#slackware is still without systemd. and "current" really is current.
slackware
I’ve been using pekwm for only a few days, but it already feels like home.
As a long-time Slackware user, I’ve always preferred minimal and efficient setups like Fluxbox, IceWM and twm, and pekwm fits perfectly into that tradition.
What I enjoy the most is how simple, fast and predictable it is.
I use only my laptop (no external monitor), and pekwm gives me exactly what I want: a clean environment, flexible keybindings, mouse-friendly workflow and no unnecessary complexity.
I’m also using pekwm’s group/tab feature with rules like:
It also reminds me of this classic article showing how developers desktops hardly changed over the years, always focused on minimal window managers and simple tools:
https://anders.unix.se/2015/12/10/screenshots-from-developers--2002-vs.-2015/
Pekwm has the same timeless Unix spirit.
Great work, and thanks for keeping this project alive!
#pekwm #slackware
As a long-time Slackware user, I’ve always preferred minimal and efficient setups like Fluxbox, IceWM and twm, and pekwm fits perfectly into that tradition.
What I enjoy the most is how simple, fast and predictable it is.
I use only my laptop (no external monitor), and pekwm gives me exactly what I want: a clean environment, flexible keybindings, mouse-friendly workflow and no unnecessary complexity.
I’m also using pekwm’s group/tab feature with rules like:
Property = "^Alacritty,^Alacritty,,.*" { ApplyOn = "New Start Reload"; Group = "netwin" { Size = "0" } }
Property = "^Navigator,^firefox,,.*" { ApplyOn = "New Start Reload"; Group = "netwin" { Size = "0" } }
Property = "^xterm,^XTerm" { ApplyOn = "New Start Reload"; Group = "netwin" { Size = "0" } }
It also reminds me of this classic article showing how developers desktops hardly changed over the years, always focused on minimal window managers and simple tools:
https://anders.unix.se/2015/12/10/screenshots-from-developers--2002-vs.-2015/
Pekwm has the same timeless Unix spirit.
Great work, and thanks for keeping this project alive!
#pekwm #slackware
A minimal todo.txt manager I use on Slackware.
Just one shell function: edit, list, add, done, push.
Keeps everything versioned with Git.
https://4c6e.xyz/todo.txt
#slackware #bash #shell #todo
Just one shell function: edit, list, add, done, push.
Keeps everything versioned with Git.
https://4c6e.xyz/todo.txt
#slackware #bash #shell #todo
The alt.os.linux.slackware FAQs [1] are one of the most comprehensive resources to get started with Slackware.
[1] https://www.therockgarden.ca/aolsfaq.txt
Still using nvi on Slackware.
No plugins. No syntax highlighting. Just speed, predictability, and classic vi behavior, even with multi-GB files.
I wrote a short guide explaining why nvi still matters and how its architecture enables fast, low-memory editing.
📄 https://4c6e.xyz/code_notes.html (NVI Editor Guide)
📄 https://git.sr.ht/~r1w1s1/code-notes/blob/main/notes/NVI_Editor_Guide.txt (plain text)
#slackware #editor #nvi #vi #unix #minimalism
No plugins. No syntax highlighting. Just speed, predictability, and classic vi behavior, even with multi-GB files.
I wrote a short guide explaining why nvi still matters and how its architecture enables fast, low-memory editing.
📄 https://4c6e.xyz/code_notes.html (NVI Editor Guide)
📄 https://git.sr.ht/~r1w1s1/code-notes/blob/main/notes/NVI_Editor_Guide.txt (plain text)
#slackware #editor #nvi #vi #unix #minimalism
I spent some time experimenting with pekwm and evilwm on my Slackware system, mostly out of curiosity.
Both are lightweight X11 window managers with very different philosophies:
• evilwm: extreme minimalism, very small codebase, written in C
• pekwm: still lightweight, but feature-rich (menus, grouping/tabs, rules), written in C++
I did a very simple, informal check of memory usage (RSS via ps) in a clean startx session: no compositor, no panel, one terminal. On my setup, both ended up in roughly the same memory range (a few MB).
At that scale, shared X11 libraries dominate anyway, so small differences aren’t very meaningful.
What mattered more to me was the trade-off:
• evilwm requires much more customization to reach basic comfort
• pekwm provides significantly more usability with essentially the same resource footprint
Conclusion (for me): pekwm hits a better balance between minimalism and usability.
evilwm is interesting as a learning exercise, but not worth the extra friction for daily use.
