Hello everybody!

I am interested to know if somebody is using a BSDesque Linux distribution around here. By that I mean, distributions that have a -stable core system and then a ports package system for the rest.

I have been using Slackware for some years and I consider it very close to that. The official install has a "core" (not exactly a real core, but a software base that is official and not intended to change much within a single release). Then you can run sbotools on it (or a similar solution) and be creative with how you manage all the extras.

The reason I am asking is because Slackware -stable's core is aging, I'd need something newer for certain purposes, and I don't want to run -current or any other pure rolling distribution.

I am currently using - guess what - BSD's as replacements in some systems, but I actually need a Linux kernel for certain cases.

Ideas and comments appreciated. Let's keep the ball rolling.


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Re: BSD-Like Linux distributions
By: Arelor to All on Sun Oct 11 2020 09:36 am

Hello.

I am running Slackware 14.2 with a custom kernel, compiling 5.9 LTS
is not a difficult task at all. Also, you can upgrade the MESA
slackbuild up to 13.0.6 without issues, offering a slightly
better GL support.

Good luck :).
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Re: BSD-Like Linux distributions
By: Arelor to All on Sun Oct 11 2020 09:36 am

I am interested to know if somebody is using a BSDesque Linux distribution around here. By that I mean, distributions that have a -stable core system and then a ports package system for the rest.

Gentoo is about the closest you'll get. Its package management system is called "portage". It downloads the source for each package, then compiles it with your custom compile flags.

Often times people call it "Linux for ricers" ( "ricers, being a somewhat racist, derogatory term for people that soup up their cars, often of Japanese make)

I run Gentoo on my dev box, which is also the machine that hosts my dialup line (which then forwards to my BBS server).

DaiTengu

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Re: BSD-Like Linux distributions
By: anthk to Arelor on Tue Oct 20 2020 07:53 am

Re: BSD-Like Linux distributions
By: Arelor to All on Sun Oct 11 2020 09:36 am

Hello.

I am running Slackware 14.2 with a custom kernel, compiling 5.9 LTS
is not a difficult task at all. Also, you can upgrade the MESA
slackbuild up to 13.0.6 without issues, offering a slightly
better GL support.

Good luck :).

Kernel updates are not what deprive me of sleep. Usually it is stuff like glibc, which I'd need to update for some
specific reason, but sucks to manage yourself.

HP Propietary plug-ins for printers and scanners are also offenders. If you want to use a modern one, you have to
backport hplip to Slackware -stable. It is not that you can't do it, but I'd expect a distribution not to force me
to backport infrastructure software for devices that are years old already - and are supported by the vendor.


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Re: BSD-Like Linux distributions
By: Arelor to anthk on Tue Oct 20 2020 04:43 pm

True, but often Slackware packages from slackbuilds can be upgraded straight with no
dependecies, such as MESA in my case, having a nice boost from 11.x to 13.0.6. I guess HPLIP was written in Python right? Then upgrading it from a package sources
would be just a little chore, such as setting the VERSION envvar right.
Anyway, AlienBob has upgraded packages for a lot of software just in case.

-- Unix junkie --
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Re: BSD-Like Linux distributions
By: DaiTengu to Arelor on Tue Oct 20 2020 02:46 pm

Gentoo is about the closest you'll get. Its package management system is called "portage". It downloads the source for eac
package, then compiles it with your custom compile flags.

Often times people call it "Linux for ricers" ( "ricers, being a somewhat racist, derogatory term for people that soup up th
cars, often of Japanese make)

I run Gentoo on my dev box, which is also the machine that hosts my dialup line (which then forwards to my BBS server).

DaiTengu

Thanks for the tip.

I have actually been looking at Gentoo. I don't like the fact everything is rolling, and compiling everything seems too time
consuming. It is the sort of thing that would work if you had 50 identical computers, though. You could build a package
compiling cluster and then deploy packages to all your machines. I used to do that with OpenBSD since it comes with the
software required to set a compilation cluster by default :-)

Void Linux is also interesting, but it is also rolling.

