Comments on: using gentoo http://wonkabar.org/2010/02/19/using-gentoo/ linux, databases, cartoons and cornflakes Tue, 31 Aug 2010 02:54:37 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Quake_Sinatra http://wonkabar.org/2010/02/19/using-gentoo/comment-page-1/#comment-51253 Quake_Sinatra Fri, 26 Feb 2010 02:11:41 +0000 http://wonkabar.org/?p=1168#comment-51253 I think the gist of the comments ( and i wholeheartedly agree) is that Gentoo IS. Gentoo is as stable as its user is, if i want to run ~amd64 programs i can FORCE the machine to let me. The install (done it a few times recently - for tests on hardware) and for the most part the base install is less than 40 minutes - compilation of X and GCC took about an hour so on decent hardware i hard a workable desktop in about 2 hours - not bad. Gentoo is what it is, that is the argument for it. It is what you make of it, it is what you want to do to it. It is the only distro outside of the slack, ryol crowd that isnt cookie cutter. If you dont like Gentoo - you probably dont need any customized distro. More power to those that want a custom distro whether they use it as such or not. Sound fanboy enough to you? Gentoo since 2003 - one home partition the whole time :) I think the gist of the comments ( and i wholeheartedly agree) is that Gentoo IS.
Gentoo is as stable as its user is, if i want to run ~amd64 programs i can FORCE the machine to let me. The install (done it a few times recently - for tests on hardware) and for the most part the base install is less than 40 minutes - compilation of X and GCC took about an hour so on decent hardware i hard a workable desktop in about 2 hours - not bad. Gentoo is what it is, that is the argument for it. It is what you make of it, it is what you want to do to it. It is the only distro outside of the slack, ryol crowd that isnt cookie cutter. If you dont like Gentoo - you probably dont need any customized distro. More power to those that want a custom distro whether they use it as such or not. Sound fanboy enough to you?
Gentoo since 2003 - one home partition the whole time :)

]]> By: H.Habighorst http://wonkabar.org/2010/02/19/using-gentoo/comment-page-1/#comment-51241 H.Habighorst Mon, 22 Feb 2010 10:57:43 +0000 http://wonkabar.org/?p=1168#comment-51241 Well... I've always returned to Gentoo on my Desktop System because it has got one major bonus against (most) distributions: Normally, If an app doesn't work, you are forced to wait - or you'll need to rebuild the whole package. If I compare the work of rebuilding the package with patches, checking etc against emerge... Hm, it's definitely more simply. The second argument against Gentoo is... it compiles you to heaven. Well, dunno if anyone knows about Moores Law... But on most computers today compiling isn't slow and it doesn't take days. The third argument against Gentoo is the installation - well. I'll be quiet as I don't know the last time when I installed Gentoo (3-4 years?!?). Only thing that was a bit troublesome was the conversion to Ext4, but thanks to Live CDs and a bit of knowledge, it worked out very well. Hmpf... Unstable Gentoo... Lemme think... Yeah. There are those types of users who don't know what they're doing or know that they're doing something that CAN lead to unstableness(but ignore it, hey why should this happen to me?). But this isn't gentoo's weakness, it's his biggest pro: You can do whatever you want. You can even force the system to be unstable or to do things that are not realiable. Gentoo is the way you want - you'll just need to configure it. And I think that's the point where someone cannot simply write: Gentoo is not stable... Well... I've always returned to Gentoo on my Desktop System because it has got one major bonus against (most) distributions:

Normally, If an app doesn't work, you are forced to wait - or you'll need to rebuild the whole package.

If I compare the work of rebuilding the package with patches, checking etc against emerge... Hm, it's definitely more simply.

The second argument against Gentoo is... it compiles you to heaven. Well, dunno if anyone knows about Moores Law... But on most computers today compiling isn't slow and it doesn't take days.

The third argument against Gentoo is the installation - well. I'll be quiet as I don't know the last time when I installed Gentoo (3-4 years?!?). Only thing that was a bit troublesome was the conversion to Ext4, but thanks to Live CDs and a bit of knowledge, it worked out very well.

Hmpf... Unstable Gentoo... Lemme think... Yeah. There are those types of users who don't know what they're doing or know that they're doing something that CAN lead to unstableness(but ignore it, hey why should this happen to me?). But this isn't gentoo's weakness, it's his biggest pro: You can do whatever you want. You can even force the system to be unstable or to do things that are not realiable. Gentoo is the way you want - you'll just need to configure it.

And I think that's the point where someone cannot simply write: Gentoo is not stable...

