Just Moved to Gentoo Linux!

[faulkner132]

I'm a long time Windows user (10 years) or so just made the switch on my home PC to Gentoo Linux.

I've never used Linux before but am learning a lot about it very quickly. Set up actually was not really that hard... I compiled my own kernel (not using the all-encompassing kernel provided) and now have KDE up and running on it.

The biggest difference I have found is the software install paradigm. Still getting used to the Linux/Gentoo way, but for the most part Gentoo's portage system makes it pretty easy. Just takes a long time to compile some of them... KDE (base part alone) took well over 3 hours on an AMD 2600+.

Bottom line, Gentoo will make you learn a lot and realize you have a lot to learn about Linux. Their forums are helpful, documentation is excellent, and system is VERY fast. In addition, it's not as daunting as it is made out to be, you just really have to know your system hardware if you are going to compile your own kernel... other than that, its not bad at all.

I'll still be using Windows at work (of course), I just wanted to become an "expert" (right) on an OS more powerful and about $200 less every two years (free)... and besides, it has more than enough software for free that I would ever need/use and a "Windows equivalent" is available for everything I use.

Hope to see more people moving to it (or any Linux system for that matter) in the future!

[MichaelS]

Congrats... I've been using Slack for some time, but i've been meaning to try Gentoo. Glad to hear you got it up and running!

Mike

[Winnipesaukee]

Excellent work, congrats. I had Slack and wanted to try Gentoo-- so 3 hours later I got it working, and about a week later when I went to move the hard drive, I dropped it (NOT fun). I currently have Slack again on my new drive. I guess its fine for me

[rspassey]

Makes me want to create dual boot, I have been trying a bunch on distros out on an older pc, and well love it and it appears to be a challenge to learn the syntax and commands, not like with command prompt where i can bassically do almost everything out of it. Would you recomend setting up a dual boot with gentoo?

[catacon]

I'm using Fedora Core 4 and I like it. Has tons of software and also tons to download too. I also used SuSE Pro and Debian for a while. SuSE is very easy to setup and has lots of software, I like it. Debian is a bit more difficult to setup, but has tons of software and is nice once you get it configured the way you want. I stopped using it because my sound card did not work well with it. Anyway, glad you got it working and hope you keep using it.

[faulkner132]

Originally Posted by ryan124712 Makes me want to create dual boot, I have been trying a bunch on distros out on an older pc, and well love it and it appears to be a challenge to learn the syntax and commands, not like with command prompt where i can bassically do almost everything out of it. Would you recomend setting up a dual boot with gentoo?

ryan,

Depends... if you are doing it for recreation and to learn a few things then absolutely. However, if you really want to learn the system then I would recommend going strictly to Linux.

If you put it on an older computer or on a separate partition, you end up playing with Linux for a few days, booting back to Windows where you are comfortable, and never bothering again (I know because I did this twice). You have to dedicate yourself. I'm no expert but in using only Linux for 2 weeks, I know infinitely more about it than I would had I merely messed around with it for a year.

One step back to take two steps forward. Besides, I will *always* be using Windows (Servers and Desktops) where I work, so why not? Change is a good thing.

Just my 2 cents...

[Ind-PC_student]

Yes that is very well done but i will wait until gentoo will bring out their new GLI installer now that installer is in its 0.1 stage

[Colonel Sanders]

I had Gentoo on my P3 600MHz, it took about 2 days (minus one interuption in which my cable modem failed for some odd amount of time, multiple hours. . .) to compile KDE. I did not get the screensavers or KDM to work. I do plan to try Gentoo again, however I got upset after one of their support members in the IRC was being a complete jerk and that was when I decided to install SuSE. . .

I like SuSE, except I'm haveing a lot of trouble with YaST. I can not install dvdcss, I can not get DVD playback, I'm haveing a lot of trouble installing more recent RPMs for some packages. . . A lot of the time, it seems like YaST has just finished installing something successfully, but nothing will change.

L J