Over this release cycle I have kicked the tires on several excellent distros. My top 3 non-Slackware distros in no particular order are Debian, Arch, and Void.
After a testing period I always come back home. For me there's nothing quite like Slackware. I'm very grateful to Mr. Volkerding and the entire Slackware Team for producing the best Linux distro. Slackware is like your favorite leather jacket, it fits perfectly.
I'm looking forward to 15.0.

My sentiments exactly. I've used Slackware for many years and early on I tried several other distros. For me there's nothing quite like Slackware. It's the best for me. It just works.

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To quote someone/thing I read years ago, "Once you go Slack, you never go back..." That's been true for me since Jan. 2004, and continues to be accurate, regardless of the number attached to the current version.
S'all good man, cheers.

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I read the title and immediately thought of "appreciation" in the financial sense - the value of something increasing over time.

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@hitest Couldn't agree more. I've been using Slackware for many years. I gave up distribution shopping years ago. When I do check out another distribution it out of curiosity only. I'm at home with Slackware. It fits.

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Interesting. In my view, Slackware actually does appreciate (gain value), as most distros, many large software projects, and frankly the internet itself become more and more well, crappy. Slackware is something of a computing sanctuary.

I encourage all who use it to buy Patrick some beers!
https://www.patreon.com/slackwarelinux

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Slackware was the first Linux distro I used, quite by accident, and it taught me to understand Linux. I used it to self-host my website for five years and it worked, even though I really didn't know what I was doing. If you use Slackware, you will learn to understand Linux, as opposed to just clicking on stuff. Slackware is a darn fine teacher.

I must confess, I'm not using it at the moment because I've had troubles with current and I'm waiting for the next version release. But I will always consider myself first and foremost a Slacker.

My other preferred distros are Debian and Mageia.

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I echo the thoughts of the OP & others too. I have time & again checked out other distributions but Slackware has been such an Arkenstone beneath the heap of jewels.

With so much quick release pressure sentiment across the linux community & among the impatient ones, I applaud the patient, pragmatic approach of Mr. Volkerding in crafting a tool, taking time with his craft. A rare quality in these days.

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I started with Mandrake-8.0, which was an impulse buy at WalMart. $23.95 for a boxed set of 3 cds. I was running Windows98SE at the time. Reading about Mandrake from the box seemed like a great thing to try. I learned about dual booting from the instructions and gave it a go. Unable to get on the internet because I had a winmodem. BUT, I could download and compile driver for my Zoom modem! Huh???

Now I got to learn about compiling software, dependencies, and the fact that Mandrake didn't install the compiling stuff and dependencies by default. Please insert CD2 now.....

Then I learned from a forum that I lurked in about Slackware. Being on dialup, I couldn't reasonably get it without compromising my home phone for two days. So I found a site called edmunds something or other where I could buy Linux cds! Still, knowing nothing of release dates or versions, I got Slackware 7.0.

The rest, as they say, is history. I'm lucky now to have a 200mb connection that reasonably gives me 25-30mbs downloads.

But Mandrake was a good distro - I kept it around through 9.3

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What types of troubles? I've been running 64-current on my laptop and the only troubles that I've had have to do with Wayland, which has locked that machine up after a period of time each time that I attempt to use it. Plasma under X11 on that machine is rock-solid.

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The Mandrake to Slackware conversion was popular I see. There are several here that have that commonality. I hopped on Slackware from Mandrake around that time as well (Slackware 9 or 10), and Slackware has been my daily diver since.

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I made that switch too. I started with Caldera OpenLinux 2.3 in 2002, then I was using Mandrake and Red Hat 9. When Red Hat discontinued their free version and moved to RHEL I started using Slackware 10.0 in 2004.
I'm very grateful that Red Hat encouraged me to learn how to use Slackware.

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I wish my memory was that good - when I switched, Slackware stable was shipping with gnome2 and I used 3.5" floppies to install it. Somewhere in the early 2000's I'm guessing.

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Hi,

I too remember the days of disk sets. I have been using Slackware since PV's first release. I wanted a UNIX like OS and found Slackware to meet my needs. I use Slackware64 as my main Distribution but in the past I would use other Live CD/DVD for maintenance but now extensively use Slackware64 Live to help me. Thanks to AlienBob's work on it.

We do have a special team and friendly support whenever a problem may arise.

Have fun & enjoy Slackware!

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When I first started with linux, it had to be dual boot as I couldn't let kids online in windows, but I needed windows for my Electronic Diagnostic stuff.

I started with Mandrake, had RedHat when I tried LFS, but it wouldn't compile. One install later, I did LFS, then HLFS, Kevux and promoted myself to Slackware after that (2008?). I have never gone away.

I feel it is like a promotion: more in the way of work is required, but the payback is Slackware gives more back. A perfect example is the /lib64 thing, where 64bit & 32bit libraries can coexist. In the hindsight, it's a no-brainer, but I'm amazed how many distros made poor choices.

1 members found this post helpful.