GentooThis forum is for the discussion of Gentoo Linux.
Notices
Welcome to LinuxQuestions.org, a friendly and active Linux Community.
You are currently viewing LQ as a guest. By joining our community you will have the ability to post topics, receive our newsletter, use the advanced search, subscribe to threads and access many other special features. Registration is quick, simple and absolutely free. Join our community today!
Note that registered members see fewer ads, and ContentLink is completely disabled once you log in.
If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us. If you need to reset your password, click here.
Having a problem logging in? Please visit this page to clear all LQ-related cookies.
Get a virtual cloud desktop with the Linux distro that you want in less than five minutes with Shells! With over 10 pre-installed distros to choose from, the worry-free installation life is here! Whether you are a digital nomad or just looking for flexibility, Shells can put your Linux machine on the device that you want to use.
Exclusive for LQ members, get up to 45% off per month. Click here for more info.
Redcore Linux explores the idea of bringing the power of Gentoo Linux to the masses. It aims to be a very quick way to install a pure Gentoo Linux system without spending hours or days compiling from source code, and reading documentation. To achieve this goal, Redcore provides a repository with pre-built binary packages which receives continuous updates, following a rolling release model.
Gentoo is DIY distro. The installer configures and options everything to suit his/her hardware and software needs, resulting in a unique installation. That's the idea of Gentoo, it is pretty much LFS with convenience of great tools provided by Gentoo developers.
Any binary Linux distribution "based on Gentoo" defeats the whole idea of Gentoo.
the website doesn't work without javascript enabled.
the wiki & bugtracker are empty.
the distro appears to be 1 month old.
the UX most probably won't be very satisfying.
let's wait another year or so and see how they get going.
I have the pleasure to announce that Redcore Linux 1708 ISO image is now ready and available for download from usual place. This release focuses on polishing the overall look'n'feel and out of the box experience of the distribution. New features are still present though. Here is a brief changelog since Redcore Linux 1706 :
- resync with Gentoo stable portage tree (27.08.2017)
- linux kernel LTS 4.9.40 with BFQ && UKSM enabled by default
- linux kernel 4.12.x available in the repository, for those who may want to use newer kernels
- early CPU microcode updates are now enable by default for both Intel and AMD, this should improve the overall stability
- graphics stack updated to mesa 17.1.7, llvm 4.0.1, libdrm 2.4.83, xorg-server 1.19.3
- better WIFI conectivity support, broadcom, mediatek && ralink chips should now work out of the box
- better encryption support via our out of tree calamares openrc module (the installer can now create an encrypted /home partition and configure openrc to unlock it at boot)
- networkmanager + nm-applet added to repository for those who may find the default connman + cmst a bit unusual
- sisyphus-gui (our graphical package manager) gained a search bar to quickly find available packages
- booting && installing on 32bit EFI machines should now just work, all bits are in place, not enough testing was performed though
- default theme is now based on Numix instead of Greybird, so we have an overall better integrated look across the distribution
- a package cache cleaning mechanism is now enabled by default, so large upgrades won't take up most of available free disk space
- unetbootin is now once more able to properly write the iso image to a thumb drive, alongside dd, isowriter and rufus
- localization is now expanded to cover pretty much all languages, previous versions only supported English and Romanian, so now you can install Redcore in whatever language you may want
- live mode will only boot in English in Romanian though (still...this will be expanded with next release)
- fix unable to change the timezone
- fix unable to enable NTP syncronisation
- fix enabling autologin during installation didn't actually work
Note : the installer will now look for at least 20Gb HDD space and at least 2Gb RAM memory, it will refuse to proceed if those requirements aren't met !!!
In order to change Redcore into Gentoo, you need to switch to source mode, using vasile:
Code:
vasile --srcmode
In more clear terms, it will transform your Redcore system into pure Gentoo. Binary packages from the repository will be ignored, and you will only install packages building from portage tree using emerge. It will fetch the full portage tree, the overlay and portage configuration files and adjust /etc/portage/make.conf for ebuild only usage.
Raise your hand if you’ve always wanted to try Gentoo Linux but never did because you didn’t have either the time or the skills to invest in such a challenging installation. I’m sure there are plenty of Linux users out there not willing to admit this, but it’s okay, really; installing Gentoo is a challenge, and it can be very time consuming. In the end, however, installing Gentoo will result in a very personalized Linux desktop that offers the fulfillment of saying, “I did it!”
