this post was submitted on 21 Jul 2023
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Linux

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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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Slackware wasn't the first Linux distro, but it's the oldest still alive and kicking (www.theregister.com)
submitted 2 years ago by boem@lemmy.world to c/linux@lemmy.ml
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This week the Slackware Linux project is celebrating its 30th anniversary. It is the oldest Linux distribution that is still in active maintenance and development.

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[–] Walter_Ego@lemmy.arpatubes.net 13 points 2 years ago (1 children)

praise "bob"

[–] DreadPirateShawn@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

If you don't laugh, you didn't get it, but if you ONLY laugh, you didn't get it.

[–] theshatterstone54@feddit.uk 2 points 2 years ago

I only got it because I watched Brodie's video. Although I am thinking of switching to Slackware.

[–] Shdwdrgn@mander.xyz 9 points 2 years ago (2 children)

After getting my hands on unix at work but unable to afford the cost to run it at home, I discovered a version of Slackware that installed in a folder on my Windows desktop. It only took a few weeks of playing around before I set up a dedicated server (which was then hacked within the first week, pushing me to learn about this thing called a "firewall") Whew it's been almost 24 years now and I've been happily using Debian for nearly half that time.

[–] saucyloggins@lemmy.world 4 points 2 years ago (2 children)

What do you mean by the cost? Because you didn't want to wipe out your Windows OS? I've been running distros on my personal PC for 23 years now. Can't say I've ever spent money on it except for some cheap CDs. I think I even got distro cds for cheap that came with linux magazines.

[–] captain_samuel_brady@lemm.ee 11 points 2 years ago

I assume the cost was of Unix and not Linux.

[–] Shdwdrgn@mander.xyz 8 points 2 years ago (1 children)

If you wanted to run actual Unix, there was a significant licensing fee. That's one of the reasons Linux took off, because it did all the same things but was free.

[–] saucyloggins@lemmy.world 1 points 2 years ago

Aaaah I understand.

[–] thomasloven@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

Topologilinux?

Took me weeks to get my modem to work with that. Had to keeep rebooting back to windows to disl up to the net and check documentation and tutorials…

After that things picked up, though.

[–] Shdwdrgn@mander.xyz 2 points 2 years ago

I never heard of that one. A distro that I used for a few years was called "Mage" though, which provided what I thought any of them should have been doing. I eventually stumbled on Ubuntu, but they burned me so many times trying to run servers, that's when I finally got on Debian. Nothing worse than having their security updates destroy all network access, and still having the ticket open at least 15 years later (I was still getting pinged from other people running into the same issue on bugzilla).

[–] chaogomu@kbin.social 9 points 2 years ago

I think I still have disks for Slackware 11 and 13 floating around somewhere. I even ran 13 for almost 2 years as a daily driver... And then got pissed off trying to update packages.

I'll admit that these days I just run Ubuntu, because it's easy, and it works without hours of googling how to fix some random dependency that I can't actually find for some reason.

[–] Elw@lemmy.sdf.org 6 points 2 years ago

Slackware 10.1 was my first time taking Linux out on the town. Had IBM Thinkpad T23. Thought I was pretty hot stuff. I still have massive respect for the project. They’re one of, if maybe the only, Linux distro out there that comes close to the quality of documentation as FreeBSD and because of that they’re the only distro that still feels like I think Unix felt like, or should feel like… idk maybe that’s nostalgia speaking…

[–] junezephier@lemmy.sdf.org 5 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Okay, so, silly question: What was the first linux distro, regardless of current activity?

[–] shaulliv@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago (2 children)

I think it was MCC Interim Linux.

[–] ijeff@lemdro.id 4 points 2 years ago

Interim Linux would be a neat modern distro name.

[–] junezephier@lemmy.sdf.org 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Neat! I'll have to look into that, thanks~

[–] lord_ryvan@ttrpg.network 1 points 2 years ago

Another one bites the dust 🎵

[–] skookumasfrig@sopuli.xyz 3 points 2 years ago

TAMU was an early one I used. There were lots that were one and done too so it's hard to keep track.

[–] fratermus@lemmy.sdf.org 5 points 2 years ago

I think the last slack install I did was in 1996; from floppies! <-- beatdown