May 29, 2009 - Linux Systems

Truth be told, I am a die hard Slackware fanatic. Whenever I get a new PC, it’s the first OS I reach for, and it’s the one that I compare others to. Slackware has been what I’ve used on my server here at home since I first bought it. When I first learned Linux, I learned on a derivitive of Slackware, TopologiLinux (a way old version of it, anyways), and quickly switched over to real Slackware (which was at 9.x or right at 10.0 at time time, I think). This combined with my love for minimalist things is probably why I stick with it.

However, for all the praise I can give the distro, there are still two sticky points for me: software selection and lack of Gnome libraries. When it comes to software, there’s a huge amount of stuff available to Slackware in the form of “Slackbuilds”. These are special bundles of scripts and source tarballs that produce binary packages for you (you did know Slackware has a package manager, right?). I keep a collection of them just in case I ever need to reinstall something. But unfortunately, a few packages I’ve needed, either for work or personal use, are either very out-of-date, or not available. A few of these I’ve compiled by hand - a skill I learned like day three of my Linux adventure; it’s not that hard, people. Whenever possible I keep these hand-compiled ones inside my home directory in ~/bin. Unfortunately, there have been a few apps like Ekiga that have forced me to look elsewhere. While I could have gone the hand-compiled route with them, the need for immediate availability was too great.

Gnome support is related to this. Overall I rather like the Gnome desktop. It’s more comfortable than KDE 3.x, leaps and bounds better than KDE 4.x, and is pretty fast and stable. Still, it’s not my prefered desktop, Fluxbox or Xfce are. However, many apps out there rely on Gnome-centric libraries. When I decided to try installing Gwibber from source, I was blocked because I couldn’t get GConf2 to install properly, and this was a required package. Other packages have given me the same problem.

So what do I run on my main laptop, which is where I need immediate package availability and a sightly wider range of apps? Ubuntu Linux, which is my 2nd choice in a distro. In actuality, I switch between Ubuntu and Slackware on the laptop a few times a year, usually when a new version comes out. But until GTK integrates some of the Gnome-centric libraries (which I think I read was a plan somewhere), I’m likely going to leave Ubuntu on it for a while and simply use Slack inside a virtual machine.

For a Slack addict such as myself, Ubuntu actually feels restrictive. Heck, Debian felt restrictive at times. But I don’t think this semi-permanent switch to Ubuntu on my main laptop is going to be that hard.

Of the four systems I use regularly, three are dedicated Linux systems (the fourth runs XP, and is the computer I write my music on). One, my main laptop (Emiko), has Ubuntu installed on it. My server, Nanako, and my Eee PC, Rei, both run Slackware. The server never leaves home and is mostly a file server, plus some extra things, and so it’s already set. Rei is really my play computer, and the one I use mostly at home or on the road. Of the sticky points I have with Slackware, they really only affect me at work. Since Emiko is the only real heavy-lifter for work, it’s OK if that one’s Ubuntu. I actually do very little on it here at home save for some web surfing, IM chatting, and light programming.

The point I’m getting at is that, for the time being, I’ve reached a very good balance with my systems. I have XP here at home to do my music, Ubuntu on Emiko for work, XP on a VM for those few times I need it, and Slackware on my others for home stuff and play.