So, my Gentoo runs since 2005. It's so old, th...

2012-06-04T09:47:47.194-07:00

So, my Gentoo runs since 2005. It's so old, that I still run 32 Bit, though my actual CPU is a 64 Bit one. This was the only thing, you cannot handle with Gentoo. But, the whole System has been ported to several new hard disk, mother boards and CPUs. Try that with Windows ;)

I agree wholeheartedly with almost everything you...

2012-04-20T11:37:10.460-07:00

I agree wholeheartedly with almost everything you wrote, but have a few comments:

You mentioned that you think the biggest obstacle for a newcomer to Gentoo is to configure the kernel "if you don't want to use default/safe settings". I think it's the biggest obstacle, full stop, i.e. without the caveat. I would say that 'Working with Kernel Seeds: The ins and outs of kernel configuration' (http://kernel-seeds.org/working.html) should be obligatory reading for any newcomer attempting to build a kernel.

Regarding compilation times, sometimes it is still worth installing Gentoo even if compilation times are lengthy: I'm thinking about legacy hardware. For example, I was very dissatisfied with the performance of several Linux distributions on a 2000-vintage Gateway Solo 9300 laptop (Pentium III Coppermine) and so decided to install Gentoo. Compilation times on this old hardware are incredibly long for bigger packages such as Midori or Firefox, but it was still worth installing Gentoo because the performance of the OS and applications are significantly better than the performance of the binary distributions I installed on that laptop in the past.

I fully endorse your comments about Stable vs Testing ('bleeding-edge') in Gentoo: there really isn't that much difference. I think newcomers should be strongly encouraged to avoid Testing, as installing it is just asking for trouble at some point. One of my machines is running Testing and another Stable, and, as you wrote, there is not such a big difference in the package versions. Furthermore, world updates are much smoother on the latter. In fact, on any new laptop that I buy in future, I'll be installing Gentoo Stable rather than Testing, and, as you wrote, will be keywording for ~arch only those packages for which I really need to install an unstable/untested version.

As for the package manager, Portage is excellent and I find it a pleasure to use. In the five years that I've been using Portage it has consistently improved.

Gentoo is too good for it to disappear. I think it will continue to fill a niche occupied by technically-savvy power users and tinkerers. It is not for mainstream users and is most certainly not for newcomers to Linux, but for an experienced Linux user who is prepared to roll his/her sleeves up from time to time, Gentoo is very rewarding.

For those who don't want to compile everything...

2012-04-19T11:57:22.077-07:00

For those who don't want to compile everything on their own, but are interested in the rolling concept of gentoo, I could also recommend Sabayon.

Comments on YJL: Three years with Gentoo

So, my Gentoo runs since 2005. It's so old, th...

I agree wholeheartedly with almost everything you...

For those who don't want to compile everything...