Is slackware still widely used?

wtry@lemm.ee to Linux@lemmy.ml – 89 points –

I'm looking into advanced distros (like arch) and slackware is fascinating. Is it still supported/used? If you'd like to comment an alternative distro, please do.

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Slackware may not be huge, but it is the base distro for Unraid.

Interesting! That's news to me. Does Slackware still use the Sys V style init system or did the devs change it to systemd?

I've only barely gone beyond the more "backup + Docker appliance" style front end of Unraid, so I'm not sure. They make it extremely difficult for the untrained to get where you can break stuff. I am mostly an Arch/Debian guy.

I haven't used Debian in eons but I have respect for it as well. I really like anything and everything open source

I'm a guy who prefers community based distros. They don't have business decisions get in the way of the needs of the community. It ain't perfect, but it's worth the tradeoffs for me. Debian for stuff I don't want to constantly mess with. Arch for the express purpose of constantly messing with (and sometimes messing up).

BSD style initscripts.

Never heard about Unraid, but I hear about Slackware all the time.

If you can manage a Linux server, you likely have no use for Unraid. If you want to put together a Synology type appliance out of PC hardware to run Docker containers and uses ZFS for backups, Unraid is a fairly user friendly option.

I run a server on unraid.

Honestly, it works as a way to cut your teeth with a type 1 hypervisor.

Fairly user friendly, and the community seems to offer a lot of support.

That being said, I mainly use it as a file server and a place to host containerized stuff that doesn't need to bog down a gaming rig.

I got the hardware for free, so other than upgading the CPU to 10 cores (used, 50 dollars, not bad) and paying for electricity, it just churns along doing its thing.