a day ago
- Arch and Slackware are Linux distributions designed for users who prefer manual configuration and want to learn system internals.
- Both adhere to the KISS principle, support 32-bit and 64-bit, use tarball-based package management, and require text-mode installation and manual config editing.
- Slackware prioritizes stability with well-tested packages, security updates, standard version-based releases, and no package dependency system.
- Arch offers cutting-edge software with a rolling release model, a larger official repository (~4000 packages), dependency resolution via pacman, and continuous updates.
- Community software is provided via SlackBuilds.org (SBo, 1700 vetted scripts) for Slackware and the Arch User Repository (AUR, 18000 unvetted scripts) for Arch.
- Slackware is ideal for servers due to stability and conservative updates; Arch suits desktops with fresh software but is less recommended for servers.