Slackware 13.0 is released

Slackware is still my favorite distro (even though I also use Ubuntu a lot nowadays).<p>It's the best choice IMO for learning Linux, for power users and for developers.<p>I still prefer to compile most of the software I need by myself, to get the latest releases and to compile with the options I want. And there's nothing I can't get running on Slackware. This is mostly because Slackware uses unpatched/non customized versions of each software, compiled with default settings.<p>I also love that fact that it doesn't even have its own visual branding. KDE is just KDE (with the default theme and its own wallpapers) and everything else comes as if you would have got the source and compiled yourself.<p>\\//, live long and prosper, Slackware.

Biggest news:<p><i>Probably the first thing to mention about the release of Slackware 13.0 is that it marks our first release with an official 64-bit port!</i><p>Nice.<p>Also, they switched from KDE3 to KDE4. And version number == 13; lucky number.

Because i run -current, i didn't even notice.<p>But hell yeah, it's a damn good news! I'm running the 64 bit version and it is rock-solid (as always is the case with slack.)

I must admit, I have never understood the package management in Slackware, and that has kept me from trying it. Apparently it has some kind of package management tools, which don't do dependency resolving (by default).<p>But does it have the capability to update installed packages automatically or with a few commands (compare to aptitude update; aptitude upgrade)? And does it have a search function for packages (like apt-cache search foo)?<p>I can understand that not having dependency resolution simplifies tools a lot, but is there advantages for end-users from that? And is there some kind of external database or something that will help tracking dependencies, or is it based on guesswork and trial &#38; error?

Slackware 3.0 was my introduction to Linux in Jr. High. I definitely learned a lot. Although most "friendlier" distros weren't around then, even if they were I hope I would have still started with slack.<p>I use Ubuntu now in part because my wife and little kids use the computer too, but I am frequently tempted to give slack a try again.

Anyone got any updates on the various gnomes? Anyone of them close to the finishing line?

I don't really get the fascination around Slackware. As a distro it is probably the least featured among all of the distros out there. It doesn't even have automated patch management for Christ's sake.<p>Only real use I see for it is using it, once, to fiddle around and learn how Linux actually works. After that you just wants something which works and move on to Debian, Fedora or whatever.<p>Also obligatory demotivator link: <a href="http://invalid.ed.ntnu.no/~jostein/qupload/files/slackware.jpg" rel="nofollow">http://invalid.ed.ntnu.no/~jostein/qupload/files/slackware.j...</a>