Slackware is GREAT !  I'm a fan since distro v.4
I have only ever had ONE (common) weird experience with it.

After trying to incorrectly install tainted nVidia drivers ...
the X server would bomb, and I'd be dropped into command line mode.
I kinda expected that, but the keyboard layout also
defaulted back to a German keyboard.  Patrick's German layout.
So, the "Y" key and the "Z" key (and a BUNCH of others)
were not where I expected.

I think he may have compiled and hard-coded console things to
get around kernel issues (during v.2.2 - v.2.6) for the GPM.
Where other distros would completely PANIC (on the same hardware)
Slackware would let me re-edit the X server config (using German keys).

Anyway, I'd recommend that a Slackware admin try out a German key layout.
At least once, just to see where the "slash" key ends up.
:-)

Take a look:
http://www.aufgehts.com/sup_Germankeyboard.html

Oh, and BTW, if you are NOT using LILO,  then every power-up your PC does,
risks writing to the master boot record.  Only LILO is guaranteed to leave it alone.
All versions of GRUB can rewrite the MBR (or GPT), during boot.