Linux Top 3-- SUSE Secures Boot, Ubuntu Boots Wayland, Slackware 14 Boots Up

Quote: "Slackware has never had commercial backing behind it like Ubuntu or SUSE, it is very much a community effort led by founder Patrick Volkerding."

Slackware IS a commercial distro, founded by Patrick Volkerding. Check out http://store.slackware.com. Patrick is helped by a small team (Eric Hameleers, Robby Workman, Piter Punk, ...) in his efforts, but his sole revenue is what he earns with Slackware subscriptions.

So you are encouraged to buy a set of CDs or a DVD or a subscription. But of course, you can also download it for free, and that's the full version, not some 30-day-trial nor some crippleware or even reduced functionality.

cheers,

http://www.microlinux.fr

I think you are drawing the wrong conclusion from that statement. In context, it means that Slackware is not backed by or part of a multimillion dollar company. It is a poorly written sentence as Ubuntu is supposedly a community distro, while SUSE itself is not. Then again, the article is a weird hodgepodge of--as far as I can tell--completely unrelated distro news.

He means commercial backing in the sense of a rich sugar daddy like Mark Shuttleworth or Novell. Slackware has always been financially self-supporting and has not needed a patron.

"Rich sugar daddy seeks unconventional OS for mutual benefits..."

Quoting: "Rich sugar daddy seeks unconventional OS for mutual benefits..."

You are BAD.

Slackware has always been self-supporting, true, but it's not like it's doing great. Despite its reputation for always operating in the black, it's been losing ground financially, as I understand it. Pat V even had to move from CA to MN due to low income based on subscriptions to the distro. I find this rather sad, as the Slack community has been growing, not shrinking. Perhaps too many folks are in the same boat as myself, having to resort to free downloads due to hard times and no job. Hopefully, the worm has turned and I can once again throw some jingles Pat's way. I notice there are more than a few slackers posting to LXer. Glad to see it. Now get out there and pay da' Man. ;)

nb

Minnesota is something like "home" for PatV. He went to school in Moorhead.

Home MN may be, but Pat's move was necessitated by financial reasons. OTOH, as a native CA boy who has lived in the sunshine state most of my life and who now resides in CO, I'll be the first to admit CA has become intolerable as a place to live and not work. You couldn't get me back there at gunpoint! :

nb

I'm twice departed from Silicon Valley. The first time was during the dot-bomb; I figured if I was going to be a miserable git, I might as well have people around who loved me despite myself. (The second time was for personal reasons having nothing to do with work.)

Yeah, I've taken two on-site contracts in CA and from the luxury of not living there, marveled at the abuse and disdain the people suffer at the hands of local and state government. The screwball taxes aside, just the way they bring in absolutely insane amendments and addendum to current laws scare the he!! out of me. Of course I am on the edge of a TOS violation for political discussion so I will digress..

You couldn't get me to live there with any job offer, and I did turn down a fairly generous one from Google in 2010 and while the money offered was good, having to relocate to the Bay Area would have eaten that up in just day to day expenses.

Yes. I also came from the SFBA, not too far from where Pat lived. There was still some rural aspects to that area, but they were fading fast. Merely accessing them had become a traffic nightmare. I hope, like myself, Pat is happier where he is now. I know I am.