What types of video monitors is Slackware 14.2 compatible with? I currently use a HP w1707 monitor (VESA compatible) with Slackware 14.2, but am considering upgrading to a newer one (I understand that the newer ones are not VESA compatible) So would Slackware 14.2 work just as well on a newer monitor?

I have not encountered issues with Slackware on any monitor I've used it with, desktop or laptop.

I have not used an HDMI or display port monitor, though I suspect either would work just fine.

VESA is a generic driver for a display card. I really think if your not using the proprietary drivers like Nvidia or AMD's graphic cards.
just use the the X11 Xorg.default config that it creates when you startup. Your asking about a monitor.
when you should be asking will my video card that is using the generic frame buffer driver run the new monitor.
So if you have a very old card that will only use a generic VESA driver. I had a old S3 graphics card on my 1998 laptop that worked better with the VESA driver then the one in the kernel.
Looks like it all depends on your graphics card.

Drakeo, I'm talking about computer MONITORS, not computer graphic cards.

TheNutCase,
No idea how new you are to computers, but for one, you should realize that monitor compatibility has nothing to do with Slackware itself. It has to do with the Linux kernel (or other OS), and whatever windowing system your Linux distribution (or other OS) uses. In the case of Slackware it uses the X11 windowing system.

For two, as a general rule, it is safe to assume that if your computer/laptop/whatever has video output hardware compatible with your monitor's input hardware, i.e., VGA<->VGA, HDMI<->HDMI, or Display Port<->Display port, you can expect compatibility. The thing to watch out for is if your "Display Adaptor" i.e., Video Card/Graphics chip, along with its software can "drive" the monitor's resolution. That is to say, you're not going to get 1080p out of a mobile graphics chip from 2002, for example.

Please try and keep your posts to this forum related to Slackware.
Thank You!

Slackware, like all Linux distributions, works with all monitors.

So would I be correct in assuming that the answer to my original question is "yes"?

Of course.

Actually I have come across a monitor problem that was specific to something in Slackware. Please note that I am a 15+ year Slack Vet and love the distro above all others but also tend to test others for learning/awareness reasons and at the time I tested several and only Slackware exhibited this issue with one particular monitor. The monitor was an early release HDTV and only in Slackware required a workaround in xorg.conf. Without an entry in xorg.conf of

fonts were literally inches tall. Now obviously this was mainly a monitor issue with poor EDID but the problem of gargantuan fonts only ever occurred in Slack for some reason. Thankfully it was an easy workaround and the only incidence of any such problem in Slackware in 15+ years.

Hopefully it is also obvious that no monitor is unusable specific to Slackware or any version of it. In rare cases like this one a workaround may be needed but any monitor that will work on any distro will also work on Slack. Also since it is rare anymore for graphics systems other than nVidia, AMD/ATi and Intel it is unwise to rely on VESA for anything but "failsafe" and replacing it with substantially higher performance is possible on virtually all graphics systems.

I find that 16:10 panels (particularly ips) work best with whatever operating system I am using. Its like Slackware it just feels right! The 6 bit panels with AFC+FRC are nice and they kick a tn panels butt with their rich colors, but 8 bit is where its at unless you do photography then you want 10 bit!

I use this one with dvi (because my nvidia card doesn't have display port).
https://www.amazon.com/Dell-UltraSha.../dp/B005JN9310

What video output(s) does your graphics card have?
A quick google of your HP w1707 shows it has VGA or DVI-D inputs, but no DVI cable is supplied with the monitor. If you're currently using it on VGA you'd notice a much improved picture if you can switch to DVI.

You can get DisplayPort to HDMI adaptors (though they depend on certain lines being connected in the graphics adaptor), and DVI to HDMI adaptors.

Monitor selection depends on your main use case. As above, if you do a lot of photo or video editing, or CAD you'd be looking for a premium product. If you're a serious gamer you'll need a low response time, etc. My requirements are lots of screen real-estate, low glare, good contrast and solid stable picture for minimal eye-strain.

Personally, I use a pair of IIyama ProLite XB2380HS monitors with Slackware and/or Win 7 in a dual head configuration. These are a few years old now, but have worked flawlessly all day, every day, for that time. Having two monitors means you can for example have an editor open full-screen on one monitor, and program output full-screen on the other.

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