What Makes Slackware Different?

    BDFL Model: Patrick Volkerding is still the main decision-maker.
                Slackware doesn't follow a strict release cycle; releases happen when they're ready.

    Conservative Software Choices: Slackware favors well-tested software over the latest trends.
                                   Example: PAM and elogind were adopted only in version 15.0.

    Simplicity Over Ease:

       - Not necessarily user-friendly, but internally simple.
       - Avoids unnecessary complexity, making it robust and reliable.

    No Automatic Dependency Management:

       - Installs the whole system by default to satisfy dependencies.
       - Avoids problems common with dependency-resolution tools in other distros.

    Plain Bash-Based Package Management:

       - Uses simple tools like installpkg, removepkg, etc.
       - Packages are .txz tarballs.
       - Information about installed/removed packages is kept in plain text under /var/lib/pkgtools.

    Vanilla Packages:

       - Software is built as-is from upstream, with headers and documentation intact.

Customization and Community

    SlackBuilds:

       - Every Slackware package comes with a build script (.SlackBuild) that users can modify.
       - Encourages local compilation and customization.
       - Third-party SlackBuilds are available from slackbuilds.org.

    Minimalism and User Responsibility:

       - Puts power and responsibility in the hands of the system administrator.
       - Assumes knowledge of /etc config files and CLI usage.

    No systemd:

       - Maintains traditional init systems.
       - Avoids opaque management layers.