[ale] Slackware 96?

[Byron A Jeff]

> 
> }
> }On Sun, 23 Feb 1997, Michael David Ivey wrote:
> }
> }> I'm about to do a new install, and don't want to have to do the
> }> 1.2.13->2.0.* upgrade path....is Slackware 96 a 2.0 system? And, does
> }> anybody know who has CD's, intown?  I don't have time to order one.
> }
> }Please don't use Slackware! ;-)
> 
> Would you care to elaborate or substantiate?

I can add a couple of comments:

1) Slackware's package management is pathetic compared to RedHat's or
Debians. Compressed tar files without any dependancy info is straight out
of the Dark Ages. Upgrading almost always requires a complete re-install
whereas with RedHat just bring over the RPMs, run rpm, and be done.

2) Previously working packages suddenly break. A perfect example is the
sendmail.cf file in Slack '96. The sendmail system worked fine in 3.0 but
3.1 config file was screwed up. I ended up having to use a 3.0 config file
to get the system working again.

3) Slack has a host of extremely old and never updated packages with both
bugs and security holes in them. Xpaint comes to mind.

4) Finally like SLS Slack has aged. Folks are moving on to the others and
Patrick is just a one man show where one man really can't adequately
support such a huge undertaking. Slack moved into the spotlight because
SLS had similar problems. Slack was well configured and responsive to the
fast moving changes in Linux. It's not anymore. It's time has come and gone.

I've been a faithful Slack user since its inception. All the home, office
and portable machines I have current run it. Both the installation and
most of the configurations seem better to me than RedHat's. I really
struggle with RedHat's installs because you can't get a shell prompt until
everything is configured which makes things quite difficult.

But this is a eulogy to Slackware for me. I'll probably not install any
versions beyond '96/3.1. What I think I will do however is think about
an install disk for RedHat that more closely mirrors Slack's setup and
includes some more automatic stuff, like disk defrag, non-destructive
repartition (ala FIPS), and filesystem layout. One should not have to 
fiddle/diddle with '95 to get Linux installed.

Later,

BAJ