A Linux distro is a Linux distro, of course, so differences are subtle and particular. Any distro can be manipulated as much as anyone wants as long as they know how and they can deal with the implications of their changes.
Arch has more scaffolding -- dependency resolution, etc. -- which is all very nice but presents its own Arch-specific learning curve and tends to get in the way if you want to do something that the "Arch Way" does not encompass.
Slack users can build and install the very latest source from upstream if they wish, or they can choose not to.
Dependencies obviously exist in Slackware. They are how Linux is structured. But, for some strange reasons, perhaps, Slackware packages seem to have fewer of them.
The issue at hand affects only mobile Skylakes. Skylakes targeting desktop use are not affected.
The caveat Intel published re: Skylakes is the same caveat it has published for the previous two generation of CPU's.
What we seem to be lacking is actual evidence -- numbers -- that Linux users running on those units have seen more failures than users not running Linux.
The Windows desktop comes in last in any reasonable comparison with OS X and a modern desktop-oriented linux like Ubuntu or Mint.
The focus on backwards compatibility means, among other things, Windows is carrying around multiple ways to render fonts. None of them deliver sufficient clarity. In Windows 10, Cleartype does not affect "Modern" apps.
All the applications I use 90% of the time are available for Windows and Linux. Text in each is more difficult to read in Windows.
I find, on a Dell 27-inch 2560x1440 display,that I can see individual pixels in normal fonts from my usual viewing distance. Bold fonts are often smeary, especially at smaller sizes. Segoe UI looks acceptable in parts of the Windows interface. But, in apps that use older font rendering approaches, it's poor.
If you spend your days reading and writing, as I do, this is an important issue.
A Linux distro is a Linux distro, of course, so differences are subtle and particular. Any distro can be manipulated as much as anyone wants as long as they know how and they can deal with the implications of their changes.
Arch has more scaffolding -- dependency resolution, etc. -- which is all very nice but presents its own Arch-specific learning curve and tends to get in the way if you want to do something that the "Arch Way" does not encompass.
Slack users can build and install the very latest source from upstream if they wish, or they can choose not to.
Dependencies obviously exist in Slackware. They are how Linux is structured. But, for some strange reasons, perhaps, Slackware packages seem to have fewer of them.