Gentoo Users Assemble!

Cat1yst said:
How long does it take for you guys to install gentoo...i know if you have a Daemon its well about 3 mins....what about manually?
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On my current computer, it takes about 30 minutes from start to finish to boot into the install. Another 2 hours to get kde installed.

Granted, I have all of my config files backup up, so I just copy them over and don't really have to do anything manually anymore except d/l and untar the files.

Compiling isn't really an issue on this computer (Quad 6600 w/8 GB RAM). On a slower computer, it takes a reasonable amount of time (about an hour for the initial install, a few more for the desktop if applicable).
 
I have Gentoo running on my IBM T60 at work, my home workstation, and my PXE server at home.

I can get a base Gentoo install up in less than an hour including download time from a minimal livecd (or my live environment on my PXE server).
 
Volkum said:
I have Gentoo running on my IBM T60 at work, my home workstation, and my PXE server at home.

I can get a base Gentoo install up in less than an hour including download time from a minimal livecd (or my live environment on my PXE server).
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yup round abt that time. If you spend a bit of time there is only ~20 command that actually need to be run.

If you use DRobbin's funtoo stage3 tarballs the install time is drasctically cut since they are rolled weekly so are upto date
 
I first installed it in the summer of 2003. I kinda phased out of it for a while but recently installed 2007.0 on my main machine. It's a great distro, I love it.
 
Another question...can i just do the basic network config for my current plug and play wired NIC card? even if i want wireless support later? or am i going to have to follow the instructions and make it native? The NIC chipset i have is RealTek's RTL-8185...if someone could give me a hand that would be awesome, if not ill just do my best
 
Cat1yst said:
Another question...can i just do the basic network config for my current plug and play wired NIC card? even if i want wireless support later? or am i going to have to follow the instructions and make it native? The NIC chipset i have is RealTek's RTL-8185...if someone could give me a hand that would be awesome, if not ill just do my best
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At one point in the process, when you get to compiling the kernel, in menuconfig you'll get to choose hardware support. Then you can choose to make it built-in (*) or a module (M). Later on if you need new support, just recompile again if you don't yet have support. I use genkernel, makes it a little easier, ymmv.

Not sure about support for the 8185 yet, seems there's a project aiming to wrap-up all Realtek support.
 
I'm currently using it for my home file server and VPS hosting three domains+email. Took me 2 months to get the vps stable but it was worth the pain.
 
Cat1yst said:
I started up Gentoo last weekend to give it a spin...
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It has been two weeks since you started this thread. Are you still using Gentoo? If not, how did it fail to meet your needs? I'm not affiliated with the Gentoo Foundation, I'm curious as a long time user of Gentoo, and Linux in general.
 
Former gentoo user, but I'm thinking of putting together a new box and using gentoo on it.
I use Ubuntu for simplicity now, but find that I'm compiling most things from source anyway becase the repositories are a little behind on some things, so it feels like I'm using gentoo anyway :p
 
I've been using Gentoo on and off for five or so years now (I think I started around 1.4 RC1?). I just got done buying a new HTPC and installing Gentoo on it and converting my old HTPC to Gentoo to use as a MythTV frontend/backend. Definitely loving MythTV so far compared to WMC, it's just a shit load of work to get configured.

I've also run it on my laptop (an old Dell Latitude C600, 850mhz with 256mb of RAM) for about 8 months now, and everything on it works perfectly. The only problem is it is sloooooooow, kde 3.5.7 -> 3.5.8 took a good day and a half, if not longer, to get compiled.

Although I love Gentoo's expandability and options (I tried Ubuntu and disliked it because it felt restricting- like it would take far too much effort to change some of the things I wanted changed) and being able to build it from the ground up exactly as I want it, it can be a bit daunting at times having to mess with the plethora of config files and installs. But still, I like knowing that my two newest Gentoo computers don't have a ton of extra stuff I don't need (yet at least).
 
Just installed Gentoo on my EeePC. Now I have a Core2/4GB RAM desktop, an AMD Brisbane/2GB RAM fileserver with 3.2TB of usable space, a beater Acer laptop, and a 4G Surf EeePC, all running Gentoo.

:D
 
dont mean to thread crap.... but as a former Gentoo user who migrated to FreeBSD, I have to say that Arch Linux is a truly elegant distro. I just did an installation of it today and I have to say... it is very impressive!

give it a try if you have a free afternoon... very fun little distro that might be replacing my FreeBSD if things stay as smooth as they have been so far...
 
heh im the thread starter and i migrated to Slackware....just got tired of it...i might try again down the road, i never know
 
Cat1yst said:
heh im the thread starter and i migrated to Slackware....just got tired of it...i might try again down the road, i never know
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how is slackware? i heard dependency handling is a PITA...... but I heard it is very similar to FreeBSD.....

so how do you like it? I made a small, not so serious attempt to use it a while back but gave up quickly....
 
