can not select or de-select individual packages...

i tryed Vector a once and it ran ok, but if these two items are not fixed i would bet Vector will not win over very many Slackware users (although i have not tried this latest release however i doubt these two issues were fixed)...

Valid points

1) I agree completely, one of the reasons I am just keeping an eye on it.

2) I think this is OK as I deleted a program as a test, though haven't installed yet, and you can also use slapt-get to get Slackware packages from the mirrors (though there is a warning to avoid certain key packages like the kernel).

i should have been more specific, for #2 i meant to say that you can not select or de-select packages during install...

I actually used Vector Linux for a while last year before trying Slackware, and I probably would have stayed with VL except that the community support isn't the same. They're helpful, friendly, knowledgeable, etc., but there just isn't yet a critical mass of users so that you can get problems solved quickly.

I was reminded of this two days ago when I posted something on the VL forum asking about the version of Firefox that's distributed with VL. The post sits there now, still unanswered.

Of course, if more people would hang around, then there'd eventually be the community support that's needed. But as a newby with a lot of questions, I decided I needed to switch to a bigger family.

However, it was VL's excellent performance that made me consider trying Slackware, since VL is a Slackware derivative.

Obviously this poll results will be skewed. It is posted on a Slackware forum. What do you expect? Heheheh....

Hi,

I hope you can consider me a member of the extended Slackware family. I am a Linux newbie, and had friends help me install Ubuntu, since that is supposedly the best distribution for newbies. It took forever to install on my laptop, and then I forgot my password and needed to reinstall. I decided to check out other distributions. After all my research, I thought that Slackware was most compatible with my personal computing philosophy, but no one says it's for beginners. So, desiring speed as well as ease, I went with Vector 5.8 SOHO. It has OpenOffice, which I have already been using on my Windows OS, and think it is so much better than the MS Office Suite. The install was very fast, and no hitches except the modem (one of those winmodem dealies, and I'm not sure if I can get a compatible driver for it, or if I will resort to using an external modem). I figured that maybe after I get more comfortable with the basics, I can eventually switch to Slackware. Unless I find that I really like VectorLinux. It's too soon to tell, because I still don't know my way around in any Linux distro yet.

I don't remember much about the install process, since it didn't take very long, but I thought there were options on the packages. Maybe this has changed since 5.0, or maybe my memory is not that good.

I have been reading about Slackware, as I figure that will help me out in the learning process. I wish I could find some kind of practice material, like they do when you learn to type. Such as mounting devices and drives repeatedly until you really know and remember how to do it.

Please don't hate me, but I am dual-booting with WinXP (M$ wins, you lose, Xtra Problematic), because I'm still dependent on some software applications. While I understand programming in concept, I'm a long way from being familiar enough to trust myself with it. I admire all of you who know what they are doing and can do it in Slackware.

Well.. Latest version of slack is Slackware 12.0 Don't get why you're testing Slackware 10.1 when Slackware 12.0
has changed so much encluding the default 2.6 kernel.

Slackware will always be number one in my book:-)
Once you Slack, you never go back:-)

i also used vector before i progressed onto slackware 11, and i found it an excellent distro to look at different window managers and see which i prefered, also it gave me a good indication of what a linux desktop could look like. i switched to slackware after about 6 months because i wanted to learn how it all worked.

Please don't abuse a 2.5 years old poll thread. Open your own new thread instead.

Eric

Changed so much? Slackware?