I started using Fedora as my first distribution back in 2006. I had tried other distributions like Red Hat and Mandriva (Mandrake at the time), but I did not have any real first-hand experience. The first time I tried GNU/Linux was with a computer running Red Hat back in 2000/2001. I did not have any administrator priviligies to this system myself, so I never got around to learn how the system worked “beneath the hood”.
After spending a few weeks with Fedora and learning the very basics of how the system worked, I started loosing interest. Not because I was unable to get things working the way I wanted, but because I felt that I didn’t learn anything new. The system had become to much Windows-like in the way that every time I wanted to install a new program, I just opened a graphical user interface and clicked a few buttons. Not that it is wrong that a system resembles Windows, but it was just not what I was looking for. I wanted a real challenge.
Slackware GNU/Linux
When I first attended the university back in 2006 to work on my BSc in Computer Engineering, I met this guy who had been working with GNU/Linux for several years and who used a distribution known as Slackware. I had barely heard of the distribution at the time, but for some reason I decided to give it a try.
As of this date, I still use Slackware on most of my systems. During the last years I have also tried, and experimented, with other distributions to see if they suited my needs better, like CentOS, Ubuntu and Archlinux – but I’ve always returned to using Slackware. When people ask me why, I have no better answer than that is a simple system that gives me as a user the control I desire.
A lot of the users who run Slackware say that when you first start using the distribution, you really learn GNU/Linux. If you ask me, I couldn’t agree more. Now I know how to compile programs manually, how I can create my own packages and how I can compile the Linux kernel to optimize my own system. The knowledge I have gained while using Slackware is also quite generic, and can be applied to every other distribution.
When I think about it, I can safely say that my personal learning curve of GNU/Linux-based systems have risen drastically when I started using Slackware and my knowledge of GNU/Linux and other free open source software applications continue to grow.
Hi.I’m taking up computer engineering like you once did and I was wondering.. After I complete my OS course, will I be up to speed to start working with slackware
Hi Bradley! Why not start now? You don’t actually need to know OS theory to use a Linux based operating system like Slackware. In fact, I think you would get even more out of the OS course if you use Slackware while studying.
Installing and using Slackware is really quite simple once you get the hang of it, especially when you start thinking like a Linux user instead of someone jumping straight from Windows
I’d recommend getting a copy of the Slackware book, which covers most aspects of the OS and how to use if efficiently. The most recent official version (2.0) is a bit outdated, so it doesn’t cover topics such as installing from the DVD ISO or the 64-bit version of Slackware, but this is pretty straight forward anyways. (It is available here: http://www.slackbook.org/)
Once you’ve skimmed through the parts of how to install Slackware, you’re good to go! Grab yourself a copy of the DVD ISO of the most recent version of Slackware (13.37 as of writing) and download the version that fits your CPU architecture (32/64 bit).
If I were to give you a small advice based on personal experience while installing Slackware, you should decide to do a “full” install of Slackware when asked, and not select the “Newbie” answer. This installs the Slackware packages (about 4 GB) without prompting. Selecting the “Newbie” answer prompts you for every single package that is being installed, and gives you a description of the package as well. It is definitely useful once you have mastered the basics of Slackware, but I wouldn’t recommend it for “Newbies”
If you need any help, the people at the IRC channel #Slackware of the Freenode network are glad to be of assistance. I’ve also noticed there exists videos on Youtube which guides you through the install process – like this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIXX0cJ4a9Q
PS. When you have installed Slackware, check out http://slackbuilds.org for installation scripts of popular third party software. These packages are also semi-official, as all the install scripts are approved by someone closely knitted, or part of, the Slackware team.