openSuSE comes is available as a free download version and is sold as a boxed version with (excellent!) printed manual.

I run openSuSE 10.2 on two of my machines as a second system. I use, eg, for creatin my xorg.conf, and things that need infrastructure that is not included with Slackware by standard, like PAM.

In fact, Slackware is excellent as a server or single user desktop system. It's the easiest and smoothest of all Linux distributions I know for 8 or 9 out of ten scenarios. But scenario 10 it requires a lot of tweaking. openSuSE, on the other hand, can be configured for just about everything with just a few mouse clicks, even for the exotic scenario 10. But this "automagic" requires a lot of components, agents, scripts and helper applications, bloating the system and making it almost overkill for the more standard scenarios. I also like SuSE for its excellent documentation and internationlisation/localisation. Eg, they were the first to deliver a consistent, comfortable integration of the Euro currency symbol in their system (even before the "competition" in Redmond!), several years ago. Now, all distributions benefit from that, including Slackware.

As Slackware 12.0 comes with HAL and D-BUS, it covers a lot more use cases, making life easier for end-users. It finally caught up with the competition, in terms of comfort and "usability". This, the thorough maintenance and the consistently high quality of each release, make Slackware my preferred distro.

In other words, I use Slackware, because I have learned to trust in and rely on Patrick Volkerding and his supporters. They are doing a real great job, and I hope that all of you who can afford it, support the project with a subscription... ;-)

gargamel

When I started with linux, I was on dial-up and could not afford a CD burner so downloading distros was not an option. Instead, I went to Borders Bookstore and bought the RedHat Linux 7.3 and 8.0 Bibles that came with the distros on 3 CDs. The distros and CDs are long gone, but those books remain and are still relevant to surprising extent.

SuSE was also purchased as a boxed set and 8.2 came with some great dead-tree user and administration guides. The SuSE books are a little more SuSE/YaST centric then the RedHat Bibles, but are still full of good information.

Good documentation is priceless.

The first time I installed Slackware was because I been told it's the best start with Linux, after try other distros I kept using Slackware because it's stable, simple and clean.

More people probably would if they created alternate means of payment, like WorldPay etc .. not everyone has the fantastic plastic.

Because I am a sub genius and I live on the corner of fnord and /dev/null.

I retract this statement, the website will be updated soon to reflect other payment methods

I used Gentoo for a while, started thinking about how to make it better so that not that much compilation is necessary, got some ideas, discussed that, got the oppinion that what I map is like Slackware, checked Slackware, and here I am.

started with slackware 3.2, and have been a slacker ever sense.
i use it on my desktop, servers, everywhere.! have used others, but always come back home to slackware.. i just like the feel of it, drive, etc.. it just feels right.

ck

I think that Slackware chose me...

it's all about Karma these days

In Soviet Russia, OS chooses YOU !

This is not /.leave soviet russia jokes there please :P

Think that's the best answer so far (wish I'd thought of it).

...Because after about an hour of initial setup/config, I'm good to go with an ultra solid workstation that is fast and all I need to do with it is compile a new app if I need one or upgrade once a year. No botched system with a weekly dist-upgrade. I love Slack!

this is way out better than ubuntu since i proved it
and i reached this evaluation. i really like the slackware, more efficient and completed.

very truly,

conrado.

I started linux with Freesco floppy router(0.2.7).
That is based on Slackware (3.9 i believe)
Later on i wanted a full linux router/server with a newer kernel so i choose Slackware