Welcome to the offical information page for ##slackware.
This page contains a bit of (hopefully) helpful information along
with the channel rules/guidelines.
General Channel Information
Need a channel operator/moderator? Type !ops in your IRC
client. Note that there's no guarantee that an op will currently
be available; all of them are volunteers.
You must be registered and authenticated with NickServ
to talk in ##slackware.
Generally speaking, treat other users in the manner you'd like
to be treated. No "flames" or trolling or nonsense behavior is
welcome.
No, "flames" and "trolling" and "nonsense behavior"
will not be quantified or formally defined.
Don't post information that is deliberately detrimental to someone,
and especially not in a sneaky fashion (i.e. don't try to obfuscate
it).
Don't flood the channel. Use #overflow or some such. If you need to
show a configuration file or long error message, make use of public
paste servers such as:
##slackware exists as a Slackware discussion channel and as a help
resource for users. Newcomers and "Old Hats" alike will be more
likely to receive quality assistance if they heed the following
suggestions:
When asking a question, be prepared to show evidence that
you've researched it on your own. We like to help, but we
don't want to do it for you.
If you're asked for additional information, please provide
it. If you're unsure as to why some one wants to see a
config file or a routing statement or anything similar,
just ask them. In this way, you and others might learn
something about how the different parts of your Slackware
Linux system interact in addition to solving your problem.
Be sure to specify what version of Slackware you're running
along with any local customizations you've done. It's also
useful to know if the problem is new, i.e. did this work
before? If so, what's changed since then?
Slackware -current is NOT the
same thing as the latest stable release, e.g.
15.0. Along the same lines, there is no such
thing as "Slackware 15.0 -current" or "Slackware
## -current"; either you're running a stable
release plus patches or you're running -current,
unless of course you're running some FrankenSlack,
in which case you're on your own.
slackpkg and slackpkg+ are
NOT the same thing. Make sure
you mention which one you're using if you're
having problems with "slackpkg" and you're
actually using slackpkg+.
##slackware exists for Slackers to share their knowledge about
Slackware Linux and topics related to Slackware (e.g. system
administration and security concerns, networking Slackware with
other operating systems, etcetera). With that said, we do not mind
off-topic (OT) discussions or questions, but we ask that you
refrain from such discussions if someone wishes to discuss
something that *is* on-topic. Think of the channel in the same way
that you would think of a radio channel. When everyone talks at
once, the result is a jumble of confusion. By "vacating" the
channel of off-topic discussion when some one has an on-topic
discussion, we all benefit.
In recent years, it has become popular to "break" a few of the old
IRC netiquette conventions. Generally speaking, we can't stop all
of this, but repeat offenders will be dealt with. Specifically, as
simple courtesies to everyone, we request that you not do the
following things:
Don't private message (/msg) people without first asking
and obtaining permission from them
Don't use IRC stat scripts. Nobody wants to see your nick
change when you walk away from the keyboard, and nobody
wants to see your current music selection announced.
However, some channel regulars IRC from work and suffix
"-work" or some such to their nickname when doing so.
Name calling and particularly vulgar language is frowned
upon. With that said, we are not nannies and aren't going
to wash your mouth out with soap for petty offenses.
Racist, sexist, and similar language will not be tolerated
under any circumstances. Hackers know that someone's skin
color, gender, and/or sexual orientation has nothing to do
with ability to contribute to the group. Along similar
lines, your latest "bedroom conquests" aren't at all related
to Slackware and won't be tolerated (unless some how they
are related to Slackware, in which case we'd like to hear
about them. ;^)
Repeated/persistent personal attacks are not tolerated.
If you have been banned or de-voiced from a channel, don't
try to avoid the punishment by changing nicks or similar
methods. We will ban your entire netblock if need be. If
you feel that you have been unfairly blocked, speak to one
of the channel ops politely. If you are indeed innocent or
have "learned your lesson", we will likely be happy to
remove the block.
If you have questions about how to do something in some
other distribution, you should check in that distribution's
support forums and/or channels: ##slackware is for
Slackware support.
Third party package management tools, such as slapt-get
and swaret, are not supported in ##slackware.
This does not necessarily mean that discussion is off-limits,
nor does it necessarily mean that you will not receive help
if you encounter problems from using them, but the best place
for support with those tools is in their respective channels
and/or support forums. The same principle applies to the
third-party gnome builds for Slackware.
Third party packages vary widely in quality; some repos
are good and some are not so good. That being the case,
the best place to get support for third party packages is
from the person(s) who packaged them.
The following links should not be construed as endorsements
or recommendations from ##slackware, but they might be
better sources of help with the respective projects:
We'd prefer not to have to state this, as it would seem to be common
courtesy, but unless you've received explicit permission to run a bot
in the channel, you shouldn't be running a bot in the channel.
