Gentoo

[Jonathan Hutchins]

On Friday 05 January 2007 09:39, Jeremy Fowler wrote:

> I also am a gentoo user, exclusively. Gentoo just rocks, plain and
> simple. It sucks using a distro that uses lowest common denominator
> hardware i686 binaries and bloated packages built will all the options
> turned on. 

Yet the performance and space requirements aren't significantly different 
given today's hardware capabilities.  The main advantage is the knowledge 
that you've tweaked that last microsecond out out of the system.  

> Then there is the problem with waiting for someone to build a 
> new package to fix a bug, security vulnerability, or add a new feature.

True whether the package is in portage or RPM.  Just as easy (or hard) to fix 
yourself either way.

> Gentoo package patches are available at a much faster rate....

I would agree, if you include the patches/fixes for bonehead packaging 
mistakes that I encounter regularly.  Otherwise, if you know where to get 
them you can do as well with Mandriva, and probably with *buntu.

> , and you  build it yourself so no waiting for someone to build it for you.

You don't actually build it yourself, from the original source tarball.  99% 
of the people who run gentoo simply do "emerge <package>".  That doesn't 
require, or generate any knowledge that "urpmi <package>" doesn't.  If the 
package in portage is screwed up, it's no different than if an RPM has a 
problem - most people wait for the fix to be packaged and distributed.

> Gentoo is also a  fluid distro, meaning you always have the latest version,

Binary distros are getting better and better at updating and backporting, but 
the price you pay with Gentoo is that you have to spend significant time 
every few days updating everything, and you have to constantly tweak and 
check things, work out the bugs when they change something like the init 
system or devfs, or just do clean installs like you would with another 
distro.

My last two Mandriva updates were simply a matter of pointing to the new 
repository and doing an update.   A few issues to work out, but nothing like 
the weekly hair-pulling Gentoo causes.

As far as Gentoo breaking your system or bringing you down with a broken 
package, if that package is part of the base system it sure will.  I've seen 
more than one system knocked off-line by a failed update to part of the 
networking system.  Once you're off-line, it's a real challenge to fix.  

I've only once had a problem with an RPM killing something by not handling the 
config files correctly.  They intelligently save existing and new config 
files by default.  Gentoo requires intervention for EACH updated config file 
if you're not going to risk something taking you off line.

> Just wait a  few days and resync portage and a new package is usually
> available to fix the problem.

At first glance, this seems like a real asset to a gentoo system.  After a few 
experiences with it though, you realize that other distros don't release the 
broken package in the first place.

> No system is perfect, but for me, Gentoo's qualities far out
> weight its weaknesses.

Not for me.  For me, gentoo requires too much time be spent tinkering, and not 
enough time available to get work done with the system.