Installing Slackware 12.0

[Oreo]

Ok, im getting fed up with windows now. And decided to take the plunge and install Slackware 12.0.

But, how do i install it and keep windows XP and be able to select which one i want to run when i boot up my pc ?. I've herd it uses command promt for install, and i'm bound to screw up without some guidance.

Any help anyone ? o, and the critical question, am i likely to come running straight back tp Windows XP ..

 

[CalcProgrammer1]

Never used Slackware, but dual booting Ubuntu is really simple and it has an easy GUI installer, Slackware probably has a text mode installer. Either way, make a blank partition for Linux and install to that, then it should install GRUB (boot loader) to choose which OS you want to run when you turn the PC on. I still would recommend Ubuntu though.

 

[Oreo]

Maybe, but i looked at videos on tehres cool stuff you can do on Shackware .

A few questions about linux,

can i run MSN messenger ? will stuff like speakers, mouse, keyboard, webcam be hard to setup ? is driver support any good for GPU etc..?

 

[Kharn]

if it's 2.1 speekers wont be a problem, keyboard mouse an such are mostly generic drivers.

 

[CalcProgrammer1]

MSN Messenger, no. You can use Pidgin (an all-protocol open-source IM client) for your MSN, AIM, Yahoo, Google, etc chats.

Mouse and keyboard, yes, speakers, 99% likely yes if 2.0 or 2.1 channels, Webcam, probably, and GPU depends on what kind you have.

nVidia is well supported.
intel is also pretty well supported
ATi 9000 series Radeons and before are well supported
ATi X1k or other X series or HD Radeons are NOT well supported, the fglrx driver they use is still in early development and is NOT stable at all.

 

[Kharn]

There is also aMSN i use that and it is far better than the original MSN client or pidgin.

 

[horndude]

its not a command line install at all, its more like a DOS menu style

you can dual boot just as easily with slackware as ANY distro made, you simply set up a partition for linux and a swap partition which are separate from the windows partition then LILO or GRUB can be used as boot loaders to select which OS gets loaded at boot up, LILO will automatically do this

slackware post install is mostly commandline or text configure file editing

as root use:
alsaconfig for sound
xorgconfigure for setting up video cards,mouse, keyboard

networking unless its something weird gets done at install
selecting services also happens at install

when in doubt, RTFM(read the manual), its at The Slackware Linux Project

pre-compiled apps can be found at LinuxPackages: View

all source software is at slackwares web site, if you want a 64 bit version then google for "slamd64"

************************

IT IS NOT WINDOWS, DO NOT EXPECT WINDOWS OR WINDOWS BEHAVIOR, this is unix mainframe for the desktop, if your one of those people that refuses to do a little reading to figure stuff out then stick with windows

 

[Brinson]

From what I've heard Slackware is one of the most difficult OSs to run.

If you find it too difficult promise me you'll try Ubuntu before going back to Windows.

And I don't think there's anything you can do in Slackware that can't be done in other Linux distros...

 

[Oreo]

I'll try Ubuntu first then.

Chris, i have Z5500's. 5.1 speakers.

 

[Disillusion]

Ubuntu 7.10 works perfectly for my 5.1 sound. Just gotta show all speaker options in the sound panel and turn up the rear and center speakers.