This isn’t a benchmark, just personal experimentation and preference.
#Slackware #X11 #WindowManager #pekwm #evilwm
Both are lightweight X11 window managers with very different philosophies:
• evilwm: extreme minimalism, very small codebase, written in C
• pekwm: still lightweight, but feature-rich (menus, grouping/tabs, rules), written in C++
I did a very simple, informal check of memory usage (RSS via ps) in a clean startx session: no compositor, no panel, one terminal. On my setup, both ended up in roughly the same memory range (a few MB).
At that scale, shared X11 libraries dominate anyway, so small differences aren’t very meaningful.
What mattered more to me was the trade-off:
• evilwm requires much more customization to reach basic comfort
• pekwm provides significantly more usability with essentially the same resource footprint
Conclusion (for me): pekwm hits a better balance between minimalism and usability.
evilwm is interesting as a learning exercise, but not worth the extra friction for daily use.
This isn’t a benchmark, just personal experimentation and preference.
#Slackware #X11 #WindowManager #pekwm #evilwm
So I read a bit on #Slackware #Linux. but still curious. Is the Slackware does not handle dependency statement true? Or is it just not handled by default but if you use some third-party tools you get dependencies resolved apt/pacman style? Also related to this, I saw videos / tutorials on installing the systems, so it is generally recommended to simply install tons of packages you might not need in the first place just so when you need them or any other thing that might need something there as dependencies and you will have them already? Seems like trying to do a one-thing-fit-all style to me.
#FOSS #Unix #FediASK
#FOSS #Unix #FediASK
Edited 133d ago
Can say what you want about Slackware, but some ports in Slackbuilds are updated faster than you can say update.
Cases in point for me: Vivaldi, Librewolf and Softmaker Office 2024.
All contributors: much appreciated 👍 !
#slackware
👉 Why do people use Slackware?
One thing people often miss is continuity.
Slackware isn’t just technically stable , it’s culturally stable.
The same person, Patrick Volkerding, has guided it for 30 years with the same philosophy: don’t change things unless there’s a real reason.
For many users, that long-term trust matters more than new features.
You know what Slackware will be next year, and that’s rare today.
#Slackware #Linux #UnixPhilosophy #FOSS
One thing people often miss is continuity.
Slackware isn’t just technically stable , it’s culturally stable.
The same person, Patrick Volkerding, has guided it for 30 years with the same philosophy: don’t change things unless there’s a real reason.
For many users, that long-term trust matters more than new features.
You know what Slackware will be next year, and that’s rare today.
#Slackware #Linux #UnixPhilosophy #FOSS
Edited 104d ago
I revisited the 2018 LWN series “A look at terminal emulators” and re-read its notes on st.
Back then, the articles tested st 0.6/0.7 (Debian/Fedora) and 0.8.1 upstream, a fair snapshot of the time.
I went through the upstream st git history from 2018 → 2025 and mapped many of the issues discussed (Unicode/wide glyphs, input crashes, paste & tmux integration, redraw/latency, escape sequences) to the actual fixes that landed over the years.
No single “big patch”, just steady maintenance:
wide-glyph correctness, crash-class input fixes, bracketed paste terminfo, latency tuning, and modern escape/color handling.
I wrote a short technical note with links to the relevant commits:
https://4c6e.xyz/code_notes.html
(post: Revisiting ST after the 2018 LWN analysis)
I’ve been using st + tmux daily on Slackware and it’s been solid: minimal, fast, predictable — exactly what I want on X11.
#st #suckless #unix #tmux #x11 #slackware
Back then, the articles tested st 0.6/0.7 (Debian/Fedora) and 0.8.1 upstream, a fair snapshot of the time.
I went through the upstream st git history from 2018 → 2025 and mapped many of the issues discussed (Unicode/wide glyphs, input crashes, paste & tmux integration, redraw/latency, escape sequences) to the actual fixes that landed over the years.
No single “big patch”, just steady maintenance:
wide-glyph correctness, crash-class input fixes, bracketed paste terminfo, latency tuning, and modern escape/color handling.
I wrote a short technical note with links to the relevant commits:
https://4c6e.xyz/code_notes.html
(post: Revisiting ST after the 2018 LWN analysis)
I’ve been using st + tmux daily on Slackware and it’s been solid: minimal, fast, predictable — exactly what I want on X11.