I will probably end up trying both for a couple of months each though.

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Re: BSD-Like Linux distributions
By: anthk to Arelor on Tue Oct 20 2020 07:06 pm

Re: BSD-Like Linux distributions
By: Arelor to anthk on Tue Oct 20 2020 04:43 pm

True, but often Slackware packages from slackbuilds can be upgraded straight with no
dependecies, such as MESA in my case, having a nice boost from 11.x to 13.0.6.
I guess HPLIP was written in Python right? Then upgrading it from a package sources
would be just a little chore, such as setting the VERSION envvar right. Anyway, AlienBob has upgraded packages for a lot of software just in case.

-- Unix junkie --

I tried running a newer version of HPLIP in Slackware-stable some time ago and it failed to run, but recently I managed to
"backport" it. The package built - I have yet to test it - but seriously, when you step out of the default with this sort of
thing, you are just adding more work upon your shoulders. You can do it if need be, but you should not be forced to do it.


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Often times people call it "Linux for ricers" ( "ricers, being a somewhat rac

>, derogatory term for people that soup up their cars, often of Japanese make)

That brought back memories of my 'misspent' youth. In the early 70's I built a 575 HP Chevelle SS and, at the time, the much more rare Japanese 'fast' cars were referred to as Rice Burners. I'd imagine your term is left over from
that. :)

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Re: BSD-Like Linux distributions
By: Arelor to DaiTengu on Wed Oct 21 2020 05:53 pm

Thanks for the tip.

I have actually been looking at Gentoo. I don't like the fact everything is rolling, and compiling everything seems too time consuming. It is the sort of thing that would work if you had 50 identical computers, though. You could build a package compiling cluster and then deploy packages to all your machines. I used to do that with OpenBSD since it comes with the software required to set a compilation cluster by default :-)

Yeah, Gentoo has distcc. I've always wanted to stand it up on a small cluster at work. Now that we're getting a bunch of dual-CPU AMD EPYC 64-core boxes (for a total of 256 CPUs per server with AMD's version of hyperthreading enabled). I wonder how long it would take to compile something like KDE with distcc across a dozen of those machines....

Void Linux is also interesting, but it is also rolling.

Not something I've ever looked into. I'm not against rolling releases, you just have to keep up with them. Like right now I'm stuck, because I have some old software on my Gentoo box, and it really wants to rip Python 2.7 out of my system. So I need to find a workaround.

DaiTengu

... If you don't go to people's funerals, they won't come to yours.

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Re: BSD-Like Linux distributi
By: Rob Mccart to DAITENGU on Thu Oct 22 2020 12:19 am

Often times people call it "Linux for ricers" ( "ricers, being a
somewhat rac

, derogatory term for people that soup up their cars, often of Japanese make)

That brought back memories of my 'misspent' youth. In the early 70's I built a 575 HP Chevelle SS and, at the time, the much more rare Japanese 'fast' cars were referred to as Rice Burners. I'd imagine your term is left over from that. :)

That term was still somewhat popular in the early 90's.

DaiTengu

... When you haven't got enough iodine in your blood you get a glacier.

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Re: BSD-Like Linux distributi
By: DaiTengu to Rob Mccart on Fri Oct 23 2020 12:43 am

Re: BSD-Like Linux distributi
By: Rob Mccart to DAITENGU on Thu Oct 22 2020 12:19 am

Often times people call it "Linux for ricers" ( "ricers, being a
somewhat rac

, derogatory term for people that soup up their cars, often of Japanes make)

That brought back memories of my 'misspent' youth. In the early 70's I built a 575 HP Chevelle SS and, at the time, the much more rare Japanes 'fast' cars were referred to as Rice Burners. I'd imagine your term is left over from that. :)

That term was still somewhat popular in the early 90's.

DaiTengu

... When you haven't got enough iodine in your blood you get a glacier.

First Fast and Furious movie introduced most people to tuners and ricers.

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