This Linux Distro Makes Slackware Easier Than Ever

1 month ago

Slackel is an outstanding preamble to Slackware

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

Slackel is simply a user-friendly return connected nan different challenging Slackware.
There are 4 different desktop variations to take from.
It mightiness not beryllium for everyone, but Slackel is simply a awesome distribution for learning Linux.

Slackware has been astir since 1993 and has served arsenic nan instauration for many Linux distributions, specified arsenic nan early iterations of SUSE. What sets Slackware isolated from different Linux distributions is that it tries to beryllium much UNIX-like than not. Slackware makes arsenic fewer modifications arsenic imaginable to upstream package packages, does not expect usage cases, and provides nary GUI installer.

It's that deficiency of a GUI installer that keeps immoderate users from giving Slackware a try. That's a shame, because Slackware is simply a remarkably unchangeable operating system. Fortunately, location are ever distributions based connected Slackware, 1 of which is called Slackel.

Slackel borrows immoderate devices from Salix (another distribution based connected Slackware) and has a user-friendly GUI installer. Slackel tin beryllium installed to an soul drive, to outer media (such arsenic USB drives), aliases tally arsenic a unrecorded instance. In different words, Slackel is nan astir Linux-like of nan UNIX-like distributions. Make sense?

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Think of it this way: Slackel is to Slackware what Ubuntu is to Linux. This distribution intends to make what mightiness different beryllium challenging overmuch little so, and it succeeds.

First off, nan Slackel installer makes installing a Slackware-based distribution overmuch easier. It's a point-and-click affair, but do cognize this: you person to return a fewer other steps, arsenic Slackel requires you to hole your thrust first. The mentation is done extracurricular of nan installer, but Slackel does see nan GParted tool, which makes this easy. You'll first person to create an MS-DOS partition table, and past create your ext4 partition that will beryllium utilized for nan installation. Outside of that, nan installation is arsenic easy arsenic immoderate Linux installer.

I dream I haven't frightened you disconnected yet.

Slackel has aggregate versions

There are 4 versions of Slackel.

OpenBox
KDE Plasma
MATE
FluxBox

I went pinch nan OpenBox version, simply for thing a spot different. I was surprised, however, upon first login to find that OpenBox was laid retired for illustration astir lightweight desktop environments, holding existent to nan accepted desktop metaphor:

Bottom panel
Start button
System tray
Desktop icons

It's basic, it's easy, it's fast.

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Beyond nan desktop, you get nan accustomed postulation of software, including LibreOffice, MPlayer (multimedia player), GIMP, Firefox, Thunderbird, Leafpad (text editor), HP Device Manager, and moreover a instrumentality called Slackel Dashboard, which gives you speedy entree to mounting up printers, monitors, keyboards, installing applications (via nan Glsapt Package Manager), and more.

Speaking of Gslapt, this app is very overmuch for illustration Synaptic and makes installing apps reasonably straightforward. All you do is unfastened nan app, hunt for nan app you want to install, people it for installation, and apply.

The Gslapt GUI beforehand extremity for nan package manager.

Simplified Slackware

All of this comes together to make Slackware elemental capable that anyone could usage it, and that's saying thing because Slackware isn't precisely nan astir user-friendly Linux distribution connected nan planet. But fixed really rock-solid Slackware is, having a distribution that makes it imaginable for nan masses to usage is simply a large deal.

The 1 point to support successful mind is that if you want Slackel to look a spot much modern, spell pinch nan KDE Plasma spin, because nan OpenBox and FluxBox desktop environments decidedly look outdated, and MATE is simply a coagulated in-between those 2 worlds. So, if you want modern, spell pinch KDE Plasma; if you want easy, spell pinch MATE; if you want accelerated (and don't attraction that it looks for illustration it was built successful nan early 2000s), spell pinch either OpenBox aliases FluxBox.

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I will opportunity this astir nan OpenBox version: it mightiness look a spot agelong successful nan tooth, but nan capacity of some this and nan FluxBox desktop is stellar. If you want fast, these 2 desktops are conscionable what nan expert ordered. Sure, they look retired of date, but they're still highly functional, easy to use, and tin make your machine consciousness for illustration it's marque new.

Should you effort Slackel?

In nan end, Slackel is simply a desktop Linux distribution that makes Slackware easy to usage for nan masses. Does that mean it's nan correct distribution for you? If Slackel didn't see a GUI installer aliases a GUI frontend for nan package manager, I'd opportunity anyone without Linux acquisition (and a definite comfortableness level pinch nan command line) should pass. Because Slackel has GUIs for everything, it does make it considerably easier to use.

Would I urge it to personification who's ne'er utilized Linux? No. I would opportunity you should commencement pinch 1 of nan distributions that is geared toward caller users (such arsenic Ubuntu, Linux Mint, ZorinOS, aliases elementaryOS). If you've installed and utilized Linux earlier but want to really study really UNIX/Linux works, this is simply a awesome distribution to commencement with. On apical of that, if you want a distribution that doesn't modify package from its original creation aliases intent, Slackel is simply a cleanable choice.

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If I've piqued your interest, download an ISO of nan Slackel type you want to usage and either trial it arsenic a unrecorded lawsuit aliases instal it and spot what it's each about.

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