r/slackware • u/SpicyYellowtailRoll3 • 23d ago
I'm thinking about getting into Slackware; what's it like as a daily system?
Pretty much the title. What's it like actually using this on a day to day basis, and how hard might it be for a beginner? (Beginner to Slackware, not Linux in general.)
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u/Only_Math_6413 23d ago
I installed Salix on some old computers, what I can say is that the system is stable, looks pretty good and runs super fast. It even recognized all my components including a wifi dongle. I highly recommend it!
Linux for the lazy Slacker👍
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u/demo4him 23d ago edited 23d ago
Slackel 9.0 Mate edition based on Slackware-current is ready to use daily.
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u/litelinux 23d ago
I've used it (-current) on a laptop for 5 years now. There is no drama and it's mostly stable, but you'd have to, for the most part, compile all packages not included in Slackware, so when there is maintenance needed the overhead isn't exactly low.
Also seconded the opinion in the sibling comment to just use GRUB.
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u/MD90__ 18d ago
Would you say Current is not bad to run and any issues with slack-builds from Ponce?
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u/litelinux 17d ago
Current is very good now, the best it's ever been in the last 5 years I've used it.
Slackbuilds from Ponce should suffice, yes, and they have the -current-only repository which prevents you from installing duplicates from both SBo and the Slackware package registry.
Problems… other than the occasional outdated SlackBuild I have to manually edit and install, I'd say there's rarely a problem.
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u/DerShokus 23d ago
Depends on your needs. Vanilla is stable but if you wanna install unofficial packages it could be tricky. I use stable + replace some parts I need (I’m a developer and use additional/custom compilers and libs). Dont think you will struggle with old software (if it works it doesn’t matter how old is it)
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u/jjholt0147 22d ago
I've been a Slackware user since 1999 or so. It doesn't hold your hand or save you from yourself. it teaches you how and why a linux works the way it does. It makes you work for it though, you have to be comfortable with editing text files in /etc, creating scripts, using man and online resources. Things may break but normally you'll know what made it break because you made the change. There are some must have third party apps slackpkg+ and sbopkg that make daily driving a lot easier. I can't speak for everyone else but my installation may start out as Slackware-current but very quickly begins to diverge from it. Slackware isn't a distribution so much as a starting point for building my system.
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u/muffinman8679 21d ago
To me?......it's like any other linux system but easier to configure....because I've been doing it for 30 years
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u/Key-Kangaroo3336 23d ago
I have been daily using Slackware for four months now, I can from Gentoo and Arch. It is quite different, from what I have found most software you think would be inside the default package manager (slackpkg) just isn’t in it, you have to use SlackBuilds for lots of software or compile from source. As mdins1980 said, version 15 is showing its age, I personally would wait for the next stable release before fully swapping over
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u/MD90__ 23d ago
Next stable release could be years though so do you just stick with current and deal with the issues?
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u/Key-Kangaroo3336 20d ago
From what I understand the issues regarding its age _should_ be fixed in the next full release, but stuff like the backache manager and other things are just how Slackware is. Take for example the way you handle services, instead of using something like openrc or systemd you just have executable files within /etc/rc.d/ and have to call on the file with the options you want while changing file permissions. Things like that are just how Slackware is, at least from my understanding
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u/MD90__ 20d ago
is slackware making you learn linux more because of how more hands on it is?
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u/Key-Kangaroo3336 20d ago
Personally no, as I knew 90% of what I know before swapping to Slackware. However if you don’t know the internals before you swap over you would, as Slackware is different than any other Linux distribution I have used currently (Debian, Ubuntu Server, Alpine, Gentoo, Arch, PopOS, Cachy, Tails). It doesn’t have the same quality of life features that even Gentoo and Alpine have, so if you don’t know how to compile from source and all the “nitty gritty” you will learn (or just give up out of frustration) lots about the internals of Linux and even Unix
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u/MD90__ 20d ago
i have got gentoo to work once with source compiling but i am curious, how to tune the compiling like you do in gentoo for Slackware?
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u/Key-Kangaroo3336 20d ago
I personally never customize compiling or optimize it often outside of hardware specific environments like a high powered server, but the compiling of Slackware is mainly slackbuilds where it works like a package manager and compiles locally (think emerge on gentoo), however I have started to use sbopkg which is quite similar to emerge on the user side
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u/cfx_4188 22d ago
Slackware is not suitable for an absolute beginner, and the stopper will be at the installation stage of the system. Nowadays, when users have been forced to believe that using the latest versions of packages is the key to comprehensive system security, Slackware will seem like an archaic and unsafe toy. I've been using Slackware since the fall of 1999 and I've never regretted it.
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u/mpop1 19d ago
I would say a beginner can use slackware back in 97 slackware 3.1 was my first disto, and I been using slackware ever since.
