I have installed Slackware (most versions from 1.0) and Redhat (7.1) on my PC and I don't see much difference.
RH has a GUI install that includes basic firewall options. And the X desktop includes links to a firewall config tool. I don't know enough about ipchains/tables yet to provide any kind of guidance, but I did use a prefab script I found at linux.org (rc.firewall) that did a good job of closing all the ports without hampering net surfing. I also tried PMfirewall which has a text-based config script, but I think I plugged in the wrong things in the wrong places and my LAN suffered. Slackware uses a text-based install and does not address the firewall. However, the firewall settings I had seemed platform independent. If you're used to GUI, Slackware will require more configuration on your part because, for one, the desktop is not pre-populated. However, all the text-based configurations are available in Slackware as well as Red Hat. To me, Slackware represents a more generalized development compared to Red Hat. It seems Red Hat uses many applets and utilities that are unique to the RH system. Of course, some things are unique to Slackware, so it may only be my perspective. Package installation is handled differently, too. Slackware uses a text-based package tool that extracts the necessary bits and - if it's a slackware tarball - runs an install script that puts things in their place, sets permissions, and other functions. Red Hat uses rpm, which not only installs but can ensure dependencies are met. Of course it won't resolve dependency issues, but it does make one aware. Slackware appears to take a slightly more conservative approach to their distribution, offering a 2.2 kernel in their 8.0 release. They also provide a 2.4 kernel, but not by default. Red Hat 7.1 has a 2.2 kernel, and a 2.4 kernel is available for download. Red Hat has release 7.3, but I don't know what is new apart for KDE3.0. I think it will boil down to your own preference for 1) ease of installation and 2) ease of configuration. Slackware is primarily text based and doesn't really have a GUI tool interfaces. Red Hat is mostly GUI, but configuring doesn't seem much easier overall. Hope this helps, Larry -----Original Message----- From: Thomas Madhavan Sent: Monday, May 13, 2002 12:15 To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Slackware or Redhat? Hi all. I'm pretty much a LInux newbie, been using Redhat 7.0 up til recently when it decided to die. So, I was thinking of having a little look around at other distrbutions. I've read differing opinions about the ease of use of Slackware - what are your personal opinions? Is Slackware more secure 'out of the box'? From what I gather Slackware is a little harder to learn than Redhat, but a little more... configurable? Am I right? I have no problems with using the console and learning anything the hard way :D What advantages/disadvanages does Slackware 8.0 have over Redhat 7.0? Thanks, Thomas Madhavan
