Quote:
Originally Posted by sl4cker
I like the so called *bleeding technology* of Linux but Slackware doesn't have the bleeding tech.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sl4cker
I also like how Gentoo uses portage; I think portage was a really good idea and I favour compiling everything from source anyway.
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Based on these it sounds like your best bet would be Gentoo. If you just want to custom compile a few packages here and there, Arch is great, but if you'd rather compile most or all of your system, Gentoo is the best option.
All three are fairly 'advanced' distros that will eventually require you to get your hands dirty using the command line and poking at configuration files. Slackware is probably the most solid and reliable of the three, and makes a great server, but although it is fairly up-to-date, it isn't quite as bleeding-edge as Arch or Gentoo.
Both Arch and Gentoo have great package managers that make it easy to keep your system up-to-date. Arch's system is designed to use mostly binary packages, with the option to compile the occasional custom package should you so desire, and does this very well. Gentoo's system, on the other hand, is designed to do everything from source, and if that's the route you want to take, will probably suit you better. Be aware, though that major updates (and the initial install) will take a
very long time.
That said, the only way to know for sure which you like is to try them. Download the install ISOs and give them a spin. You have nothing to lose but your time.