I was thinking of installing sabayon on my spare box just to rotate the desktop when guests are over (and watch their heads explode).
 
burnin8r said:
I was thinking of installing sabayon on my spare box just to rotate the desktop when guests are over (and watch their heads explode).
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why sabayon? this is a serious question, I never really understood sabayon's place in the linux/gentoo world.... someone wanna clue me in?
 
because it has all the eye candy (and WinE) turned on by default right out of the box, and it doesn t frown on anything proprietary like other distros as long as it benefits the user.
 
burnin8r said:
because it has all the eye candy (and WinE) turned on by default right out of the box, and it doesn t frown on anything proprietary like other distros as long as it benefits the user.
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Translation: "I'm shallow and my soul is for sale... cheap!"

I'm joking, of course :p
 
I used gentoo for years on my main PC. Loved the distro, learned a lot about linux while using it. The only problem I had with it was every time I discovered a new USE flag, I would spend an afternoon re-emerging everything, and all that emerging took too many cycles away from my folding. :)
 
I took my first complete Linux dive with Gentoo and do not regret it. I learned more in two days about linux than from casual live distros and installs over three years. Now I use FC5 x64 for my fileservers (Soon to be Centos 5.1 x64). I stopped using Gentoo because the Highpoint webgui was broken under x64 on Gentoo and had a RPM available for FC5.

I would give Gentoo another try for my fileservers, but I will be supporting not only my two fileservers, but two others(all using RR2320's) in different states and will be providing .ko's to the people I'm supporting. Standardizing on Centos allows easy remote administration between all four fileservers as the configurations will be near identical(They will be installing Centos 5.1, if I was installing the OS on all of them it would be a different story).
 
brucedeluxe169 said:
how is slackware? i heard dependency handling is a PITA...... but I heard it is very similar to FreeBSD.....

so how do you like it? I made a small, not so serious attempt to use it a while back but gave up quickly....
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X wouldnt load so im done, not even gonna bother....
Ubuntu or Zenwalk are my options now for my old laptop
Prolly gonna give zenwalk a spin first (old laptop, i want to make this thing multitaskable and usable)
 
Cat1yst said:
X wouldnt load so im done, not even gonna bother....
Ubuntu or Zenwalk are my options now for my old laptop
Prolly gonna give zenwalk a spin first (old laptop, i want to make this thing multitaskable and usable)
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how old is your laptop? In my experience, Xubuntu never worked for any "older" laptops I tried it on.


And just to add, because it is relevant to the Gentoo/Arch/Slack users that are around, FreeBSD 7.0 has been released recently. I just recently upgraded my desktop and it has been smooth sailing so far...
 
been using gentoo for about 5 years, i have couple systems with it as the main os
 
Mmm zenwalk, quick, light, and unique...had NdisWrapper installed and has a great package manager too mine boots into it in about a min and a half, much quicker than ubuntu

Give it a spin on an old rig
 
Gentoo user for 5 years now.

Running AIGLX + Gnome + Gentoo kernel .22 on dual widescreen 3360x1050 samsung 22" monitors. :)
 
Completed my first install on a P3 500. I did a stage 1 install and it took forever. That was 5 years ago I believe; last week I installed a stage 1 on a q6600 w/ 8 GB of ram. Muuuuch quicker.
 
I've been compling for about 2.5 years now. :D
No, actually Gentoo was probably the distro with which i really started to understand Linux. Before i switched i used DSL for a few months or so and then i decided i really liked Linux. Gentoo runs as my main desktop rig, and it'll be running on my fileserver too as soon as i set it up (when i get out of my dorm room at college and get a real place to live.) I can't ever picture myself using anything else for my main rig, and Gentoo is probably all i'll use for the other roles in my home-to-be (HTPC, file/ftp/http server, playaround-box.)

I'm also a huge fan of Fluxbox. I used to use Gnome, but then realized how utterly bloated it was. I'll never go back! :p

Not to thread-jack, but ArchLinux does look interesting. I'll have to play with that sometime.
 
axan said:
+ for fluxbox on gentoo, much better then gnome or kde
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Fluxbox has saved me, because right now i'm booting out of an 8GiB SSD. Yeah, sure, i could probably squeeze Gnome in there, but it wouldn't leave room for much else. Can't be without quakeIII! :cool:
 
Only complaint I've had with it is its weird set of dependencies - unusual for a lightweight product.
 
I like the transparacy and possibilities with Flux, but for now im sticking with XFCE until i get most of my little niggles worked out, and my PS1 emu up and running smoothly
 
One of my good friends, Josh (aka tsunam) is a Trustee for Gentoo. He has been fervently pointing out on his blog that the whole community is in a state of flux and Gentoo really needs its community to step up and help out however possible. If any of you have any words of encouragement or are willing to volunteer I'm sure Josh would really love to hear from you.
 
i've often wondered about that....

i'm a 3rd year Economics/Computer Science major, with no real world programming experience to speak of. What can someone like me do to contribute to the Gentoo community? I've heard alot about how it is not doing so well recently.... but how does a user like me contribute? (aside from just filing bug reports and other stuff like that.... something more involved?)
 
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