who use slackware 14.2 for desktop ?

konmit · 07-09-2021, 11:50 AM

Another happy 14.2 user here but looking forward to 15.0 and newer libs needed for compiling, e.g. Gajim, Dino (XMPP clients), just to name a few.
Not a KDE user but I might give it a go after system upgrade.

bassmadrigal · 07-09-2021, 12:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elcore

Yeah I often see this argument. Got a card right here, not properly supported by 4.4 but works great on 4.14, it's just one of many nouveau bug fixes that's not going to be backported.

A new kernel doesn't always provide the support needed for a newer GPU card. Sometimes you need updated mesa and Xorg drivers.

Quote:

Originally Posted by solarfields

Unfortunately, it is not trivial for me to do that. So, I cannot simply backport the fix. My cards are Radeon RX460 and Radeon RX580.

If you're interested, I have an RX570 that I got working on 14.2. You obviously need an updated kernel (I'm currently running some 5.10.x kernel, but was running a 5.4 kernel back then), but there's only four core packages (found in red) you need to upgrade and three you need to add. I'll list what programs I needed, what versions I used, and where I got them:

libclc - 20181127_1ecb16d (latest version from -current at that time)
Mako - 1.0.7 (latest version on SBo at that time)
libdrm - 2.4.99 (grabbed version and built with 14.2's SlackBuild)
libedit - 20191231_3.1 (SBo)
llvm - 7.0.1 (Slackware's git, but you could probably grab 8.0.1 from 14.2's extra/)
mesa - 19.0.8 (Slackware's git)
xf86-video-amdgpu - 19.1.0 (latest version from -current at that time)

The ones from "Slackware's git" were builds I needed to go through the git history (found on git.slackware.nl/slackware, thanks Alien!) to find the latest version of the script before it switched to meson or maybe cmake (I think I needed the latest one that still used autotools). Any scripts from -current will need to have the sections that remove .la files commented out or removed (it will cause build failures from later programs).

Quote:

Originally Posted by solarfields

BTW, some users here suggested an 'intermediate' release, say Slackware 14.3 with updated kernel, NVME support out of the box during install and so on.

I don't think it was a purposeful decision. I imagine Pat felt (like many of us) that 15.0 was expected "within the next 12 months" throughout a good chunk of its development. If Pat had known at the 2 year mark that we were going to be 5+ years without a release, I imagine 14.3 would've happened. However, things kept pushing back the release and we're now in the middle of the longest gap between Slackware releases.

amikoyan · 07-09-2021, 02:30 PM

I use 14.2 on a 12 year old laptop when working from home. Because 14.2 is so stable and always 'just works', it never gets in the way of what I need to do.
Take this evening, for example. I used Slackware 14.2 and remmina to access the Windows server at work to check my emails. It has allowed me to do this (and write on here) while the Windows 10 machine (brand new, SSD drive...) work loans me for this purpose is still booting up (Windows is 'Working on updates - 20% complete')

Surely the whole point of having a -stable and a -current is to allow people a choice.

For work purposes I just need something that is as close to 100% reliable, stable and no fuss as possible. For this I choose -stable.

So to Pat, the team and everyone who helps out on here, a big thank you.

macondo · 07-09-2021, 03:30 PM

I got Devuan, Slackware 14.2, and Slackware64-current on a 120gig SSD on my dual-core desktop.
I use IceWM on all of them, SBO exclusively on slackwares, on slackware stable did: 'sbofind codecs' and installed them, movies and videos run fine.
No KDE, Emacs, or XFCE4 during installation, put them in the blacklist.
Current runs like a Deere, no sweat.
My everyday driver is slackware-stable.

akus · 07-09-2021, 04:05 PM

I use Slackware 14.2 on my desktop - there is no reason for me to switch to current (like new hardware). At some point in life you start to appreciate stability and your time.

Regnad Kcin · 07-09-2021, 09:04 PM

I've been on --current since 14.0 was the so-called "stable" version. I stayed with -current right on past 14.1 and 14.2, and with ktown through iterations as it got better and better. I do still prefer the look of KDE4 to the dull post-modern vapidity of Plasma5's design, but the function of Plasma5 does excel. It is my daily driver.

I would consider 14.2 as being the "crippled" version of Slackware64. 14.2 is cognitively impaired quite simply because it is missing several important pieces. I can imagine some hypothetical situations where 14.2 might be desirable for some very narrowly situated niche users. The imagined superior stability of 14.2 is simply that, just an imagination, a self-inflicted subterfuge, more or less... Problems with --current are few and far between. Quite frankly, if you are itching for 15.0 you can use it now as Slackware64 --current. I can't imagine settling for anything less.

slackerDude · 07-09-2021, 10:19 PM

Eagerly waiting for 15.0. Running 14.2 + newer kernel that supports my Ryzen 1700, more or less stable now. Still need to reboot every couple of months.

I've been slackware-only desktop (the odd VM in there for various reasons, but no dual-booting) for ~20 years. I went with Red Hat 7.3 back in the day for a couple of years because we used it at work. Other than that, Slackware as my main desktop (some win98 / winxp dual booting) since I dumped OS/2 Warp and started my master's, around 1995.

It runs the latest firefox and Citrix, which I use for work, libreoffice, dosbox and a game or two. I have a separate gaming machine, but as far as daily desktop, slackware is it.

