The Slackware manual

Slackware Linux Essentials: The Official Guide to Slackware Linux is just what it says it is. In fact, while there are portions of the book that are Slackware-specific, there is still quite a bit of good reference material that will translate across all distributions. For example, the majority of Section IV, Using Slackware Linux, focuses on basic commands and system administration, and is a good, quick start for new users.

Among the Slackware-specific information are the sections on the Slackware startup files and the Slackware package system. Slackware is often referred to as the most BSD-like Linux distro, and it is in these two areas that the comparison is closest.

While Slackware’s package management isn’t quite as sophisticated as FreeBSD’s Ports system, its packages are easy to install and maintain, and since all of the packages are available on Slackware’s website via the Package Browser, sysadmins and users alike won’t have to look hard for new and updated packages. Check out the Package Management section of the manual for more info.

In startup, Slackware uses a series of rc scripts in the /etc/rc.d directory. While the manual could be a lot more thorough in explaining these, the rc scripts themselves (especially rc.inet1 and rc.inet2, the most important) are well-commented so anyone with even a modicum of shell skill should be able to manipulate them as needed.