Is Gentoo Worth Using Anymore?

Good for installing on old computers that could use the boost Gentoo provides
On newer machines the speed difference compiled packages provide is basically negligible, you'd honestly be better off sticking to Arch and not deal with the installation and compiling times

> Maybe when I know I won't be busy I'll go back to gentoo for the hell of it.
You could just as well compile everything you probably need from arch before you even switch your live system back. Portage can do its compiles and installs just fine in a chroot.

> Good for installing on old computers that could use the boost Gentoo provides
Gentoo doesn't generally provide a boost.

It provides sysadmin flexibility and tinkering capabilities and so on, but it's not "faster" as such.

Unless you really, REALLY care about optimizing your system to the absolute fullest, then don't bother. The only features Gentoo provides are ones that spend lots of your precious time and energy making your system as fast and unbloated as possible. Downloading a package any bigger than 80mb from portage is a fucking nightmare.

That, and if you don't have an autistically detailed knowledge of everything your kernel does and does not need, then you'll most likely end up breaking your system in one way or another anyway. You're better off sticking with what you like, unless this soemhow sounds appealing to you.

No, the source code package manager is for working with source code. Portage supports almost everything you could do with regards to running source code that needs to be compiled first (be it because it has your patches, because you have a compiler extension, because you are using a different libc, because you want a few dozen packages installed daily from a developer git repository, because... whatever else).

> Downloading a package any bigger than 80mb from portage is a fucking nightmare.
Absolutely untrue. The Portage mirrors are often really quite fast and so is usually the fallback upstream repository.

Nor does 80MB mean a recent computer will spend a lot of time extracting and compiling.

> That, and if you don't have an autistically detailed knowledge of everything your kernel does and does not need
Not fucking needed. You can take whatever functioning configuration you had before on the predecessor distro and continue from that. Or you can use Linux tools to trivially find out what you need.

If you had no predecessor distros and it's your first time on Linux, you can just use the configuration from whatever Live DVD that evidently worked to install Gentoo, or have genkernel provide you a default config.

Of course, you're not going to live well on Gentoo if you think using some (pretty good) CLI utilities is a "nightmare". But then I also can't imagine what the fuck I'd expect you to do with source code on a sysadmin or even programmer level, because they both include massive amounts of this "nightmare" or comparable learning.

I like the concept of Gentoo, but in reality, the compile time still takes a long time. When I install a package, I install it because I need it that instant.

I installed it because of OpenRC. Majority of non systemd distros are memes (like void), and I don't want anything Debian based (devuan), and slackware is too out of date. After using Gentoo I came to the conclusion that it's a fantastic distribution

I was about to switch to void why is it a meme?

It's abandonware with almost no packages. Apart from no systemd, it has all the downsides of arch with none of the advantages.

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> but in reality, the compile time still takes a long time
Only on crappy machines. Typical machines -and you don't even need the gaymen GPU- will do it very quickly apart from very few packages like the bloated web browsers. Which however have a -bin precompiled version even in main portage.

> When I install a package, I install it because I need it that instant.
You got not time, that's why you immediately cross the street without waiting 30 seconds, shitpost on Jow Forums for hours [with no chance to let a package compile for a few seconds as you do that] and push your way into lines in supermarkets. No time whatsoever.

Apart from that, Gentoo is obviously used when it saves you time - not when Ubuntu or Fedora has exactly what you want anyhow, but when the deviations from it are easier to do on Gentoo.

this. the main selling point of arch imo is pacman and the aur.
if you're looking at void because you want an arch like system, look at hyperbola or parabola

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This so much. The compile times actively punishes bloatware.

>graphical package manager
>can install precompiled binaries
>can compile my own binaries with custom compilation flags (graphically)
>can install any version of anything I want without worrying about dependencies
>has its own user repository (Layman)
what's the point in NOT installing it? it's literally Arch++

What is the advantage if I have the AUR?

Just use a mainstream distro like Ubunut/Debian/Fedora, etc. There's no need to dick around with niche distros unless you're an autist

Are you often working with PKGBUILDs? Ebuilds are nicer.

