I took a bit of an odd path after Slackware, running OpenBSD as a desktop OS. I used Window Maker, and one tangential benefit was that none of my friends knew how to use my computer, so couldn't muck around with it much.
Now, I'm on macOS with the 2017 15 inch Touch Bar MacBook Pro. I like it actually (I only wish I could replace the keyboard and/or open it in case I get gunk inside it). Only because I never used the function keys and it's a neat little hackable toy (the touch bar that is). My escape is caps lock, so the esc key doesn't bother me. I'm spoiled and entrenched in the Apple, iOS, WatchOS eco system. I constantly think about getting another Thinkpad, probably daily.
I started using Slackware Linux in 1994. I was 12 and it was the best way to get a lot of software for free (I only cared about 'free as in beer' then).
Around 98ish, a friend and I made an extra buck by buying CheapBytes CDs in the US and and selling them relabeled in The Netherlands. Surprisingly our Tripod webpage is still online in its 90ies glory, with tiny screenshots ;):
But when I started the Infomagic Linux Developer's Resource CD-ROM sets were a big thing:
https://www.amazon.com/Linux-Developers-Resource-6-CD-Set/dp...
There was a new version every few months with multiple distributions and IIRC TSX-11 and sunsite.unc.edu. Of course, the Walnut Creek Slackware and FreeBSD sets were also great.
It was Slackware that gave me the opportunity to play with something UNIX like at home, but then as UI/UX focused developer I followed a different path of desktop friendly distributions, Red-Hat, Mandrake, SuSE, Ubuntu, to eventually settle in Windows/OS X on desktop systems.
But yeah, learned a lot. Knowing Linux deeply helped getting some of the projects that worked as jumping stone for something else.
I eventually moved to Debian and its derivatives and now I only use Linux in a docker container or in a VM, but I’ll always look back on that time in my life fondly b/c it’s what shaped the basis for so much of my computing life. My career as an adult has had lots of pivots, but I can confidently say that I wouldn’t have my current day job if it weren’t for all the stuff being a Slackware user taught me 20 years ago.
Happy 25th, Slackware!