So, what’s a curious Linux user to do, when they want to experience this elite distribution? One option is to turn to the likes of Redcore Linux. Redcore does what many have tried (and few have succeeded in doing) in bringing Gentoo to the masses. In fact, Sabayon Linux is the only other distro I can think of that’s truly succeeded in bringing a level of simplicity to Gentoo Linux that many users can enjoy. And while Sabayon is still very much in active development, it’s good to know there are others attempting what might have once been deemed impossible:
Making Gentoo Linux easy
Instead of building your desktop piece by piece, system by system, Redcore (like Sabayon) brings a much more standard installation to the process. Unlike Sabayon (which gives you the options of a GNOME, KDE, Xfce, Mate, or Fluxbox editions), Redcore offers a version that ships with two possible desktop options: The LXQt desktop and Openbox. The LXQt is a lightweight desktop that offers plenty of configuration options and performs quite well on older hardware, whereas Openbox is a very minimalist take on the desktop. In fact, once you log into the Openbox desktop, you’ll be left wondering if something had gone wrong (until you right-click on the desktop to see the solitary menu).
If you’re looking for a more modern take on the desktop, neither LXQt or Openbox will be what you’re looking for. However, there is no doubt the combination of a rolling-release Gentoo-lite system that uses the LXQt and Openbox desktops will perform quite well.
The official description of the distribution is:
Redcore Linux is a distribution based on Gentoo Linux (stable + some unstable) and a continuation of, now defunct, Kogaion Linux. Kogaion Linux itself was a distribution based initially on Sabayon Linux, and later on Gentoo Linux and it was developed by RogentOS Development Group since 2011. Ghiunhan Mamut (aka V3n3RiX) himself joined RogentOS Development Group in January 2014.
If you know much about how Gentoo is structured, Redcore Linux is built from Gentoo Linux stage3. Stage3 a tarball containing a populated directory structure from a basic Gentoo system that contains no kernel, only binaries and libraries essential for bootstrapping. On top of stage3, the Redcore developers add a kernel, a bootloader and a few other items (such as dbus and Dracut), as well as configure the init system (OpenRC).
With all of that out of the way, let’s see what the installation of Redcore is like and how well it can serve as your desktop distribution.
Installation
As you’ve probably expected, the installation of Redcore is incredibly simple. Download the live ISO image, burn it to a CD/DVD or USB, insert the installation media, boot the device, log into the desktop (live username/password is redcore/redcore) and click the installer icon on the desktop. The installer used by Redcore is Calamares, which means the installation is incredibly easy and, in an instant, familiar (Figure 1)
Everything with Calamares is automatic. In other words, you won’t have to manually partition your drive or select individual packages for installation. You should be able to start and finish a Redcore installation in five or ten minutes. Once the installation completes, reboot and log in with the username/password you created during installation.
Usage
Upon login, you can select between LXQt and Openbox. I highly recommend against using Openbox. Why? Because nothing will open from the menu. I was actually quite surprised to find the Openbox desktop fairly unusable upon installation. With that in mind, select the LXQt option and be done with it.
Upon logging in, you’ll be greeted by a fairly straight-forward desktop. Click on the menu button (bottom right of screen) and search through the menu hierarchy to launch an application. The list of installed applications is fairly straightforward, with the exception of finding Steam and Wine pre-installed. You might be surprised, considering Redcore is a rolling distribution, that many of the user-crucial applications are out of date. Take, for instance, LibreOffice. Redcore ships with 5.4.5.1. The Still release of LibreOffice is currently at 5.4.6. Opening the Sisyphus GUI (front end for the Sisyphus package manager) and you’ll see that LibreOffice is up to date (according to the package manager) at 5.4.5.1 (Figure 2).
If you do see packages available for upgrade (which you might), click the upgrade button and allow the upgrade to complete. Considering this is a rolling release, you should be up to date. However, you can search through Sisyphus, locate new packages to install, and install them with ease. Installation with the Sisyphus front end is quite user-friendly.
