Skip Hollowell <skip_hollowell'at'yahoo.com> wrote:
> So what exactly do I need to download to get started? I have look at the
> download site, and everything is in packages. Is this an a-la-carte kinda
> install, where I just pick and choose what I may need, and then build the
> ISO and burn away to create my own install disks? Do I HAVE to have a boot
> floppy? I think I saw that I can out the booter right on the CD, but the
> doc was a bit shy in this area. This is definitely not a beginner's Linux.
>
> Tips? Tricks. Warnings?

if your bios supports bootable cdroms, you can burn an iso to a cdrom
and boot from it. probably this is the easiest method. if this is not
supported by your bios, you will need a floppy, yes.
there are a number of other methods for installation, e.g. download
the distribution on a spare hard disk, or on another computer and
install through NFS or something... in these cases you still need the
boot floppy. the different installation methods are explained in the
slackware book (on the website), i believe.
the packages are spread over different sets (A, AP, K, N, ...), each
filled with different types of applications. in the installation
program, you can select a degree of expert level (beginner will install
without asking you much, while expert lets you choose each package
individually).

you can still install or uninstall different packages afterwards with
the package utilities like installpkg, etc.

all the best,
steven.