Also on the sysadmin side, portage offers more flexibility. Want to use libc++ or musl as the C++ standard library for some software and not all glibc? You can. Prefer libav to ffmpeg or libressl to openssl? You had that choice with a lot of pre-programmed support in ebuilds so you don't need to reconfigure and test everything yourself pretty shortly after either project existed. Want libfoo replaced on your system by libfoo fork by anon2 on github, but with your own patch and compiled not by gcc as usual but clang? You can quite easily get that and you'll probably even have a chance to remember where the respective portage configurations were. And so on.

There are also a bunch of Gentoo specific sysadmin scripts like eselect or gcc-config or genkernel that may be helpful, though they're unlikely to be the sole reason why you'd switch distro.

As you might see, it's not that I'd say it's a better choice than arch for everyone, but Gentoo has some very significant strengths if you do certain things.

gentoo is really stable and customizable and once you have all of the bigger dependencies out of the way compile times are shorter. compiling everything from source may sound like a pain but it's just like using pacman or apt but with a bit more options also use flags are a godsend. I didn't know how much I needed them until I started using gentoo

Compiling doesn't take too long. The browser is an exeption though...

>The browser is an exception
Yes, but gentoo provides an official binary package for firefox, and you also can install prebuilt binary from another distro so it's not a problem

chromium yes but firefox took about an hour and a half and that was on a dual core

I agree with what previous anons said: its really just a better version of Arch. Building from source usually doesn't take long and you get the (minor) benefits from USE flags. There are binaries for some of the larger packages if you want, as well as lots of overlays for different packages.

It's definitely more stable than Arch. Install the base system and unmask individual packages for newer software. It just works and does not break - feels like a BSD but with a beautiful package manager.

It's the only thing worth using, OP.
Install Gentoo.

Many packages are not up to date. It's way less bleading edge than archlinux.

classic

>phone screen broke
install gentoo
>car battery died
install gentoo
>installed gentoo
install gentoo again
>installed gentoo again
...?

hey bro, thanks for the info, but follow-up question

when will arch get forked with a no-systemd version?

like an arch devuan? vuarch?

please make this happen, please

There already is one, artix if I am not mistaken.

But you should really just install Gentoo which officially supports OpenRC so you will never have problems

I’m actually really happy with 18.04
no wayland
no compiz
just rock solid easy updates with no windows bullshit

Reminder that "Install Gentoo" is just a dumb meme to trick people.

knowyourmeme.com/memes/install-gentoo

Gentoo focus on stability so package won't be update as fast as arch.
But you can use portage masking system to unmask newer (testing) version of packages if you need it. This is the reason why gentoo is good, it can be literally everything you want

>...
>...
>profit?

>Knowyourmeme

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yeah artix/hyperbola/parabola, look em up

>Gentoo focus on stability so package won't be update as fast as arch
I think Gentoo is one of the very few distro where ffmpeg4 is not stable. Other packages are not updated in a year or more.
And yes, I'm talking about ~amd64 (the "sane" testing tree).

>you can use portage masking system to unmask newer (testing) version of packages if you need it
Then you have a system way more broken than archlinux.

>unofficial precompiled binaries
come on we all know is fucking neet tier, you can't keep your system up to date and stable and you lose time compiling.

>I think Gentoo is one of the very few distro where ffmpeg4 is not stable.
Void too, but yeah you're right on this one.

>Then you have a system way more broken than archlinux.
Not really, because you only enable some specific packages so it's not very harm to your system.

>Void too, but yeah you're right on this one.
Same goes for pandoc, java 9 and many others. These stuff is literally came out more than an year ago and it's not updated.

>Not really, because you only enable some specific packages so it's not very harm to your system.
I'm not sure about this, but I don't think I'm gonna unmask ffmpeg4 to check it out. If it has many dependencies the chance it breaks many things is high.

based and redpilled.
I was going to go from arch to gentoo but then I read how the mirror were mantained and I just keked. Installing debian STABLE right now and still I know I will have a more up to date system than with gentoo stable. Also consumes less of my time. Also I can use the cd burned on to the usb to create headless workstations very easy, although the cli installation and documentation is shit

>I'm not sure about this, but I don't think I'm gonna unmask ffmpeg4 to check it out. If it has many dependencies the chance it breaks many things is high.
I have been using ffmpeg4 for a while for mpv-9999 but haven't faced any problem. This may help you a bit.

