Slugs and slides are some of the mainsail attachments.  Usually the mainsail has a boltrope finish at the luff and the foot.  It is fed into the slot in the mast or boom.  While it provides you with a maximum aerodynamic performance, because the main is attached to the mast and boom along its whole length, it still has minor disadvantages.  Ones that might make you want to use slugs or slides for your mainsail.  One disadvantage is that once the luff is out of the slot (when you lower the sail) it can fly away with the wind.  A second disadvantage (and I think a bit more serious) is that the boltrope will wear off after some time of running it up and down the slot.

There are a few different slugs available, but the main idea looks a little like the following:

Slides look more or less the same, except that eclipse thing is flat.  Their purpose is the same, as well.  They are used with the sail track - mostly (if not always) on wooden spars.

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