Slackware Linux

       An ISO for Slackware Linux was the first thing I downloaded when I finally got broadband at my house. For a year or so prior to that, I had wanted desperately to try out Linux and had been reading about every distribution I could, preparing myself for the day I would finally have the bandwidth to make my dream a reality. At the time I was considering what I still consider the "Big Three": Slackware, Debian, Gentoo. I consider these the core distributions because so many other distributions are based on them or borrow concepts from them. Which of course is not surprising, as these are 3 of the very first successful GNU/Linux distributions; naturally upstarts would try and mimic them as closely as possible in their perceived strengths.

I finally decided on Slackware Linux because it seemed to be the closest to what my idea of an operating system should be. After downloading that very first ISO, I can honestly say that the course of my entire life changed. Linux became not only one of my biggest hobbies, but indeed an increasingly large part of my professional life. I have no doubt it my mind that, had I chosen a different distribution to download, I would not today have the same level of knowledge of the Linux kernel or the GNU system. While I understand that not everyone wants (or even needs) to understand the low-level workings of their operating system, I strongly suggest that anyone who does take a look at starting their journey with Slackware. While distributions like Ubuntu certainly have the limelight today (and not without good reason), Slackware will always have it's place, and it's fans, in the Linux world.

Involvement with Slackware

       While I am not officially involved with the Slackware Linux project, I have from time to time submitted suggestions and fixes upstream which have been implemented in the stable releases; such as the Bluetooth implementation used in Slackware 12.2 - 13.0.

The Goods

       I have put up for public download both my Slackware package repository (all of the packages I have built for my own personal use organized by stable Slackware release versions), and a mirror of Slackware's -current development branch. I am not sure that my upload bandwidth is quite up to the task of being a serious mirror for many people, but I imagine it should be pretty quick for those in the Northeast US.

In the near future I also hope to put up my SlackBuilds directory which is what was used to build all of the binary packages I have up. I need to do a little maintenance with them and figure out a way to easily share them publicly while not hindering my work-flow, as my build machine is not currently accessible by the Internet. In the meantime, binary packages are what most people are looking for anyway, though feel free to contact me if there is a specific SlackBuild you would like and I can send it along.