Install:
Let me begin by saying Gentoo Linux is NOT for anyone except the most experienced Linux user. The install process is long and time-consuming, and requires you to know everything about your hardware, right down to what module your network card uses. Also, EVERY package is compiled on your computer, which for things like the GUI (XFree86 with KDE, for example). On the upside, you can learn a lot about how Linux itself works just by reading the install book. Also, when you're all done and haven't ripped your eyeballs out from waiting for things to compile, you have a fully optimized, fast, and small distro (I've installed it on as small as 500MB). It's up to you to figure out whether it's worth the time and effort.
Package Selection:
By far the best feature of Gentoo is the Portage system, which makes installing and uninstalling things VERY easy. Once you get the system up and running, all you have to do to install something is type "emerge Foo" and it'll look up all the dependencies for Foo, download them, compile them, and you're ready to go. (For those of you not familiar with Linux, Foo is just a placeholder, not some crazy arcane package that does your taxes while letting you play a game of Quake 3 with a guy from India).
Most Annoying Feature:
Even with a Stage3 install (where most of the packages are pre-compiled) it still takes an act of congress to get this distribution to work.
Who's it best for?
I can't stress this enough, this distro is ONLY for people who have a very firm grasp of Linux. In other words, if you haven't written your own BASH shell or used cfdisk from the command line to set up disk partitions, it's best to keep this one to the side until you get a few more feathers in your proverbial cap. When you're ready, though, this is the ONLY distribution to have on your machine.
Gentoo Linux 1.4
| description: | very optimized guru distro |
| CDs: | 1 |
| estimated install time: | 1-2 days (not an exaggerration) |
rating: |
 |
date ranted: |
08/05/2003 |