Gentoo - The Next Best Linux

Gentoo The Next Best Linux

I've been using Gentoo for almost two years now and I have no plans of switching.

I'm sure it is going to be "The Next Best Linux"

Why?

I have to say out of all the distros (Linux distributions) I have used, that this is the one of the best.

What other distros have I used? Red Hat(for years, but that is another story), Debian, Mandrake, Vector, Slackware, Xandros and others that at this time I cannot remember.

Now please understand I'm not saying that gentoo is any better than the others as that depends on your tastes and what you wish to do with your pc. I will say I think it is just as good if not better than M$.

I'm a web developer, so I use Mysql, Apache, Php4, Quanta, Gftp, MysqlCC pretty much on a daily basis. I'm always updating my site http://www.troinfo.com.

I use a bunch of other fun stuff also.

I'm also a computer tech who has worked with many other OS's and hardware for years.

At work I use Microshaft stuff as it is a (sorry) - Microsoft shop.

I will not say anything bad about it other than it does suck when someone gets a virus.

As with all OS's Gentoo has its pro's and con's.

Pro's
1. Very easy to install/uninstall software
2. Very stable
3. Very easy to customize
4. Has an awesome forum for anything Gentoo and more
5. Great documentation
6. Runs fast

Con's
1. Takes a very very very long time to do and install of the OS, oh, did I say it takes a long to time to install
2. Not for newbee's
3. Takes awhile to get the latest software - As this has become an issue.....
4. Can takes a long time to install software

Pro's

1. Very easy to install/uninstall software

If you are some what used to the linux world ofcoarse.

So what makes installing/unistalling software so easy? One word - emerge -

Say you want to install a program called amsn (IM program) you login as root and type emerge amsn and wait - done.

If you need other programs to run with it, emerge goes an gets them.

It is that simple.

Common emerge uses:

--pretend (-p short option)
instead of actually performing the merge, simply display what
ebuilds and tbz2s *would* have been installed if --pretend
weren't used. Using --pretend is strongly recommended before
installing an unfamiliar package.

--search (-s short option)
searches for matches of the supplied string in the current local
portage tree. The search string is a regular expression.
A few examples:
emerge search '^kde'
list all packages starting with kde
emerge search 'gcc$'
list all packages ending with gcc
emerge search '' or
emerge search '.*'
list all available packages

--unmerge (-C short option)
WARNING: This action can remove important packages!
Removes all matching packages without checking for outdated
versions, effectively removing a package completely from
your system. Specify arguments using the dependency specification
format described in the --clean action above.

--regen
Causes portage to check and update the dependency cache of all
ebuilds in the portage tree. This is not recommended for rsync
users as rsync updates the cache using server-side caches.
Rsync users should simply 'emerge --sync' to regenerate.

I just use emerge sync, it works great.

Now I know there is Apt-get, Yum and other package installers. You can even install Apt-get and Yum on RH and Apt-get comes with Debian.

I've just found the whole emerge thing to be better than the others

2. Very stable

I leave my pc on for months. The only reason it is not on longer is I have to switch hard drives every once in awhile. That is going to change soon as I'm setting up another pc.

I have MySql, Apache, MySqlCC, Quanta, Evolution 2, Xmms, Kde FireFox and 90 other processes running all the time.

And there is no reason to reboot to free up system resources. As in another OS.

The only time I've had an problem is when “I” did something to it. Like trying to tweak something and putting in the wrong info and then crashing the program.

Notice I said the program not the OS. Have I ever crashed the OS? yes, 3 times and all my fault.

3. Very easy to customize

You can change the way almost anything looks and acts on your system from the icons to what the bootup screens looks like.

4. Has an awesome forum for anything Gentoo

When ever I have had an issue with anything I'd goto the forum at http://www.gentoo.org and with some reading or even asking a question my issue has always been solved.

5. Great documentation

Before you attempt to install any version of Gentoo READ THE DOCUMENTATION at the Gentoo web site.

I know for a fact it will save you many hours on the install.

You will also learn a great deal about Linux in general too.

6. Runs fast

As I said I have MySql, Apache, MySqlCC, Quanta, Evolution 2, Xmms, Kde FireFox and 90 other processes running all the time.

And it still Flies.

Being that Gentoo gets compiled to specs of your pc it runs faster then just installing basic packages.

There is a price to pay for this though.

Which bring me to the cons.

Con's

1. Takes a very very very long time to do and install, did I say it takes a long to time to install

This is the biggest downside to Gentoo. I'm not going to lie to you, this can take a couple of days depending on the speed of your pc. It can take way longer if you do not read and follow the install docs.

From what I have read, this the biggest reasons people decide not to use Gentoo.

Now you do not have to compile everything. There are other types of installs which are faster. Read the Docs and you decide.

As stated before it compiles all programs for your pc. This can take a very long time depending on what you wish to install.

I suggest just getting the basic stuff installed and then take your time installing things like X and the other big programs. For the first time install from a cd not from the internet.

I would usually start the process of installing a big program before I went to bed or when I went to work.

If for any reason the install fails you can pick it up from where you left off at instead of doing the whole process all over again.

