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Slackware doesn't come with a lot of GUI control utilities, or pre-configured powersaving features. It is very much a do it yourself distro in that respect, and that's exactly what it's supposed to be. That's not to say you can't configure those features yourself and install whatever you want as far as GUI controls go, you can. And since you did it yourself, it will stay working as long as you want it to--no package updates breaking your hard configuration work, etc.
I hope I don't get flamed for saying this, it's just how I see things. Slackware is the most BSD-ish (is that a word?) of the Linux distributions around and always has been--from its tgz-based package system to its BSD-style init scripts. Probably one of the reasons, maybe even the big reason, I love it. It takes a bit to configure but afterward it just stays completely out of your way, just like *BSD does--it most closely resembles OpenBSD in its configuration files and init scripts.
For EEE PC Users, see the topic on the eee-user forums about Slackware. It describes the additional drivers and daemons you might want to install to smooth out the experience.

The main advantage of this concept is that you get exactly what you install and configure - nothing more, nothing less. You end up with a well defined set of settings and applications where *you* are the one who determines what's going to happen. It is an approach that I personally do like more than "just shove in all the applications and drivers someone might eventually need, just so they're there".



It's Linux - of course you can! :-)



Important fact for systems that are to be set up once, and then expected to keep working until alteration is exlicitely intended.



Why should you? It's a valid point of view, and I do share it. Slackware was the first Linux I used on x86 PC, and I very quickly got familiar with how things worked. Slackware was my teacher of UNIX basics - stuff you need everywhere, no matter if you're running Linux, BSD or UNIX. This basal knowledge is essential if you want to achieve something in your job (if your job is UNIX); every idiot (sorry) can install a GUI driven Linux today, but what if something fails? Then you drop back to your basics, and you're able to solve the problem on your own. That's what Slackware taught to me: diagnostics and how to solve problems. Hey, that's what people today pay me for. :-)




Because BSD (esp. FreeBSD) is my main OS, I like Slackware for the fact that I don't need to search around for configuration files, init scripts and program locations. Allthough Slackware is a Linux (and not a BSD with a standardized base OS environment), it's moved quite into the direction you mentioned, and that makes the life of system administrators easier.



And isn't that what an OS is supposed to do? Keep the stuff running, keep out of your way and let you do your work or fun? In my opinion, Slackware achieves these goals very well.

Having said this, I love to hear any further development of this excellent Linux distribution. I'll always have a spare PC left to try it out.

I've got an Acer Aspire One and am sticking with the factory-installed Linpus so far as AFAIK it's the only one where _everything_ works (I'm more interested with using the AA1 than playing). I've modified it heavily and made notes for the inevitable reinstall.

The AA1 notes are a lot longer and quite a bit more fiddly than my Slackware config notes which involve tweaking about 3 files, startx, install a few apps and enjoy a wonderful working system.

To anyone who says Slack's difficult it's a matter of persistence. When you've a bit of experience it's the easiest of them all!