Hi! I used to use RedHat on my old 400Mz box and it was actually quite fast once I replaced all the extra desktop apps with AbiWord and FireFox on FluxBox, using the terminal for everything else.
My computer died and now I’m trying to choose a distro for my new computer (which might very well be another old machine).

My search for the perfect distro has led me to Slackware, with its reputation for stability. I am considering VectorLinux and Zenwalk, but cannot decide which I will install. My goal is the most ideal combination of *speed/stability and good, lightweight apps* to have a desktop setup on which I can do school work, programming, and web-surfing.

Anyone have any thoughts on how they stack up against each other?

Note 1: This probably isn’t very important, but while reading the sites for Vector and Zenwalk I found, especially in the documentation, abhorring grammatical misdeeds. I hope that kind of thing doesn’t carry over to the actual software, as that would annoy the hell out of me. Has anyone who uses these distros noticed many language errors?

I've come back to slackware many of times. Is there a reason you wouldn't just use regular slack instead of a variant?

Like I said, I need speed, so Vector/Zenwalk's optimization and support for low-end machines make these variants extremely attractive options.

Why VL or Zenwalk? What's wrong with straight Slackware?

In most cases, there is no such thing as "the perfect Linux distribution for everyone." You'll have to choose one yourself, because everyone has different tastes.

To my way of thinking, Slackware is perfect by itself. I've been using Linux for 8 years now and have tried every distribution under the sun, but I keep coming back to Slack. There's just nothing else like it.

Many people will disagree with me, but I don't care. They don't use my system, I do.

Again: old system, lightweight desktop applications, speed speed speed. Has anyone tried Vector or ZenWalk? Which one is better? How do they compare to straight Slackware? etc.

hmm..maybe it is better for you to install vectorlinux, slackware and zen distro(preferably not at the same time. then, take some time to evaluate which distro works for you. slackware may be the most comfortable distro for me but it is not for everyone. hope you can find your own nice distro!

Slack comes with Windowmaker & XFCE, which are pretty minimal & lightweight. You don't need to install KDE, you know.
Nobody can answer that for you. They're both free. Download them & pick whichever one works better for you.

You can always optimize the packages yourself. I'm guessing those two distros are i686 optimize where slack may not be. Most people wouldn't want to recompile to go searching for packages optimized for i686, but that is something you could do.

That said, Slack has always seemed fast to me even when its on really old hardware. Also, I'm assuming your familiar with slack. Even though to other two distro's are slack-based, they might break from slack in areas that would force you to go search out an answer when you'd already know that answer on slack. I don't know your familiarity with all these distros, its all up to you. I question why and how much 'optimization' will really benifit you on old hardware.

I am currently checking out some distros and have looked at Vector. One of the major benefits is that you can download the SoHo version and have a complete desktop in no time. If you don't like to build your system from scratch this is a nice feature, at least IMHO. There are live-cds you can download to try it out. I am still pondering whether to use pure Slack or Vector...

i installed Zenwalk just out of curiosity on my old p3 ... easy as pie and could add more software later..i prefer it over Vector....give it a go and see for yourself

I've never tried either one but I hear good things about them. With regards to
, there will be no faster (or slower depending upon your competency level) distro than one you build yourself. Don't know if this is what effo was hinting at or not but it's always a solution, especially if your an anal control freak. If you have hard drive space, compare Vector/Zen/Slack by tri-booting. If you stil think things could be better after giving them all a test run, head over to DIY Linux and give that a whirl with pkgtools as your PM... Just a thought.

These "which distro is better" threads are extremly subjective. I could say cherry pie is way better than apple but most people here would probably disagree. Personally, I prefer a cherry and apple pie mixed together that I bake myself... chapple pie? Hmm....

I've used Vector before, and I like it quite a bit. I still came back to Slack though. With a bit of tinkering and not running a full fledged desktop like KDE, Slackware should be just fine.

I liked Vector for a number of reasons. Good choice of window managers, good apps, and a light install. But I felt like I was missing out on something the whole time. That's part of the reson I went back to Slackware. Vector does have good hardware detection, and it does a fair job of configuring X "out of the box." I never tried the SoHo version. I used 5.1 std.

There are Slackbuild scripts and if you want, you can rebuild all Slackware software using them with desired optimization.
BTW, jong357 I am curious what DIYSlackware is? Is it merged DIY Linux and Slackware?

I use both Rubix and Zenwalk... both are excellent Distris (there is a Review thread for Rubix in the Reviews "Other" section on this site.)

I've never tried Vector though -- can't help there.

Thanks, everybody! I'll soon be downloading Slackware, Zenwalk, and Vector so that I can decide which one will work best for me. Also, I am new to Slackware.