Why Slackware? Partly because it is what I started with when SLS was no more, and a lot because it adheres much more to the Unix philosophy than the rest. The adage of "Learn Ubuntu and you know Ubuntu [1], but learn Slackware and you know Unix" is in many ways true.
[1] Substitute any other "hand holding" disto. of choice for Ubuntu if you like.
Low end: 2Ghz P4 Celeron High end: 2.4Ghz Xeon
With a couple more resting in between.
Distro: Slackware on everything.
Why Slackware? Partly because it is what I started with when SLS was no more, and a lot because it adheres much more to the Unix philosophy than the rest. The adage of "Learn Ubuntu and you know Ubuntu [1], but learn Slackware and you know Unix" is in many ways true.
[1] Substitute any other "hand holding" disto. of choice for Ubuntu if you like.