]]> By: Nigel http://wonkabar.org/2010/02/19/using-gentoo/comment-page-1/#comment-51238 Nigel Sun, 21 Feb 2010 00:08:06 +0000 http://wonkabar.org/?p=1168#comment-51238 Hi, I'm a user of gentoo stable. I'm not a admin or developer, just a user. I installed my first gentoo desktop in 2005 on a dell 450Mhz optiplex GX1. The box is still going. I moved it from a kernel 2.4 to 2.6 and removed X in about 2007. Its now a wifi / router/ web server. Its never had a reinstall. I keep it up to date. Its slow to upgrade. SCREEN -r is great for emerging. Its on 24/7 so speed is not important. I now have 2 laptops, 2 desktops and 1 server running gentoo at home. (1 windows XP for work) My son (5years) uses gentoo on one of the desktops. Gentoo Rocks! Keep up the great work Steve. I have only just started adding content to the gentoo wiki. Nigel Hi, I'm a user of gentoo stable. I'm not a admin or developer, just a user. I installed my first gentoo desktop in 2005 on a dell 450Mhz optiplex GX1. The box is still going. I moved it from a kernel 2.4 to 2.6 and removed X in about 2007. Its now a wifi / router/ web server. Its never had a reinstall. I keep it up to date. Its slow to upgrade. SCREEN -r is great for emerging. Its on 24/7 so speed is not important.

I now have 2 laptops, 2 desktops and 1 server running gentoo at home. (1 windows XP for work)
My son (5years) uses gentoo on one of the desktops.

Gentoo Rocks!

Keep up the great work Steve.

I have only just started adding content to the gentoo wiki.

Nigel

]]> By: David http://wonkabar.org/2010/02/19/using-gentoo/comment-page-1/#comment-51237 David Sat, 20 Feb 2010 16:36:14 +0000 http://wonkabar.org/?p=1168#comment-51237 Great stuff. I have compiled some reasons for using Gentoo here: http://tech.thedesignhut.net/WhyGentoo :-) Great stuff. I have compiled some reasons for using Gentoo here:

http://tech.thedesignhut.net/WhyGentoo

:-)

]]> By: rgk http://wonkabar.org/2010/02/19/using-gentoo/comment-page-1/#comment-51234 rgk Fri, 19 Feb 2010 23:14:00 +0000 http://wonkabar.org/?p=1168#comment-51234 I completely agree, no distro is perfect but Gentoo just works for me. I've been using Gentoo since 2006 now and I must say, I'm just as much as a fanboy as I was since I first installed it. I completely agree, no distro is perfect but Gentoo just works for me. I've been using Gentoo since 2006 now and I must say, I'm just as much as a fanboy as I was since I first installed it.

]]> By: Benedikt Böhm (Hollow) http://wonkabar.org/2010/02/19/using-gentoo/comment-page-1/#comment-51233 Benedikt Böhm (Hollow) Fri, 19 Feb 2010 22:19:40 +0000 http://wonkabar.org/?p=1168#comment-51233 i've never thought about it from that pov, but you're totally right. i love my job as a gentoo admin and my customers are really happy with it too. great post :) i've never thought about it from that pov, but you're totally right. i love my job as a gentoo admin and my customers are really happy with it too. great post :)

]]> By: dufeu http://wonkabar.org/2010/02/19/using-gentoo/comment-page-1/#comment-51232 dufeu Fri, 19 Feb 2010 21:29:48 +0000 http://wonkabar.org/?p=1168#comment-51232 If Gentoo is still fun enough for me to even now remain a fanboi at least as long as you, it's should darn well be fun enough for _you_ to remain a fanboi too! As for distro stability, my primary thought on the matter: An allegedly "stable" distro means you're frozen at whatever package versions work best with the version of the "stable" distro you have installed. i.e. What packages are released with it. It's my experience that packages outside of the distro's repository are simply too problematic for bother with. If you think there might be a grain of truth in the above, let's think about some of the implications: 1) To get upgraded versions of most packages, one has to wait for the distro maintainer to upgrade the package versions for you. This is essentially one of the version upgrade drivers for most other distros. 2) Not only are most end users dependent on individual distros upgrade schedule for package version upgrades, packages not in a particular distro repository are simply not available to them. Gentoo breaks the user dependency on distros by specifically putting the user in charge of their own definition of stability, desirability of new features and, with the help of the community through layman, what packages outside the normal repository they want to install. If Gentoo is still fun enough for me to even now remain a fanboi at least as long as you, it's should darn well be fun enough for _you_ to remain a fanboi too!

As for distro stability, my primary thought on the matter:

An allegedly "stable" distro means you're frozen at whatever package versions work best with the version of the "stable" distro you have installed. i.e. What packages are released with it. It's my experience that packages outside of the distro's repository are simply too problematic for bother with.

If you think there might be a grain of truth in the above, let's think about some of the implications:

1) To get upgraded versions of most packages, one has to wait for the distro maintainer to upgrade the package versions for you. This is essentially one of the version upgrade drivers for most other distros.

2) Not only are most end users dependent on individual distros upgrade schedule for package version upgrades, packages not in a particular distro repository are simply not available to them.

Gentoo breaks the user dependency on distros by specifically putting the user in charge of their own definition of stability, desirability of new features and, with the help of the community through layman, what packages outside the normal repository they want to install.

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