In Linux Slackware Project, how do I update Slack 12 following the "Changelogs" route? When I clicked on CL all I got was an entry into all of the text files; very interesting, but no explanation about downloading.

You just download the packages and then upgrade them with "upgradepkg package".

Yup......

http://slackware.com/getslack/

Just chose a mirror, example

http://slackware.oregonstate.edu/sla...ches/packages/

download what you need and follow Nylex's instructions above. Simple as that.

Or install slackpkg, and do:
slackpkg update
slackpkg upgrade-all

I've only ever used the update and upgrade-all options for keeping 12.0 up to date. Isn't the install-new option more for installing new packages rather than updating those already installed?

The "install-new" option will prompt you to install things that were *added* to Slackware -- it doesn't prompt you to install everything you don't already have installed. Without going into great detail, it does some regex parsing of the ChangeLog and checks another file that PiterPunk notes stuff which was added without the relevant regex in the ChangeLog.

The "install-new" option is normally needed only when you're upgrading from one Slackware release to another - that way, you don't miss out on installing any packages that were added during the -current cycle. However, it's a good idea to make a habit of always running it just in case; the best example which illustrates this point is the addition of mozilla-nss to slackware-11.0/patches/ back some time ago. Lots of users never installed that new package, and since the gaim package released at the same time required it for encryption, gaim was broken. This led to the big fiasco with the gaim/pidgin developers... :/

Ok, thanks, Robby. I'll run it next time I go through that routine.