That default browser
You won’t find a copy of Firefox or Chrome installed on Redcore. Instead, QupZilla serves as the default browser. When you do open the default browser (or if you click on the Ask for help icon on the desktop) you will find the preconfigured home page to be the recorelinux freenode.net page. Instead of being greeted by a hand-crafted application, geared toward helping new users, one must choose a nickname and venture into the world of IRC. Although one might be inclined to think that does new users a disservice, one must consider the type of “new” user Redcore will be serving: These aren’t going to be new-to-Linux users. Instead, Redcore knows its users and knows many of them are already familiar with IRC. That means users don’t have to turn to Google to search for answers. Instead, they can chat with other users and even developers to solve their problems. This, of course, does depend on those users (who might be capable of answering questions) actually be logged into the redcorelinux channel on freenode.
That default theme
I’m going to make a confession here. I’ve never understood the whole “dark theme” preference. I do understand that taste is a subjective issue, but my taste tends to lean toward the lighter themes. That’s not a problem. To change the theme for the LXQt desktop, open the menu, type desktop in the search field, and then select Customize Look and Feel. In the resulting window (Figure 3), you can select from the short list of theme options.
That target audience
So who is Redcore’s best target audience? If you’re looking to gain the benefit of Gentoo Linux, without having to go through the exhausting “get up to speed” and installation process required to compile one of the most challenging operating systems on the planet, Redcore might be what you’re looking for. It’s a very simplified means of enjoying a Gentoo-less take on Gentoo Linux. Of course, if you’re looking to enjoy Gentoo with a more modern desktop, I would highly recommend Sabayon. However, the LXQt lightweight desktop will certainly give life to old hardware. And Recore does this with a bit of Gentoo style.
Well anyone who does something for the open source world is welcome.
I'd prefer is guys would not split gentoo and focus to improve the source distro.
Gentoo already offers the overlay feature which easily allows a bigger audience to test out new packages.
I lost track on how many Fake gentoo forks are out there. Fake in regards that the config files are different, the fork does not really reassemble gentoo, the tools are different and such.
Just when you label something as gentoo or try to get the gentoo brand effect by using the word gentoo in the advertisement for the distro, it just does not justify that it's basically fraud. I talk about calculate, sabajon, funtoo, pentos to name a few distros where I looked into in regards of manuals, the respective support forum, the respective bug tracker.
--
My installation is somehow 13 years old and all those alternative distros can not manage to stick to the FHS, or can not manage to keep a rather intelligent, or rather intuitive way of placing the corresponding config files. Also the package manager usually does the same as ANDROID google play store / Spyware95 and newer / ... to just do not really asks you for the default values. It may be suited for certain guys, but I prefer to be instantly asked on how to configure my box. The default values are usually very very dangerous.
For example above to set a fixed user and password with certain privileges on a live medium. for example sysrescue cd just pops you in a shell.
--
Regarding hardened, the efforts are wasted as most of the guys run amd64 which is flawed by design. At least 6 known cpu related spy in other thread data cpu flaws are known as of now.
--
I beg your pardon to nag on your efforts
quote: - better encryption support via our out of tree calamares openrc module (the installer can now create an encrypted /home partition and configure openrc to unlock it at boot)
Just do not! Either full encrypt a box or do not do it. you leave temporarily files, and other critical data behind. Another workaround may be to work from a live CD + encrypted root.
Hi. Just downloaded the latest Redcore. Nice looking, and fast. But I'm having trouble with the package manager. I use Calibre and Chromium regularly. I can't find either in the repos. I can't find a support email for Redcore -- arrgghhh!!! Why are such common packages not in Sisyphus? Any help will be appreciated.
If you want you can install FIREFOX, GOOGLE-CHROME, OPERA or VIVALDI it's up to your personal choice
Code:
- Check your browser, after installing. The default web browser is QUPZILLA, with the search engine DUCK_DUCK_Go, a special search engine that you may be familiar with. If you want you can install FIREFOX, GOOGLE-CHROME, OPERA or VIVALDI it's up to your personal choice The web browsers can be found in the Internet section from Sisyphus Package Manager It would be advisable to add Ublock Origin extension to your browser of choice
LinuxQuestions.org is looking for people interested in writing
Editorials, Articles, Reviews, and more. If you'd like to contribute
content, let us know.