Anons like these, they laugh.
>Install Gentoo
"Ha HA," they chortle ignorantly, "well meme'd, my friend."
But the Jow Forumsentoomen, they know the truth... That it isn't a meme at all, but a path to nirvana. A means by which to come to the actualization of the perfect operating system, built just for you, by you. Only through the constant installation and re-installation of Gentoo can one come to this enlightenment.
Years, they spend, deep in their basements... Concocting the ideal partition tables and encryption schemes, USE flags and compiler optimizations, window manager configs and rices... Training endlessly, in an exercise most people would see as ultimately futile, and pointless. But these people, these ... normies ... they will never understand the ineffable satisfaction this brings, to build the perfect system. The last laugh will belong to the Jow Forumsentoomen, as corporate and government interference and homogeneity across distros and platforms takes over, the rest shall be left in the dark...

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Based

>Installing debian STABLE right now and still I know I will have a more up to date system than with gentoo stable
holy fucking shit

This guy Gentoos and speaks the truth. Distro hopped for years. Nothing comes close to how amazing and flexible Gentoo is. I'd fuck portage if I could AND pay for dinner.

>package manager in python

The only software I really care about changing the compile flags on is emacs, and I can just do that manually.
Plus, customizing the kernel is the most boring activity know to man.

don't care if it's pasta. you're 100% right

Not pasta. Inspiration.
But feel free (as in freedom) to use it as such.

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Fucking glorious

Fagot if your new to Gentoo and you want to use it for work or school first learn it
than its can be used for anything

tecmint.com/gentoo-linux-installation-guide/

wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Complete_Handbook/Starting_from_minimal_environment

gentoo.org/support/use-flags/

Gentoo is only good if your time is worthless.

I see this a lot from people who haven't used it. I've spent far more time maintaining other distros. Hopped for years until Gentoo and never had a reason to use anything else after trying it.

What are you trying to say exactly? Compiling takes longer than simply downloading binaries, this is a fact.

How the fuck does Gentoo take less time to maintain than a normal binary distro?

tfw have successfully installed gentoo about 4 different times

I've never successfully installed gentoo. I swear I'm brain damaged or something

never use it but i think its take less time
but i agree
you can learn more about how to install your system from scratch, thats the thing with gentoo right
to learn and operate

Nice try but you can't trick me into installing it.

I see 2011 is still alive and well.

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>acting like that's an accomplishment
installing gentoo is not hard at all. it just takes a while

quick rundown.

gentoo not up to date??? what if theres the next heartbleed

I just managed to get my shitty headless hp laptop to boot from UEFI. I feel like I have touched a portion of this nirvana, after reinstalling god knows how many times, since this thing barely supports UEFI and grub shits itself at every turn.

Don't use UEFI then, retard.

Maintaining a system is more than installing packages retards. I install and update packages while using my computer - it's not inoperable. Compiling is not a negative. Comprehend yet?

I've had to reinstall Windows and various distros time and time again. Come across issues that can't be resolved etc.

Gentoo takes longer to initially install than other OSes. And that time is all well worth it for ease of maintenance when you make it back extremely quickly.

>UEFI
I wish I could erase this from history.

no u

I still don't an actual reason for why Gentoo would take less time to main than a typical binary distro.

this is a perfect example of arch kiddies trying to install gentoo

>And that time is all well worth it for ease of maintenance when you make it back extremely quickly.
Can you be more vague? On my system all it takes to upgrade my packages is to download the new ones, on Gentoo you add compilation to the mix and you're saying somehow Gentoo takes less time, are you genuinely retarded?

>Come across issues that can't be resolved etc.
Yes and I look forward to all those possible compilation errors after I'm done installing Gentoo.

Gentoo stable is extremely stable and unstable is generally the latest and greatest if needed. You can also mix and match packages. I use unstable kernel and GPU drivers but stable everything else. Ebuilds allow you to overlay any GitHub repo directly into the package manager to update from if needed.

