I'm considering installing Gentoo linux. but I have a few questions...

1. How easy is it to install with precompiled binarys?

2. How easy is it to install by compiling yourself, and then to compile (and install) extras such as X, KDE, and TuxRacer?

3. If you compile your own programs, how compatable will they be with your setup (sorry if this is a noob question, i'm new to "compile-your-own" linux)?

4. Where would I download the version of gentoo that I have to compile? When I went to the gentoo website, they had several sub-divisions for different processors, I just want to compile for my own processor.


-thanks

I would say that your first time installing gentoo will be the toughest. Using the precompiled binaries doesn't make it *that* much easier; it's main advantage is that it saves you time, versus compiling everything yourself.

As I said above, your first time installing Gentoo will be the toughest. If you choose to bootstrap and compile everything yourself, be prepared to spend a lot of time compiling, even on a fast computer. The big advantage here is that you can choose your compile settings and optimize Gentoo for your particular hardware. Personally, I am much more satisfied installing Gentoo this way because I am able to fine tune it for my particular needs.

This depends on a couple of things. One is the optimization settings you choose in make.conf. In general, safer settings result in a more stable environment, while aggressive settings result in the opposite. Compatibility is also determined by the modules you choose to include in your kernel. If you're not sure of what should be included, 'genkernel' will give you a kernel with just about everything in it, much the same way the Gentoo live CD does.

If you are starting from stage1 or stage2, it really isn't that important. Assuming you have an x86 machine, grab the Universal LiveCD for x86 machines and install from there. If you are starting from stage3 (precompiled binaries) then you will have to get the flavor that is the closest match for your CPU. Search for your CPU in the Gentoo Forums if you are not sure which one to use.

As an aside, I saw your earlier post and just wanted to let you know that I have set up my laptop with only Gentoo, and I use it mainly for surfing and playing Neverwinter Nights (yay! I don't need to carry the CD with me anymore!). For me, NWN runs better on Linux than in Windows.

Good luck with your install.

Wow, thanks for your help...

I have one more question, is it better to download the universal liveCD or the minimal? I read on the Gentoo website that the minimal is exactally the same as the live, except that it downloads the packages from the internet.

That is correct. The minimal CD only contains the stuff you need to boot your computer, set up your networking, and begin the installation. You would have to download the source for all packages from the internet.

The Universal CD contains packages for a particular architecture, so you don't have to download them while you are installing. These are only 'snapshots' of the packages on a certain date, so they may not be the most current, but you can always update them later using emerge.

In my case, I have a P4-M, which is a pretty common architecture, and I wanted something stable. So I used a Universal CD for my installation and started from stage 2 just to get my system going. Then I updated everything later using emerge. It still took a day or two to get my system where I wanted it, but it's been very stable and I'm very satisfied with the results.

OK, I Have an athlon thunderbird, so I'm going to get the universal x86 CD and start from stage 1

In fact, I'm posting from links off the gento boot cd