Gentoo Install

[esc]

Gentoo is great.  You can make it as simple or complicated as you want, and the system will be very minimal until you decide what applications/utils to install.

Ubuntu/Debian will give you pretty much everything you need by default...which for many people is great, but it will be bloated.  If you like bloat and just want a quick install, it's a great way to go.

I, personally, prefer to have complete control over my system.  So, for me, Gentoo is a better distribution.  Plus, by merely installing Gentoo, you'll probably learn a lot more about linux and your computer than using Ubuntu long-term.  Just my two cents

[esc]

Untrue. With Debian you get to choose the type of the system you want to install.

Just deselect everything and you have very basic system without any extra packages.


How does Gentoo give you any more control than say Debian?


http://funroll-loops.info/#fourth

The thing is that Debian still automates much of the (most of the) install process, whereas with Gentoo, it's all done manually.  Watching the text scroll by doesn't do squat, but learning how to optimize make flags for your architecture, how to manually set up block devices, networking, etc, ends up being quite a good lesson in computing.  It's not a system where you click install and things "just work" - it takes some time and ingenuity.  Also, I'm not badmouthing Debian or Ubuntu at all...I have Ubuntu on the family computer because it's easier to update and maintain for other members of my family.

The "control" factor is because with Gentoo, you manually select everything that you need, and you compile it fresh for your install with your compile flags.  Ubuntu and Debian package management is still binary based; if you want to compile things with Debian, you still need to download the package, configure, and make && make install...which most people can't really be bothered to do.

After using both distros for many years, sometimes Ubuntu feels better to me because it "just works."  However, having to figure out every last detail of a Gentoo install to make it work has made me more intimately familiar with my computer hardware and the way it interfaces with software, and a lot of the voodoo magic behind why an operating system works makes a lot more sense to me.

[esc]

This is for Piru -

I think you and I will just have to agree to disagree.  Calling one thing better than another is completely subjective, and quite ridiculous.  The word "better" should NEVER be used when making a comparison, because one person's idea of better can be completely different from someone else's...but I digress.

As someone that has used linux for many years, and used everything from Slackware, Mandrake, Redhat, Gentoo, Debian, Ubuntu, Arch...and some BSD's...I can say that my personal preference is to build my desktop step by step.  I like to buy specific hardware, screw it all together, plug it in, and then manually build my operating system.

I am also someone that likes to build cars from parts.  My daily driver is a '67 Chevy with a brand new Corvette motor...which I build by hand-selected parts.

My point is not to show off.  My point is to illustrate that some people are happy with plug-and-play; some people like to work with the nuts and bolts and learn the why and how.

[esc]

Okay fine, but I'd argue that you can learn with Debian and Ubuntu as well, but you're not forced to deal with the nuts and bolts, like you are if you go for Gentoo.

As such I certainly wouldn't recommend Gentoo for anyone as their first Linux experience.

Fair enough  Yes, that's probably true, come to think of it...not the best for a first timer.

FWIW - Sabayon is a great distro for Virtualbox, and is Gentoo based.  The guest additions work now, out-of-the-box, and it is pre-built with a GUI of your choice.