Chris  | 2007-07-01
Slackware, based on slack
Slackware was one of the earliest distributions, and the oldest currently being maintained. It has a policy of incorporating only stable releases of applications, standing mainly for design stability and simplicity. In order to back this up, I found the definition of the term "Slack", as seen in the Church of the SubGenius: Slack generally stands for the sense of freedom, independence, and original thinking that comes when you achieve your personal goals. It encourages originality and frowns on actions seen as normal. Slackware also employs the concept of KISS, also known as Keep it Simple, Stupid. It is a concept that explains a lot of design choices in Slackware. Simple refers to the viewpoint of system design, rather than ease of use. That is why GUI tools are left out, because as the theory goes they are more complex, and are therefore more prone to have problems than simple command line tools. In result, Slackware has been viewed with skepticism by some, and embraced by others.