- I have to add the command for that as I can't remember what it is right now.-

This is great when it has taken a few hours to install something an it fails at about 15 minutes before it would be done.

If you have never compiled a kernel do a genkernel install. You can compile your own later, you will want. At first you really just want to get everything up and running.








2. Not for newbee's

If most of the above is Greek to you then you may want to try another distro first. Try RH, Mandrake, Xandros or Suse.

What ever you do - do try some flavor of linux. If you run into trouble there is always help.

If your brave, can follow directions and have a great deal of patience then by all means jump right in. You will learn more about Linux doing this install than you thought possible. Remember the forum.

3. Takes awhile to get the latest software



I must note that if you use ACCEPT_KEYWORDS="~x86" emerge nameofsoftware you can get the lastest and greatest software out there.


But If you plan to use just the emerge command which is what I normally do, please read on.

Not to say that the packages are old, they are not just as they say "bleeding edge". The packages are usually one maybe two versions behind what the latest version is.

From what I understand, there is a large amount of testing that is done on the programs before they are made into ebuilds (the gentoo install packages).

IMHO this works out better for you in the long run as things are more stable this way.

4. Can takes a long time to install software.

Yes it is easy to install software. It can take awhile though.

Everything is compiled but if it has been installed already it will not take as long.

It can take a long time if it is a major version upgrade.

Barring these con's which I'm sure will become less so in the future, Gentoo is well on its way to becoming -



Give it a try you'll be glad you did.

Well that is it for now. I hope this helps.

I just finished installing an upgrade to gimp so I'm going to check it out.

Thanks for checking out my blog :)

- Troy
tgentoo{@}troinfo.com
http://www.troinfo.com

Please fell free to post comments or correct anything that may be wrong.

PC Specs:
---------
2.4 G P4
1 gig mem
80 gig hard drive
Dvd player
DvD/CD burner
64 meg nvidia card
tv tuner card
56k modem
web cam
sound blaster live sound card
1.44 floppy
19" flat panel monitor
logitech optical mouse
----------------------------

posted by troinfo @ 6/18/2005 08:24:00 PM 97 comments

i am 947 years old, give or take 10 years

You can choose to believe or not. It does not really matter either way, this is more for me then anything else. i will be leaving certain dates, names and history out on purpose as in the end i must protect myself.

The account i'm using has nothing to do with me nor does the person who owns it.

Thank you,
tedros

Before i begin, you the reader must have an open mind. I'm not a writer nor do i claim to be.

It is usually very dangerous to tell my secrets to one single person. It is a heavy load to bare as it would jeopardize my life and that of whom i tell. After careful thought and consideration i decided this blog medium would be perfect for me tell my tale to those who are interested enough to listen or should i say...read. For me it is, i guess a form therapy... you know that need to tell something that you know you should not. i am after all, part human, hehe.

Yes, part human. The other half is some form of demon. It is really hard to tell which as i've never meet my father (he was/is the demon) and there are so many different types of demons. They all have different powers and abilities. But i'll get to all that later. i'd like to give you a bit of basic information about myself and others like me.

Let me start by introducing myself. my name is sintedros (sin-ta-dros). A name given to me by my father, so i'm told. i am 947 years old, give or take 10 years. i'm a light skinned black male, brown eyes (usually), tall with what used to be long straight black hair. It's short now as the latter attracts to much attention. Lastly i'm very handsome. i know what your thinking but i'm to old to gloat or be vain, thats just what i am. Most would say it's a gift but normally it's a curse.

In my time i have done some good to help the world and mankind. But there was a time, a dark time, when the mere mention of my name brought fear into the hearts of men. This was a time i am not proud of and if i had it to do over i would. Again that is another story.

What i choose to share with you now though is how i came to be. For most part, not all half demons start off as some great and horrible beast of lore. There are many who have and will go through life not even knowing what they are or could become.

It takes a great act of evil on the part of the half demon or someone else to trigger the change. Which brings us to me. As i have said i am very handsome, so for me having my pick of women was easy. At times it was even boring. There was no thrill of the chase as they say. Every once in awhile though, some women would make my blood boil. As fate would have it i meet such a young women who's beauty rivaled that of that gods and of all places i meet her at a bar or a tavern as they known.

When i walked into the tavern amongst all the noise and smoke i noticed her right away. She was the barmaid. She was of medium height, very nicely built and long dark brown hair. Her face was slim but very symmetrical and here eyes were so honest looking it hurt just thinking about what a man thinks of when he sees a women like this.

It was snowing outside, normal for that time of year for where i was. i had a hood on and kept it so till i reached a table toward the back. When i sat down and removed my hood i saw that i had caught her eye. So much so she bumped into someone almost spilling her drinks. There was a rather large man sitting at a table closer to the bar who also noticed me and the barmaids reaction. He looked quickly to make sure she was ok then gave me a dirty look. This i was used too, he was probably her husband. All the good ones are always taken. I returned his glance with a small smile and looked away for the barmaid , after all i was thirsty.


................................................. ................................... .........................

............................................................................... ....................... ............................


Forgive but something has come up, i will have to continue this later.
tedros

posted by troinfo @ 6/08/2005 09:52:00 PM 4 comments