grrrr i am getting frustraited with slackware.

vim isn't in color? I can't figure that out, and its acting like its a differen't program.. the 'i' key doesn't make the cursor insert.. the delete key doesnt work...

also apache is compiled with mod_ssl, where is mod_perl and CPAN?? did i get a chance to compile those?? do I have to roll my own? what good is this operating system? why do some people swear by it??

Do you have a ~/.vimrc file? That is how you get the context highlighting, and other configuration settings. If you used a different Linux before it may have had a default .vimrc and you wouldn't have had to set it up.

Slackware is a very plain distro, if you want everything done for you and aren't interested in learning a whole lot about how Linux works and is configured, then I suggest you try something like Mandrake.

Oops, see next message below.

Any Linux is hard to learn, but I never learned and understood Linux until I started on Slack. I've used just about all of them and still once and a while try a different disto but always end up back with Slackware. Just a little bit each day and a lot of research and you'll get the hang of it; tackle one issue at a time.

You are right.. I am just a little overwhelmed... I am going to stick with it and continue to RTFM.. this is a lot better then being a redhat n00b

I think you'll probably have to roll your own mod_perl and CPAN, but I don't think that'll be to hard. Then again, I've never used Apache (use of Apache would be a violation of my ISP TOS blah blah blah) so I can't tell you. I think you can dynamically load those into Apache, though.

By default, no. The default "vi" clone on Slack is Elvis.

You have a default .vimrc example file in the vim directory. Copy this to your /home and you are all set.

Also, change the "vi" link from elvis to vim and you will be able to use vim every time you enter "vi file_name".

This is something I do on every Slack machine that I have.

Sorry, you'll have to re-compile Apache with these modules in, I guess (I have never used Apache, sorry).

Slackware is NOT for you, unless you are willing to learn and experiment. It's a true UNIX in that sense: it assumes you will RTFM and do your homework.

It can be frustrating, but the result is a super-stable Linux machine, one which you end up knowing intimately, and the advantage that YOU are in control, not Red Hat, or SuSE, or anybody else.

The vimrc_example.vim n gvimrc_example.vim residing in /usr/share/vim/vim61 . Copy them to ~/.gvimrc n ~/.vimrc then u have ur color on vim. But I always backup my .vimrc .gvimrc .bashrc .bash_profile regulary. So I don't use them.

I have also these in ~/.bash_profile, but not so sure for wut they are good, the first is likely to tell programs with console view to behave like VIM like instead of emacs..

export EDITOR=/use/bin/vim
export VISUAL=/usr/bin/vi

They are both standard environment variables:
EDITOR specifies a default non-GUI text editor
VISUAL specifies a default GUI editor

Not all programs use these "standard" variables. You could also add (if this isn't already set for you):
export PAGER=/usr/bin/less (I think the path is right)

This basically says "Use less when having to page files, such as in 'man'"

My ~/.bash_profile look like this, but it is still always subjected to modification ..
-----

# .bash_profile

echo -e "\nSource $HOME/bash_profile"

# Get the general environment, functions, aliases
[ -f ~/.bashrc ] && . ~/.bashrc

## standard initialization
VISUAL="/usr/bin/vi"
EDITOR="/usr/bin/vim"
EXINIT='set ai noto aw redraw|map map! map g G'
#LESS="-c -E -q -i -w -M -X" # display more-like ouput
LESS="-c -E -Q -i -W -X -P ?f%f:-. ?mFile\:%iof%m ?lLine\:%lb/%L:\
?bbByte\:%bb/%B.. ?p%pb\%. ?e<EOF> ?xNext\:%x..:?lLine\:%lb/%L. \
?bbByte\:%bb/%B. ?p%pb\%.. $"
LESSCHARSET=latin1 # Westeurope 8Bit-output
PAGER=less # used by man, wenn no MANPAGER
MANPAGER=less # better, blank lines will be squeezed
export VISUAL EDITOR EXINIT LESS LESSCHARSET PAGER MANPAGER

HISTSIZE=2000 # def: remember 500 commands
HISTFILE=~/tmp/.bash_history # def: ~/.bash_history
#HISTFILESIZE=3000 # def: truncated lines above 500
export HISTSIZE HISTFILE

#[ $CDPATH ] || { }
export CDPATH=.:~:~/java:~/etc:~/z:/mnt/uti:/opt:/usr/local:/etc

# My specific environment for java-SDK, redudance proofed
[ -f ~/etc/.javarc ] && . ~/etc/.javarc

# Read my specific aliases
[ -f ~/etc/.bash_alias ] && . ~/etc/.bash_alias

mesg n

echo -e "Eof $HOME/bash_profile\n"

As others have said, VIM does do color in slackware, it's a matter of tweaking your .vimrc.

Keep the faith. Put in the effort. The payoff in the end is worth it. Three weeks elapsed now since I installed and began configuring my hardware, and except for sound (which I have not begun to work on), I have the perfect desktop going. And it's a slack box... it takes work, but now I have a stable, usable slackware install, and the effort has been worth it. I feel like I've climbed a mountain to get here, but the view is spectacular and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. It is a MUCH better feeling than having a Red Hat box running.