I have looked on the Internet to see what else has been said and also considered what everyone has said in this topic.

I think the simplest solution for me would be to stick to my 3 month schedule of updating Slackware to ensure that the main update isn't too huge by doing it less frequently. I am also not 100% convinced that the Security Advisories would be comprehensively covering any security issue that only affects Current. Splitting the download and update jobs isn't really practical as I don't want to have to tie myself down to a specific day to install updates etc.

What I will do is remove the packages that I have listed above (on a test system), as well as removing packages that I know are obviously applications that I will never use like mail programs such as dovecot etc. Instead of doing a minimalist install like I did last time, I will just focus on removing large packages that I most likely don't need and things that are obviously programs like Firefox etc. If this even halves the update time, then I will consider myself happy.

I agree 100% with enorbet - just make myself a cup of coffee, sounds like the best solution. I will keep things simple as anything else will be more trouble than it's worth. I might update this topic in a couple of months time with what I have removed as most of the stuff will probably be things that nobody is using - does anyone use Elm for example! Thanks for all the suggestions.

Just missed your post Henca. I was typing mine out while you were posting yours!

You make a compelling argument for Stable versus Current. Problem is I am not sure that I can safely downgrade from current to stable. In addition, not sure if in a couple of years time, I will end up in the same situation I was in last time when running 14.2 Stable and it didn't support Openssl 1.1.1 or at least I couldn't get it to work back then!

I always test updates on my test Slackware system first, so I am not worried about breaking anything especially as the developer prioritises stability. Current for me, is very reliable and stable, but then again I don't use X Windows which is where most things are likely to break. I have had no issues with using it in the last few years. My only beef is the update time. But I will resolve that by removing big unwanted packages such as Rust which I doubt very much that I need. Thanks

You could also probably omit the D series if you're not compiling things. And the only reason you might want the L series is for ncurses and libunistring.

Another vote for stable, and AB's mini iso.

Also: https://www.linuxquestions.org/quest...machine-38788/

@dalacor

I cannot offer what is best for you and your use case. I have been using Slackware for about 20 years. Before that I had been using computers for about 20 years. From the beginning of my using Slackware I never have had a "full install" or a "stock" system. I always have configured Slackware to my needs.

On all systems I remove packages that I never use.

For example, all of my 15.0 systems with KDE 5 do not have any akonadi related packages installed. I have some systems on the house network that do not have any X related packages installed. I have two server virtual machines (VMs) that have "mere" 8 GB disks and use about 2 GB of drive space.

So yes, packages can be removed with impunity.

Removing unwanted packages is not difficult and is not blasphemous. Removing packages only requires patience and knowledge. Sometimes some experimenting on a test machine is required -- remove an unwanted package and see what breaks. With a teeny bit of RTFM usually nothing breaks.

In all of those years I can count on one hand the times a Slackware security patch caused breakage. In practice that means I automate (cron) security patching. Basically, I spend little time thinking about updates. Because the updates are automated they usually take only about one or two minutes to complete.

Combined physical and virtual systems total about 27 systems in the house network. Many of the systems are not online often, but I do not worry about keeping them updated. When they are powered on they are configured to automatically update.

But breakage does happen even if rare. About 15 years or so ago I remember such breakage with a Samba update. Soon after that breakage I created a local running backup of security patch packages so I can revert to a previous package.

I use only Slackware stable releases and only have to think about security patching. I have one Slackware Current virtual machine. Just that one system reminds me how much attention is needed to keep the system updated. I would never recommend most people use testing branches of any distro for daily production.

Some people believe that running Current is necessary to have the "latest and greatest" software installed. Yet the majority of people do not need the latest and greatest of any software. A stable "fixed" release is all most people want or need.

Some people do want or need the "latest and greatest." OpenSSL is an example. In that case a time saving approach is automate package downloading during off-peak hours. That way the packages will be ready to go for local updating.

I maintain local repository mirrors so I need download packages only once. All systems in the house network are configured to update from the local repositories.

I do not automate "blindly." I subscribe to Slackware mail lists and am aware of what is being updated.

That said, the scuttlebut is 15.1 might be released sooner rather than later. I have been considering cloning my Current VM onto a physical test system and then I'll do my regular thing of ripping unwanted packages such as anything using akonadi.

If indeed 15.1 is around the corner, then that would provide you an opportunity to step off the Current treadmill. When 15.1 is released just update slackpkg and from that point forward you will be using a stable release. Updating systems will take only a minute or two, especially if unwanted packages are removed.

I hope that helps!

3 members found this post helpful.

When Slackware 15.1 is released, I will see if I can "upgrade" from current to Slackware 15.1 Stable. I have decided that this will be the best option to ensure quick updates and stability. I don't need bleeding edge.

I think the developer himself has probably realised he left it way too long to update Slackware 14.2 to Slackware 15. Bleeding edge is not required for most users, but the fact remained that Slackware 14.2 was getting quite long in the tooth towards the end. It didn't natively support Openssl 1.1.1, nor did it support newer hard drive formats and I have no doubt there were many other missing features which prevented users from using Slackware 14.2 with newer computers or newer software, forcing them to either use Current or change distro completely.

As there is already talk of Slackware 15.1 coming out and Slackware 15 has only been out just over a year or so, I am encouraged to believe that essential features such as Openssl will be upgraded more frequently, so I should be safe to move to Slackware 15.1 Stable when it comes out. As long as the stable version has a more frequent release schedule than Slackware 14.2 to Slackware 15 did, then Current is not necessary.

As such, I will mark this thread as closed. The solution to my particular issue is to move to Slackware 15.1 Stable - assuming it will be safe to move from Current to Stable without re-installing everything!