#st #suckless #unix #tmux #x11 #slackware
Fresh pkgsrc 2025Q4 packages for Slackware 15.0 now available.
Thunderbird 145, Libreoffice 25.8, XFCE 4.20, and much more.
https://retrobsd.ddns.net/pub/packages/All/
rsync://retrobsd.ddns.net
After seeing @ly2en bsddialog installer UI, I got curious and tried it on my own Slackware ThinkPad.
Built bsddialog from git (thanks to @alfonsosiciliano for the project) and wired it into my tty1 session menu — this is what my login screen looks like now.
Clean fonts, proper spacing, no GUI toolkit… it really feels like a real BSD-style installer, not just “dialog in a box”.
#BSD #Slackware #TUI #Unix
Built bsddialog from git (thanks to @alfonsosiciliano for the project) and wired it into my tty1 session menu — this is what my login screen looks like now.
Clean fonts, proper spacing, no GUI toolkit… it really feels like a real BSD-style installer, not just “dialog in a box”.
#BSD #Slackware #TUI #Unix
Slackware and age verification laws
People are worried about laws like AB 1043 (and now similar discussions in Brazil), but they assume a centralized OS with accounts and app stores.
That’s not how Slackware works.
No forced onboarding, no app store, full user control.
Patrick said it best:
Slackware will keep being Slackware... simple, transparent, and not disappointing the people who rely on it.
#slackware
People are worried about laws like AB 1043 (and now similar discussions in Brazil), but they assume a centralized OS with accounts and app stores.
That’s not how Slackware works.
No forced onboarding, no app store, full user control.
Patrick said it best:
“my code is my speech… government compelled speech”
Slackware will keep being Slackware... simple, transparent, and not disappointing the people who rely on it.
#slackware
Spent a few hours today testing and tweaking pekwm vs evilwm on my Slackware system (same st + tmux + Firefox, same X setup). evilwm is beautifully minimal and will stay as my backup — and I’ll probably use it more whenever I feel like switching things up — but pekwm feels smoother, with less flicker and cleaner redraws.
I even found and reported a small -snap bug in evilwm while testing 🙂
#Slackware #X11 #Unix #pekwm #evilwm
I even found and reported a small -snap bug in evilwm while testing 🙂
#Slackware #X11 #Unix #pekwm #evilwm
#TinkerTuesday
I spent the last days building and testing a few minimalist X11 window managers on Slackware: evilwm, shod and Notion — even patching Notion to build with GCC 15.
evilwm is still my lightweight, workspace-oriented backup WM, but for a tab-based, rule-driven stacking workflow, nothing I tried comes close to pekwm.
Firefox, terminal and mail living in one frame, out of the way — that’s still the sweet spot for me.
#pekwm #Slackware #X11 #Unix
I spent the last days building and testing a few minimalist X11 window managers on Slackware: evilwm, shod and Notion — even patching Notion to build with GCC 15.
evilwm is still my lightweight, workspace-oriented backup WM, but for a tab-based, rule-driven stacking workflow, nothing I tried comes close to pekwm.
Firefox, terminal and mail living in one frame, out of the way — that’s still the sweet spot for me.
#pekwm #Slackware #X11 #Unix
So uhhh... KDE 1 on Slackware 15, anyone?
Slackware isn’t about shortcuts.
It’s about understanding the system, from boot to shell.
This video explains well why Slackware still matters.
https://youtu.be/pRp1I3OzMEY
#slackware
It’s about understanding the system, from boot to shell.
This video explains well why Slackware still matters.
https://youtu.be/pRp1I3OzMEY
#slackware
Installing #Slackware #Linux using #vmm on #OpenBSD. Got some help from this video on getting the console to display correctly in the terminal. 
#RunBSD #BSD #virtualization
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZnM-T6Os-s
Planning on using this as a practice Linux system for my Linux+ studies. 
Edited 59d ago
Just switched to mtm (Micro Terminal Multiplexer) a suckless-style terminal multiplexer that does ONE thing: split panes. No sessions, no bloat, just ~1000 lines of clean C code.
The codebase is surprisingly readable and well-organized... unlike larger projects where you get lost in abstraction layers, mtm's simplicity makes it an excellent study resource for learning C.
