I have been using Linux for 1.5-2 years now, still a Linux noob by anyone's standards. I started out on Ubuntu, and liked it for a while until the introduction of Unity, which to me was awful. This made me want to change distros, along with the fact that I didn't feel like I was learning anything about Linux beyond apt-get. So, bravely I jumped into Slackware(and supported the project by purchasing the install cd through their website) and haven't regretted it one bit. Slackware is a fun to learn distro, and it's very true that this operating system will not hold your hand. I've been on forums, wikis, read man pages, manuals etc... This distro encourages it's users to learn and be active in the Linux community. Over just a few months, as compared to a year on Ubuntu, that I've had Slackware on my box, I've learned how to partition a hard drive, how to edit .conf files, how to install apps and their dependencies, how to use SlackBuilds, how to extract and convert files, how to navigate and execute files in a terminal, how to configure wireless the nitty-gritty way. Most importantly, I'm learning how to not need Windows for anything.(other than school's VB class...) I've learned all this and i'm still learning the ins and outs, and I'm just a 1st year Community College Student(for programming, switched from web-design) with only one programming class under my belt, so those devs out their afraid to make the jump, you have no excuse, if I can do it, you can. I am a huge fan of Slackware, and would like to thank Pat, and Eric, and all the others who put the work into deving up this great distro, it just flies on my little netbook, and when I get my alienware m11x I'll promptly be installing and running slackware on that as well. Wish I could run it on the Vivaldi when I purchase that as well...