I choose to install everything. I must say for a while, I was afraid I'd overfill the hard drive. I had to switch disks halfway through the installation, and had to switch back to install the kernel. Other than that the install went forward rather smoothly. At its end, I had to make some choices as far as mouse, kernel type and location, and X-Windows desktop. Once these choices were made, I was one reboot away from absolute beauty. Okay, well, not absolute beauty, but pretty damned close.
Therefore, I give Slackware three and a half stars for ease of installation. I have had bigger problems installing Windows 98 than I had setting up Slackware. It's not completely intuitive, but as long you know a bit about computers, the install will go just swimmingly.
For the second criterion, basic system operation, I have to give Slackware four stars! Not only does it come with Mozilla Firefox, my favorite browser, it comes complete with a full suite of software. From a full multimedia suite that includes a DVD player by default, to an office suite that's as full featured as Office 2000, from almost any kind of computer game you can imagine, to full featured programming suites, there's almost nothing that doesn't come with Slackware. How they smashed it all on three disks (of which I only had to use two) is beyond me. They did it, and did it well.
And everything works unbelievably well. The word processor, K-Word is an absolute joy. It has spell check on the fly, auto-correct, and just about everything else Microsoft Word has. It doesn't have automatic grammar check, but then again, even Microsoft's grammar check can be fooled rather easily. That's why there's first draft, a second, and so on until you get to the finished document.
All the other applications tried also work as good as, or better than a Microsoft counterpart. Configuration applets are straightforward and easily understood. Do Slackware's applications and so on work nicely? Oh yes, Slackware is a real joy when it comes to actual use.
I would have given it five stars, but there is a bit of a problem with Slackware that came about as a result of having time to play with it. Assuming all you will ever use your computer for is for Internet walkabouts, Slackware aims to please. Assuming you are like me, and use your computer for much more, you might run into some problems. Installing foreign packages and programs not specifically compiled for Slackware can mean hours compiling source code in order to get the desired program operational. It can also mean jaunts to numerous web sites to get needed compilation libraries. While Slackware comes brimming with programming libraries, invariably, you will need to install a library or two before you can get your new widget working.
While this might seem nit-picky considering this series of articles is geared to the newbie, one has to consider that said newbie might want to do more than write emails, articles, and play with spreadsheets. Since I do a bit more with my computer than these simple operations, I am going to have to get used to compiling source code. Assuming the programmers took care in setting up the code, and they actually told you the truth about the needed libraries, compiling source code can be a lengthy process. If something goes wrong halfway through the process, it can be downright infuriating!
As to the third criterion, device support and operability, Slackware had some problems. They weren't insurmountable, to be sure. The fact that I am sitting here typing this article while listening to Bear Radio dot Net tells that tale. Yes, Slackware did find all installed devices. However, the process wasn't without its glitches.
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