402 Part III . Choosing and Installing a (Web server application)
402 Part III . Choosing and Installing a Linux Distribution Patrick decided to take the leap to separate Slackware from SLS after MacDonald suggested that Slackware was infringing on his copyrights (despite the only license on the SLS code saying, Distribute freely; do not restrict. ). Patrick: So, I promised Peter that I would write a new installer for Slackware instead of using a modified SLS one, and that the new installer would be the next change made to Slackware online. Did the great success of Slackware from the get-go surprise him? Patrick: Absolutely. I knew it worked better than the other distributions that were out at the time, but I didn t expect the kind of mass exodus from SLS that occurred. What kind of person would choose Slackware over other Linux distros? Patrick: It seems to attract the kind of users who want to configure software the old-fashioned way (using a text editor), and who don t want a lot of unnecessary things running in the background. I try to compile software with as few of my own changes as possible, which also makes it pretty easy to update things from source if you decide to go that route. In the early days of Linux I think most of the users were like this, and as time has moved on and various distributions have focused on different markets, the profile of the average Linux user has changed quite a lot. Most of today s commercial Linux distributions seem to target a user who wants to administer his machine with a point-and-click interface much like Windows. Slackware and other lower-level distributions serve a different niche users who don t mind a learning curve if it means the operating system will stay out of their way. Today, Patrick is still the Project Lead and maintains complete control over Slackware s features and release schedule. In this arrangement, Patrick can choose the features to include, and he s doesn t add features that don t suit him (even popular ones). This is how Patrick characterizes the Slackware development process: Patrick: Most of what I do is research(trying to figure out where Linux is going so I can make (I hope) sane choices about what to implement. There s not really a core development team (which really streamlines the development process by sidestepping the usual time-wasting squabbles that usually happen in any official development hierarchy). But I get a ton of help from people who e-mail me with problems or suggestions that lead to an upgrade or fix somewhere in the system. The best way to keep up with Slackware development issues is to read the Change Logs (available from the Slackware home page). Slackware aficionados expect releases on an it s ready when it s ready schedule, as the Slackware FAQ notes: As things are built for the upcoming release, they ll be uploaded into the -current
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