Mopidy Spotify official repo on GitHub hasn't supported playlists due to a bug for about 2 mos now. On my system I just build from a forked repo that has been patched for months while everyone else complains to upstream to implement the fix so they can use it.

Thanks Gentoo

Still doubling down that installing packages is the only function of an OS?

>the only function of an OS?
Moving the goal post now? How predictable. Keep believing what you want, your time is worth nothing, that's why Gentoo is acceptable to you.

No retard. It's not moving goal posts it's what I've said from the start. Maintaining a system is more than installing software.

It's because other distros are shit. It's been a few years since I used Debian but it was extremely painful to install testing video drivers. I fucked up a few systems a few times. With shit like solus you can't edit the kernel and my hardware, which is supported by the Linux kernel, does not work with that distro. I had to email devs to enable a flag for me. Which they then pushed to their entire user base. I've used distros where you can't install multiple versions of GCC side by side. This sucks if you have to build multiple packages that require different versions of GCC. Years ago on Windows 10 I found its update process to be Russian roulette if I'd have to do a clean reinstall after.

I never looked back after Gentoo because of all the time saved. Sorry if you can't comprehend that.

Your anecdotes are worthless, no piece of software is above breakage, not even Gentoo, saying other distros break more often just makes you look like a deluded fanboy.

As far as I can tell, the only thing you've listed here that Gentoo truly has an advantage in would be installing multiple version of gcc. That's an extreme edge case to actually benefit from that.

Your responses only prove you haven't used it since these are the general feelings of all Gentoo users. That's why it is used....

Initial setup time is all that you can argue takes longer than other distros. It takes me 4 hours to have a built system with all of the program's I use compiled on an old i5. So it's a minimally longer setup time for something you should do once every few years and gives you so much more flexibility with system maintenance than anything else.

I've spent far more time fucking with win10 and beginner friendly distros than I ever have with Gentoo.

Plenty more perks than I mentioned. That's the beauty of Gentoo. It does what you need. All for a pretty minimal and reasonable upfront cost quickly recovered.

>Your responses only prove you haven't used it since these are the general feelings of all Gentoo users.
Until you show me an actual proof this remains nothing more than another empty claim.

Look unless you need a bazillion autismo configurations that no one has ever heard of, trying to argue that Gentoo saves you time is asinine.

hey instead of arguing. how about us gentoo users just let the others choose to install it and not force it on them. compiling isn't everyone's cup of tea you know

>So it's a minimally longer setup time for something you should do once every few years
You only update your packages every few years? I would too if I had to compile every damn thing.

>Proof proof proof

Systems are personal preference fucking idiot. All I can say is Gentoo saves me a ton of time. Proof would be in trying it or reading why users use it. But that's all anecdotal. So try it and get your own anecdotal proof. Love how you all offended by notion that Gentoo may actually save time.

Add up all that time you keep installing, reinstalling, distro hopping because something isn't right. But can't be anywhere near around 4 hour install time for a fully working graphical user interface with key programs???

>Installed Gentoo
>Was really good
I don’t know what to think anymore. My worldview has been shattered at this point.

Initial setup you may not have a fully functioning computer for a few hours. Update after that happen while you can still use the computer and don't matter at all. No different from any other system updating. Understand?

>Add up all that time you keep installing, reinstalling, distro hopping because something isn't right.
Just because you did this doesn't mean the rest of us do.

Have you tried installing Source Mage GNU Linux?

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>Love how you all offended by notion that Gentoo may actually save time.
I'm sorry but I do get offended when I see stupidity.
>Add up all that time you keep installing, reinstalling, distro hopping because something isn't right. But can't be anywhere near around 4 hour install time for a fully working graphical user interface with key programs???
Nice projections there, dumbo.

knowyourmeme.com/memes/install-gentoo

is that still alive? I remember an user using source mage in a desktop thread but he hasn't posted in almost a year

It's not a projection when I'm giving my anecdotal evidence. I fucked with Windows and various distros for years. I tried Gentoo and never needed to use anything else for any other reason. TIME SAVER FOR ME.