First, in reply to "just install debian" slackware is smaller, cleaner, and more efficient... (personal opinion, like before no riots please) I am currently using ubuntu, but on a default install it takes 10 minutes to startup -- that is absurd -- and the gui is necessary for my wife - she is learning, but still does not have a good grasp on non-gui operations

Why would you need Debian packages? Slackware has a bunch:

http://www.linuxpackages.net/
Its all about the dependencies... that is why i was looking into slapt-get, however, then it depends on the developer to put in the dependency information...

also, i would compile everything from source, but what happens when i install something, use it, and then don't need it anymore and there is not a package of the most current version...

//Sorry for the offtopic intrusion
not off topic at all because one of the main driving points of my question is automatic dependency resolution for those who no longer have time (because of wife, work, kids, etc...) to figure out the problem manually...