When comparing Slackware vs BlackArch, the Slant community recommends Slackware for most people. In the question“What are the best Linux distributions for misanthropes?” Slackware is ranked 2nd while BlackArch is ranked 37th. The most important reason people chose Slackware is:
Uses stable, plain-vanilla packages from upstream.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Stable
Uses stable, plain-vanilla packages from upstream.
Pro Strong adherence to UNIX Principals
Pro Ideal to learn more of Linux
Follows the original Linux roots. It still sees Linux as a free clone of UNIX so the distribution tries to be UNIX-like.
Pro Package management
Uses standard tar archives with shell scripting as packages.
Pro One more distro which is init based
Some users don't like to install systemd based distros because they increase booting and processing speed.
Pro Oldest surviving Linux distro
Besides Debian (which was first released in August 1993), it is the oldest still maintained Linux Distribution and was first released in July 1993.
Pro Super fast
Pro No systemd
Pro Large repository
As of Feb. 26th, 2020 there are 2460 tools in the repository.
Pro Live session
You can run the OS from a LiveUSB.
Pro Better than ArchStrike
Contains many more tools than ArchStrike and far easier installation than ArchStrike
Pro Arch-based
BlackArch is just normal Arch with tons of tools preinstalled
Pro Suitable for professionals
Cons
Con Not user-friendly
It is made to be KISS (keep it simple, stupid), so you have to do everything by hand.
Con Large size live ISO
One needs to vain 3GB+ data for downloading one slackware ISO.
Con Narrow repos
Doesn't offer the same amount of options as other distros do.
Con Niche/small community
Slackware is its own niche and has a small community.
Con Very slow release cycle
Hasn't updated in 3+ years.
Con Dependency issues
When it comes to dependencies, Slackware shows more issues than many other distros.
Con Not beginner-friendly
Not great for newbies.