MannyNix · 07-09-2021, 10:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hitest

I only run Slackware64-current. I've done that for several years.

Same here, loving it

enorbet · 07-09-2021, 11:44 PM

I figured I should post that on my multiboot Main I still have a working and useful 14.2 install which I don't find to be as old as some seem to. It is still very useful and rarely holds me back. I am however less engaged with it because what is now 15.0 Beta is a bit more useful and certainly holds more excitement because it is new and shaping up so beautifully. I want to be a part of that process but I also want to counter the perception, real or imagined, that 14.2 is "hopelessly out of date". Perhaps it is for say software devs but for SOHO Desktop in my experiences anyway, that is just not true. Furthermore I find it a testament to what makes Slackware stand head and shoulders above most if not all distros. I can't imagine trying to get by on say 6 year old Debian.

elcore · 07-10-2021, 12:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bassmadrigal

A new kernel doesn't always provide the support needed for a newer GPU card. Sometimes you need updated mesa and Xorg drivers.

I'm well aware of that, if you look back into it, I posted before any hardware was specified and some cards work fine with just a kernel bump..
Maybe if you look into posts from ~2 years ago, I was the guy who suggested to you that mesa builds for 14.2 should be using autotools an not meson.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bassmadrigal

Any scripts from -current will need to have the sections that remove .la files commented out or removed (it will cause build failures from later programs).

That's one way to look at it, the other way is to just remove all the *.la files from 14.2 locally and add the section to all the 14.2 build scripts.
Only difference is that you may need a cron job for removing the future *.la files which are shipped with /patches/*.t?z

TheIllusionist · 07-10-2021, 02:18 PM

For me 14.2 feels very secure behind the firewall of a modern router, with AlienBobs rc.firewall installed and a maintained kernel thanks to "our emperor"

.
Over at wine headquarters a dedicated 14.2 version is (or was?) available allowing many fine free windows apps to run.
In the end of last century I was involved in some trials and worked together with Henrik, a sympathetic and humble GP fortunately still going strong, now as an old man doing charity work in our community.
He was very fond of his laptop running DOS. At that time "everyone" had transferred to Win 98 and I remember asking him why he was not on "the waggon" where he replied he found DOS 6.2 a mature operating system that fit him well.
After working together for more than two years I suddenly realised he was co-author of more than 30 scientific publications, contributing with the statistics.
I guess he did his work in a command line program similar to Dirk Melcherś Statist ( http://statist.wald.intevation.org/ ).

bassmadrigal · 07-10-2021, 04:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elcore

I'm well aware of that, if you look back into it, I posted before any hardware was specified and some cards work fine with just a kernel bump..
Maybe if you look into posts from ~2 years ago, I was the guy who suggested to you that mesa builds for 14.2 should be using autotools an not meson.

I wasn't saying you didn't know, but instead providing that information for any who came across your post.

Quote:

Originally Posted by elcore

That's one way to look at it, the other way is to just remove all the *.la files from 14.2 locally and add the section to all the 14.2 build scripts.
Only difference is that you may need a cron job for removing the future *.la files which are shipped with /patches/*.t?z

I am not familiar with what removing *.la files might do to my system and I didn't try that when I upgraded mesa. What definitely did work was simply commenting out the lines removing the *.la files in the SlackBuilds.

I'll stick with my .la files until my move to 15.0 takes place.

j12i · 07-10-2021, 04:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheIllusionist

Over at wine headquarters a dedicated 14.2 version is (or was?) available [...]

Wow, I didn't know that. Here it is: https://sourceforge.net/projects/win...re%20Packages/ . I only knew of alienBOB's and SBo's (dawoodfall's) wine distribution(s). I think I will try this the next time I need it.

lovemeslk · 07-10-2021, 04:46 PM

Quote:

I'll stick with my .la files until my move to 15.0 takes place.

open one of the .la files up with kwrite see what it is.

They are very useful when compiling static builds and you want to buld libraries that point to a specific place.
That is all a .la file does shows the linked.

Code:

# libaa.la - a libtool library file
# Generated by ltmain.sh - GNU libtool 1.3.5 (1.385.2.206 2000/05/27 11:12:27)
#
# Please DO NOT delete this file!
# It is necessary for linking the library.

# The name that we can dlopen(3).
dlname=''

# Names of this library.
library_names='libaa.so.1.0.4 libaa.so.1 libaa.so'

# The name of the static archive.
old_library='libaa.a'

# Libraries that this one depends upon.
dependency_libs=' -lslang -lm -L/usr/lib64 -lX11 -lgpm'

# Version information for libaa.
current=1
age=0
revision=4

# Is this an already installed library?
installed=yes

# Directory that this library needs to be installed in:
libdir='/usr/lib64'

For current this will cause issues.
use them in current in my static builds and none system pkgconfig.
Like I said this will causes issues in current build tools have changed for many things.
Now you know.

oily · 07-10-2021, 09:04 PM

I'm happily using 14.2 on my 3 laptops (various Dells from 2009 , 2010 and 2015), it still does what I need and the stability is hard to beat. I'm looking forward to 15.0 though, it's looking good and is working nicely on the even more elderly P4 desktop I'm writing from.