At 11:34 AM 12/30/00 -0800 Lisa Selk wrote:
>Uh.. Just curious - What is "Slackware"?
>
>~Lisa
The Official Release of Slackware � Linux by Patrick Volkerding is an
advanced Linux Operating System, designed with the twin goals of ease of
use and stability as top priorities. In fact, it was the first distribution of Linux
on CDROM. Slackware Linux provides new and experienced users alike with a
full-featured system, equipped to serve in any capacity, from desktop workstation to
machine-room server. Web, ftp, and email servers are ready to go out of the box, as
are a wide selection
of popular desktop environments.
A full range of development tools, editors, and current libraries are also
included for users who wish to develop or compile additional software. The
Slackware philosophy demands ease of use, ease of administration, and open
develop-ment; all are reflected in this carefully built and tested official
4-disc set.
The advanced Linux kernel on which Slackware is based performs superbly on high-end
systems, with symmetric multi-processing support (up to 16
processors) and special optimizations for each Intel processor class.
You can purchase Slackware on cd-rom here.
http://www.wccdrom.com/titles/linux/slack.phtml
However, since you have access to a cable modem, you may want to just download the
entire distribution. If you have a cd-r you can create your own cdrom.
Download mirrors:
http://download.sourceforge.net/mirrors/slackware/slackware-7.1/MIRRORS.TXT
A sample of what Slackware is used for is stated in a previous post. You could
install Slackware Linux on an old computer and set it up as your gateway to connect
your home network. There is even a Cable-Modem_HOWTo document to show you how to set
it up. Since Slackware (linux) will run on a 486 with only 16MB of ram (some say
less), it's a very cheap and powerful Operating System.
In a nut shell, Linux is a Unix clone developed to run on an i386 PC. Slackware is
one of many distributions of Linux designed to make it easier for you to use. There
are many distributions or brands, so to speak: RedHat, Debian, Dragon Linux, Turbo
Linux. Most of which you can download for free, but they run around 600MB for the
entire distribution! For that reason most people purchase a good Linux distribution
on cdrom. The price of the entire OS and 1000's of programs you receive on the cdrom
is basically equivilent to the price it cost to create and produce the cdrom itself.
You can also find cheap Linux cds online for around $1.99. However, for a newbie this
may cause problems since it comes with NO printed documentation.
Cable Modem Help
http://www.cablemodemhelp.com/lanconnect.htm
If you work in the IT industry, then you definitely could use Slackware Linux. The
main reason I installed Linux in the first place (in 1996) was to learn Unix. I've
used a Server running Slackware and also a high-end $40,000 Sun Workstation running
Solaris, another Sun running Unix and I have to say except for the obvious speed:)
there isn't really much difference -- except the price, download Linux for free. The
commercial versions of Unix can range up to $495 per machine just for the software.
Need to connect ANY type of network: cable, LAN, Apple Talk, UUCP? Get Slackware,
wipe the dust off your old 486 or low-end pentium and go for it!
Read some of the HOWTOs. They are very technical and helpful even if you do not use
Linux at all.
http://www.linuxdoc.org/docs.html#howto
Example:
http://www.linuxdoc.org/HOWTO/Cable-Modem/index.html
IP Masquerading:
http://www.linuxdoc.org/HOWTO/IP-Masquerade-HOWTO-2.html#ss2.1
Back to the original topic. Public relations can hurt a company. The cover-up of the
recent hack is not unfounded. Many people respect the developer of Slackware (Patrick
Volkerding). He's quiet the genius and entrepreneur. So until some we hear some word
as to why the system has been down for so long, I guess we have to wait for a press
release. Besides, no one even knows if the developers even ran Slackware or they may
just have out sourced the web site to a hosting company. In either case, they are
probably still on Xmas vacation:-)
The website in question http://www.slackware.com/ is a valuable resource of
information. I received many answers to difficult questions in the Forums.
After you visit the mirror hacked page at attrition.org please be aware that this type
of hacking is no intuitive. It disrupts a companies operation, and is also very
criminal nature. The party in question probably is not a programmer, expert, or may
not even be literate. He searches for an exploit, finds a target or vise-versa, then
runs someone else code to exploit the system -- never understanding how it works or
what the code actually does; it may even be a trojan destructive to his own system
(but this type of criminal doesn't care). This is not very smart. On the other hand
(if you view the source code of the hacked page) he seems to know jave very well --
unless he used copy and paste? He's probably a web developer.
There have been accusations in the group on the type of websites I post or visit.
Well if you want to stay ahead of the game in computer security (and secure your own
system) you need to know what is out there. What new exploits are found and what they
do. Are you at risk? Do you need to update your software NOW?
While Microsoft give little details in their security alerts, other sites post the
actual exploit or code that you can run on your own system (providing you understand
the code and what it does) to determine if your are vulnerable. I see no problem with
this since these hacks have been circulating around irc for weeks or months. You
might as well make everyone aware of the problem. This also gets the companies
attention and forces them to develop a patch or update to fix the problem.
You may say to yourself, that there would not be a problem if those hackers didn't
exploit it. Well my answer to this question is that those hackers that post to
http://packetstorm.securify.com/ and other security related sites are NOT the problem
at all. People who do NOT post the exploits they find and use them to gain access to
your system is the real problem!
It's much like the gun issue. Take all guns away from the public (law abiding
citizens) and eliminate everyone's constitutional rights to bare arms? That's not
the answer. The criminals will always find a way. I believe this even though I do
not own any guns and/or weapons of mass destruction :-)
Linux is not like windows at all. If you do not like to read, then stick with
windows. If you still rely on others to fix your Windows box for you, then try to
master that before moving on...
Perhaps you were one of those kids that took things apart just see how they work. As
you got older you began to read more and try to understand how things work, or maybe
even build your own devices? Then you will like Linux very much!
/jay
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