You can actually understand the entire program flow in a reasonable amount of time.
Bonus: there's already a SlackBuild available, so Slackware users can integrate it seamlessly into their system without manual compilation headaches.
If you want tmux functionality without tmux complexity, check it out.
https://slackbuilds.org/repository/15.0/system/mtm/
#suckless #terminal #slackware #C
The codebase is surprisingly readable and well-organized... unlike larger projects where you get lost in abstraction layers, mtm's simplicity makes it an excellent study resource for learning C.
You can actually understand the entire program flow in a reasonable amount of time.
Bonus: there's already a SlackBuild available, so Slackware users can integrate it seamlessly into their system without manual compilation headaches.
If you want tmux functionality without tmux complexity, check it out.
https://slackbuilds.org/repository/15.0/system/mtm/
#suckless #terminal #slackware #C
A short note on using nvi as part of a simple Unix workflow in 2026.
https://git.sr.ht/~r1w1s1/code-notes/blob/main/notes/Using_NVI_in_2026.txt
#unix #editors #plaintext #nvi #vi #slackware
https://git.sr.ht/~r1w1s1/code-notes/blob/main/notes/Using_NVI_in_2026.txt
#unix #editors #plaintext #nvi #vi #slackware
Someone posted an old Slackware 2005 setup (KDE 3.3.2, kernel 2.4) and it instantly brought back memories.
Before systemd. Before Wayland.
Just KDE 3, Konsole, and Slackware doing exactly what you told it to do.
20 years later and the philosophy hasn’t changed.
https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/s/H0QrkazxbJ
#slackware #kde #x11
Before systemd. Before Wayland.
Just KDE 3, Konsole, and Slackware doing exactly what you told it to do.
20 years later and the philosophy hasn’t changed.
https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/s/H0QrkazxbJ
#slackware #kde #x11
Edited 46d ago
🎉 Happy Birthday, Slackware! 🐧
Released on July 17, 1993, Slackware is the oldest actively maintained Linux distro. It has been going strong for 32 years now!
From floppy disks to modern setups, it's been a wild ride.
Did you ever try Slackware? Still using it? Share your experience below! 👇
Day two of #slackware adventures!
I ended up reinstalling, this time without the KDE sets and switching to using FVWM. While KDE is 'nice', I come from using OpenBSD with cwm, so I'm used to my X environment staying out of the way.
For the curious, the old laptop I'm using is my Lenovo X220, or what I consider to be the last laptop with a truly great keyboard.
I ended up reinstalling, this time without the KDE sets and switching to using FVWM. While KDE is 'nice', I come from using OpenBSD with cwm, so I'm used to my X environment staying out of the way.
For the curious, the old laptop I'm using is my Lenovo X220, or what I consider to be the last laptop with a truly great keyboard.
Trying out #slackware on my old laptop today for the first time in forever. Impressions? It's exactly as I remember it 20+ years ago, except now everything works out of the box.
Two things I noticed right off: no systemd (or related dependencies) anywhere in sight, and LILO.
I've always been irritated by the systemd-ification of the linux ecosystem, so it's always nice when I don't see it, and I've never really understood how to work with GRUB, so LILO is really appreciated!
Two things I noticed right off: no systemd (or related dependencies) anywhere in sight, and LILO.
I've always been irritated by the systemd-ification of the linux ecosystem, so it's always nice when I don't see it, and I've never really understood how to work with GRUB, so LILO is really appreciated!
After years without compiling a kernel, I'm giving it another shot! 🐧
Building Linux kernel 6.19.3 on Slackware using Patrick's official SlackBuilds, starting from my 6.18.13 config as a base.
-> 6.19 brings some nice ext4 improvements that caught my attention:
Nothing revolutionary, but solid incremental polishing.
Let's see how it goes! 🤞
#slackware #kernel #linux
Building Linux kernel 6.19.3 on Slackware using Patrick's official SlackBuilds, starting from my 6.18.13 config as a base.
-> 6.19 brings some nice ext4 improvements that caught my attention:
Support for block sizes larger than page size (can improve buffered write performance in some workloads)
Faster online defragmentation using folios instead of legacy buffer heads
Smarter POSIX ACL caching, avoiding redundant permission checks on files without ACLs
Nothing revolutionary, but solid incremental polishing.
Let's see how it goes! 🤞
#slackware #kernel #linux