More fun to build or just use?
 

I think my brain has shorted out and caused a synaptical convergence on the logistical thinking of the right brain whereas the left brain has now taken over and changed my work methods. :D

When I started with Linux about 8 months ago I thought it was darn cool to install different distros and get them up and running quickly to be able to use them for everyday use and leave it at that. THEN, about 2 months ago I got this urge to install different distros and instead of just getting them up and running satisfactorily I've had a penchant to build each one slowly while tweaking it along the way until it was optimized to no end. Then last week I reformatted all 3 of my drives and started from scratch and have gotten Fedora Core, Gentoo, Arch Linux and Debian up and running exactly as I want them (quick and feature full) but I don't have a feeling of stopping yet, its like a madness that just keeps growing.

"Clear the way Sarge, there's plenty of Pez to be gathered before we're done"

rberry88

I think the most fun part is after you've tweaked to your heart's content and gotten everything perfect: using it on a daily basis without even having to think about it.

i agree with wapcaplet, once you get everything perfect theres realy no need for further tweeking (unless your a programs/developer testing/ just wtiring code for fun then testing it), but for a regualr system just once its prefect y use something else? that said that one reason i chose to use core linux (might wanna try it), first time i tryed to install it it didtnet boot right, its just rebooted (that was also my first time even working with linux so what ya expect?), then i tryed a few others, all iether didnet download (windows wont let me download anyhting big, it jsut stops and says its finished around 500mb, most distors are 600-700mb :( ), i even tryed LFS to get the costomizleitiy i wanted (that dident work either cuse i only had a root usuer to work with then, and aparently it cause it to error out, strange), so i whent back to were i started and this time only installed the basics (perl, and shadow passwords i left out in other words), recompiles everything 2 times to update and remove errors that could be in the programs, and now i have a working system that suits my everyneeds, instead of just geting a new distro i jsut recompile or compile new software instead untill i get what i want (sence linux dont have everyhitng i want im trying to learn to use the xlib library :)), all works out in the end without buying or downloading 500+mb iso's and wasting more cd's burning them

Some may consider it wasting cd's to burn ISO's but since they are pretty cheap its not really a concern, I have more AOL coasters laying around than anything else.

I thought about staying with just one distro but then I read about the other package managers that exist in other distros and just have to try them out, who knows maybe that new one just may be the right one for me. If you just want a computer to setup and use and leave it at that then you're perfectly right in thinking that you just need a distro that suits you that you can get working but I like to play and tinker and tweak to no end. I have Fedora, Gentoo and Arch setup pretty decent that will handle just about any day-to-day task that I need. However, I can't just stand by and let that empty 80GB (third) hard drive just sit there empty. To me, its calling out for me to fill it with a new distro and test/tweak/play away.

Just my 2 cents.

rberry88

Yeah, happens to me all the time:rolleyes:
I guess that is why I love Slackware, and Gentoo, and FreeBSD..............

Bit of both really ; there's clearly a certain satisfaction in tweaking/optimising an install over the months and incrementally improving it - however, there's also clearly a certain fun element in regularly trying out new distribution releases etc - it's all good....... :)

Haven't really been too interested in building so far...just messing around with it once it's built.
I could use my system as is for just about anything, but I keep discovering new things to play with...make the interface look a bit different one day, write a pointless script to save me typing 10 characters another day, loosen a few screws to see what happens another day, etc....computing has never been just about accomplishing a task for me. I like to tinker with it, whether it be for the sake of optimizing, or just for the heck of it.

hmm. howabouts taking it a step further, and start tweeking with custom built hardware? now THAT'S a 'shorted out' brain :D