comprookie2000

Just keeps working year after year.

gabeyg

I managed to install gentoo on place, but it was difficult. For example, I had hard time configuring my disk in GParted to manage it to install in LiveCD and DVD. Furthermore, there was no "root" user in live. Ext3 partition mounting was really hard. WHen I tried again installing by using stable minimum cd, it worked, and it was good. But hard time managing partitions. Also, compiling errors might happen if you have slower computer such as laptop like me. (Well, i don't suffer much since i make it my computer to perform better such as overclocking and so on.) However, much has been good with Fedora now with much softwares using DVD edition install. Only con parts i found is about Wireless connection problems and wireless crashing with SELinux and audio card problems, but that can be solved easily. Since now fedora has much things that Gentoo has too, i recommend switching to Fedora, since it is easier to install and use. However, except install part, Gentoo is good.

Keruskerfuerst

I am using Gentoo for now 3 years.
At the beginning, the installation and configuration is hard.
It is a Linux distribution for learning Linux.

How works a operating system, how should be maintained, etc...

It is strongly recommend to use this distribution.

dubkat

One of the reasons i switched to Gentoo, was because I was tired of upgrading every 6 months when Fedora decided to release a new version. That meant worrying about 3rd party RPM's i downloaded might not work, downloading and burning a new disk (or net-install). It was just a hassle. I soon discovered Gentoo has WAY more packages in portage than Fedora, and none of legal crap causing configuration of multiple repositories. I also learned a lot by manually installing Gentoo on my systems.... all 5 of them (gateway, fileserver, desktop, 2 old laptops).

Oh yeah - And Gentoo is one of the very few distro's to offer grsec patched kernels and toolchains using the Gentoo Hardened profile.

I definitely Recommend Gentoo to people - Just be prepared to read documentation :)

b1f30

Gentoo has so many compile options and customization features, there are too many to list here.

Safe to say, Gentoo is *not* your run of the mill newbie/GUI distro. That does not mean, however, that you can't download the minimal installer and get it up and running on your own. The documented Handbook is clear and concise, and will help you get better acquainted with the guts and inner workings of a truly powerful Linux system:

http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/handbook/

The requirements are moderate (I have numerous friends who've been able to install it and run it on their laptops with only a few wireless issues outstanding), but don't try making it work on anything slower than a PII I'd say.

The package selection is feature rich, with compile time options that come by the dozens in the form of USE flags:

http://www.gentoo.org/dyn/use-index.xml

Keep in mind, it's recommended that your first time out with Gentoo to keep your USE flags to a minimum to reduce compile times and breakage - don't be too aggressive from the get go. Take some time and read the handbook and learn what exactly it is you're doing.

Desktops are abundant - you can build KDE, GNOME, Xfce, fluxbox, windowmaker, enlightenment, you name it - all with a simple command:

Keeping your system secure and up to date is as simple as a one line command:

The bugtrack is alive and kicking 24/7:

https://bugs.gentoo.org/

Gentoo is for the Linux enthusiast, the 'ricer', the power geek. It's powerful, flexible, with a very lively user base and community.

I highly recommend it to anyone who really wants to learn Linux the right way, the first time. I wish I had Gentoo or Slackware before I tried Mandrake or Red Hat.

Just my two cents.

LaurelRaven

Took a few tries to get a Gentoo install that worked, but once I did, it was well worth it. Even a failed attempt at installing and configuring Gentoo will teach a novice user a lot about how Linux works, and for this reason, I HIGHLY recommend people to try it out.

If you stick with it long enough to get it working, it is very stable, and Portage is quite simply the best package manager out there (in my opinion).

I don't know how, but Gentoo also has the most attractive command line I've ever worked with. The default colors and fonts that are used are simple and appealing to look at.

The best part of Gentoo is it assumes absolutely nothing about what YOU would want on a Linux box. As Larry the Cow says, it's all about choice. You want only the three packages you will use, and the barest dependencies answered? You got it. You want hundreds upon hundreds of seemingly useless packages that you will likely never use or need, but "just in case..."? Long as you don't mind the compile time, you got it.

Another great feature is never having to download a new disk to install a new version. Heck, you never have to download a new version! You just update your system with a simple "emerge --sync" followed by "emerge -Du world", and you will have all the latest packages offered on the latest 2007-2008-2042 or whatever year CD, even though you installed from a 2005 CD.

No matter what else I try, I am always drawn back to Gentoo, and I recommend anyone who gets the opportunity to try it, seize it!