Using Slackware 11

Slackware 11 comes with all the latest popular Linux software, including the most recent major version of the KDE desktop.

An interesting inclusion, and one not seen too often on other distributions by default, is the Sea Monkey suite. This is the browser, email client and web development package that used to be known as Mozilla. If Sea Monkey seems a bit bulky for your, Slackware also comes with the popular Firefox browser and Thunderbird email client. OpenOffice, however, is missing from the set. Fortunately, you get a more than adequate substitute with KOffice. In fact, due to its speed, I use KOffice more often than I do OpenOffice, even on machines with plenty of CPU and RAM power, so there's no problem in my mind with that omission.

Slackware 11 also comes with all the standard programs that I prefer: Amarok for managing and listening to music, Gaim for instant messaging, Gimp for imaging editing, plus a host of other programs and utilities that come by default with KDE.

I was also pleased to see that the latest official Java Development Kit comes ready to go with Slackware. Though I'm not a Java developer, I've become attached to a couple of programs, Azureus and Freemind, that both need Java. Though they'll run fine with the Java Runtime Environment, getting just the JRE working right on other distributions is a bit more complicated. It's good to see a package with the whole shebang.

Conclusions

Of all the major distributions, Slackware is the one with the least bells and whistles. And while a seasoned Linux user doesn't need any, a novice might find the installation method a bit challenging. Nevertheless, Slackware 11 has everything that the other distributions have to offer, albeit in a package that's a little less pretty. The most important element in common with Fedora, SUSE or Debian is its large developer community. If you need a package for Slackware, odds are that you'll find it easily.

The only problem I had with this version of Slackware was with the lack of wireless support - in my case, the RaLink RT2500 chipset. After installing a newer kernel (2.6) and ndiswrapper, a program that uses the Windows drivers that came with my wireless card, I still couldn't get the card working. Searching online forums for help didn't turn up any clues either. With ethernet cables quickly disappearing, I hope this becomes a priority with the Slackware development team. This lack of support may unfortunately be a deal breaker for some.

The main advantage I see to using Slackware is its no-frills approach. Having tried some of the other bulkier distributions on somewhat challenged hardware, it's good to see that the Slackware installation process is set up so you can easily install less resource-hungry desktop systems like Fluxbox or XFCE. With other distributions, if you want light, you have to download and install spin-offs. An example here is Xubuntu. With Slackware, you can make the decision to go lightweight or heavyweight with the same CDs that everybody has. And Slackware's traditional install method gives you great freedom to slim down your system. This means that Slackware is a great choice for getting more life out of older hardware. For school systems, always on tight budgets, Slackware is an excellent choice for computer centers. With Slackware, 'lightweight' doesn't mean 'out of date' so students will be running the latest software available for Linux.

All in all, it's good to see Slackware has stood the test of time. Let's hope we'll see many more years of this venerable Linux distribution.

Michael J. Jordan is the webmaster of Linux Online. He can be reached at Michael.Jordan**AT**linux.org