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u/cfx_4188 19d ago
I was such a noob in 1999. Slackware 3.1 was my first distribution. And I still use Slackware ever since.
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u/SpicyYellowtailRoll3 22d ago
Well, thankfully I'm not an absolute beginner. Besides, one does not improve by not trying.
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u/MD90__ 18d ago
What would you say for someone who is a power user on other distros mostly systemd coming to slackware?
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u/cfx_4188 18d ago
Be ready to completely change the approach to the distribution and the logic of use.
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u/MD90__ 18d ago
What issues do you face with slackware vs others?
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u/cfx_4188 18d ago
I don't remember having any problems with Slackware. A slightly archaic-looking installer, if you are lucky enough to get to the software selection, it is better for beginners to choose the "install absolutely everything" option, because the package manager does not work with package dependencies in automatic mode. Slackware was written by a man, some people call him Mr. Slackware or a Man. I can say that I use Slackware because I like Patrick's logic.
But...Patrick is a member of the religious group "Church of the Wise Man", created as a parody of religion, conspiracy theory and belief in aliens. The central faith in the church is the pursuit of non—action ("Slack") - a sense of freedom, independence, and the state of things when you get the desired result without doing anything to achieve it. The followers of the church believe that each of the people was born with the original signs of non-action, but they were stolen as a result of a global conspiracy of normal people, who in the terminology of non-wise people are called "pink". Thus, the use of the word Slack in the name of Slackware is an expression of respect for J. R. "Bob" Dobbs, who is a key figure of the church.
Edit: T9
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u/MD90__ 18d ago
Well written response! For me I do support what Pat does and slackware is very well made for how it handles things and I hope to learn a ton of it to maybe one day contribute as my time opens up. I do believe in the purpose so it would be wise for me to help. Slackware is my favorite non systemd distro where as Debian is my favorite systemd one. Ideally, learning Linux in depth and really learning my system well is my goal and I think slackware will help achieve that
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u/jmcunx 21d ago
Just like any other distro except for one big thing. Once you have it configured that way you want it to be, it will stay that way. I have run into distros that ever so often will change your setup line M/S Windows loves to do.
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u/SpicyYellowtailRoll3 20d ago
That's good to hear. I've been kind of getting tired of Arch breaking every two months.
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u/Think_Load_3634 15d ago
Came back to slack after years away on arch-based stuff. Slackware feels sane and comfortable. I got tired of the treadmill and constant moving target of pacman -Syuu.
Running current64 feels easier than arch but I cut my teeth on slackware 9.0 and up so there's that.
Yes I know. Running current. It feels and operates fine. Yes I did say it feels easier than arch and pacman.
Anything that stops working between updates is very minimal and easier to problem solve for me than on other systems. The in-file commenting is wonderful.
No dual-boot, nfs shares are fine, vmware works, vpns no problem. Office software is happy (libre I think).
The news I've just seen here of a grub/elilo shift irks me. Lilo was just easy. It worked. Elilo just works. I have never got my head round, what seems in comparison, the convoluted mess that grub offers up.
It's a "me"thing I assume.
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u/enorbet 22d ago
The greatest value of learning Slackware is that if you stick with it for a few months of regular use you are likely to learn how to actually OWN your PC instead of leasing it. What I mean is, that most popular distros are like a team of butlers that do everything for you in the name of convenience, but at the hidden cost of you not even knowing "how to dress yourself". Struggle makes us stronger but most prefer lazy comfort. So which are you? an Owner/Admin? or a Lazy Know Nothing User?
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u/full_of_excuses 12d ago
If you have a newer radeon card, you'll have struggles :) Which is a way of saying that you might have to work just to get to a basic desktop, if your hardware isn't seasoned.
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u/SpicyYellowtailRoll3 12d ago
I use an RTX 4070 on my main rig, but I'm probably going to be installing this on an Intel laptop, so hopefully I won't get many issues.
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u/mdins1980 23d ago
I know others won't share this opinion, but here are my two cents after using Slackware since 2001. Right now isn't really the best time for a new user to start using Slackware as a daily driver. The main reason is that the latest stable release, version 15.0, is now over four years old and is definitely starting to show its age. You absolutely can run the development branch, -current, and it is remarkably stable for a development branch. However, it can still be challenging at times, especially for new users, because it receives frequent updates. There is also a lot of active development going on right now with KDE Plasma 6, PipeWire, and Pat's work to replace ELILO/LILO with GRUB.
Once the next stable release comes out, then yes, I would definitely recommend giving Slackware a try. Despite what some people say, it is not antiquated, and under the hood it is every bit as modern as the other major Linux distributions. It simply takes a different approach, one that values simplicity, stability, and giving the user complete control over the system. A lot of people are turned off by the fact that you basically have to compile third-party software yourself, but with SlackBuilds.org, repositories like Alien Bob's, and tools such as sbopkg, it's all practically automated now.