Does Slackware come with GUI?

[pythoik]

I was planning to install Slackware Linux, but I wasn't sure if it comes with GUI or not. I've never been able to (successfully) install desktop environment from command line, so I would like to know this before I spend 4 hours downloading Slackware DVD.

 

[pane-free]

Yes;
also suggest trying salixos
should you want.

 

[Artim]

I can vouch for SalixOS too! It's simple enough for this little farm girl to figure out, and has a nice GUI called "Xfce desktop." The even call it the distro "for lazy Slackers!"

Knowing you'll love it,
Artim

 

[dale]

Yes; and Xfce is great stuff.

 

[ihermit]

As everyone else has said, "Yes." IMHO it comes with too many! With a default install you have just about every Desktop Environment there is in the *nix world, minus Tiling Window Managers (TWM) such as dwm and i3.

Try this:

cd /etc/X11/xinit
ls -la

These are the xinitrc start-up files for each installed DT. The xinitrc file is the script in use. Meaning if you want to boot into another DT just rename the xinitrc file to something like xinitrc.old and then rename the new file to xinitrc. As such:

mv xinitrc xinitrc.old
mv xinitrc.xfce4 xinitrc

Now when you issue the startx command you'll boot into that desktop.

 

[flunwyc]

Most notably: Slackware does not include gnome

Slackware does include KDE, Xfce and Fluxbox.

It's better to copy xinitrc sample files to your user's /home/your_user rather than messing with the ones in /etc

e.g.

$ cp /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc.xfce4 ~/.xinitrc

You do not need to do this if you change the default run level and start a display manager - see the section on "graphical login" in the beginners guide: http://docs.slackware.com/slackware:beginners_guide

If you do a full install of Slackware, you will have xorg, all of the above desktops/window managers and the KDM and XDM display managers installed by default.

If you want something else, e.g. openbox, you will have to build it from source. The best way to do this is to download the source tarball and build script via http://slackbuilds.org/ - this will generate a Slackware package which is always preferable to manual builds and installs (autotools, etc).

For gnome users there are packages available here: http://www.droplinegnome.org/

 

[Codypy1]

Let's also realize guys. That this topic is around a year old. So I'm quite positive he's made up his mind.

 

[flunwyc]

This Slackware subforum contains two whole threads...

I don't see any harm in posting some useful info here... what you posted, Mr self appointed moderator, is however not that useful. I suppose it's good for boosting that all important post count...

 

[Rob]

@Codypy1 : I totally understand why you'd think posting to an older topic is sometimes bad on some forums, but in this case, I can see it helping other users in the future that may run across this thread. Thanks!

@flunwyc : Thanks for posting that info - we DO need more info in this slackware section!

 

[xygoteneph]

Why would you want a GUI desktop for Slackware Linux??? I've been using and running Slackware Linux servers for over 20 years since my first Linux days, and was and has been my Linux distro of choice from the get go. However, for my home personal desktop, I use Fedora for my main desktop GUI, and Slackware for all of my servers, which way out number my desktop environments.

Bottom line: For servers, I use Slackware and for my desktop GUI every day use, I use Fedora and as required for my work, I boot up a Win7 64-bit VM inside of my Fedora desktop GUI and use that to connect to my corporate network to do my work I need to.

If you know what you are doing, Slackware Linux gives you total control from the command line, and being a life-long Slacker, I gotta stick my my original distro I started over 20 years ago using Slackware Linux. It's not for newbies, but it's been my preferred distribution since Linux was developed!!!

 

[xygoteneph]

I was planning to install Slackware Linux, but I wasn't sure if it comes with GUI or not. I've never been able to (successfully) install desktop environment from command line, so I would like to know this before I spend 4 hours downloading Slackware DVD.

pythoik:
If you are an electronic engineer, I would recommend you try out FEL, Fedora Electronic Laboratory, which gives you a complete development environment for designing, developing, testing and simulating electronic circuits, etc. I've been using it for years and it's an awesome replacement for Windows based commercial engineering tools!

Jamie

 

[flunwyc]

Why would you want a GUI desktop for Slackware Linux???

Well, even the Slackware maintainer Patrick Volkerding thinks you might...

Slackware is actually perfectly usable as a desktop. I see no reason to run a different distro for that. But horses for courses, etc...

If you want to use something else as a desktop that's up to you.

 

[Cristal Skull]

http://wiki.mate-desktop.org/download
Perfect GUI for Slackware...

 

[Cristal Skull]

Most notably: Slackware does not include gnome

Slackware does include KDE, Xfce and Fluxbox.

It's better to copy xinitrc sample files to your user's /home/your_user rather than messing with the ones in /etc

e.g.

$ cp /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc.xfce4 ~/.xinitrc

You do not need to do this if you change the default run level and start a display manager - see the section on "graphical login" in the beginners guide: http://docs.slackware.com/slackware:beginners_guide

If you do a full install of Slackware, you will have xorg, all of the above desktops/window managers and the KDM and XDM display managers installed by default.

If you want something else, e.g. openbox, you will have to build it from source. The best way to do this is to download the source tarball and build script via http://slackbuilds.org/ - this will generate a Slackware package which is always preferable to manual builds and installs (autotools, etc).

For gnome users there are packages available here: http://www.droplinegnome.org/

Try Mate-Desktop , is a fork for Gnome 2.X.X....

 

[Codypy1]

I completely understand Rob. Sorry if I overstepped any boundaries.

 

[xygoteneph]

I totally agree that Slackware's desktop environments make it a completely useable desktop GUI, if you know what you are doing. Hell, I've been running and using Slack for over 20 years for both servers and desktops, but in my experience, there are many more corporate compatible apps for Redhat/Gnome-centric based distros which are much easier to integrate into the MS AD controlled workplace.

I administer and manage many Redhat Enterprise licensed VM's in my job every day, and wish we could replace them with Slack, but unfortunately in the corporate aerospace world I work in, unless you pay for licenses and support, you can't use it.

 

[Linpassion]

I was planning to install Slackware Linux, but I wasn't sure if it comes with GUI or not. I've never been able to (successfully) install desktop environment from command line, so I would like to know this before I spend 4 hours downloading Slackware DVD.

I suggest you to install Slackware by CLI, on 30minutes you have a full distro. If you use a single distro, try to follow next steps

1. run dvd and select kernel, I'm using huge
2. run cfdisk to set partition: Swap, Root (mark bootable) and Home, than save it
3. type setup thn follow step by step all passages
4. when you must choose package, leave the default, when you'll have more experince choose select what you want
5. set root password when reqired
6. reboot
7. when slack are boot up, do login root and edit /etc/inittab by mc, than change id:3:initdefault to id:4:initdefault. Save and exit to mc
8. reboot. If installation it's ok, startx run automatically.

So read the slackware handbook for more details