No disagreements here, simply that debian/ubuntu have a safer version of emerge sync && emerge -uv world. aptitude update && aptitude upgrade. And if you ever want to upgrade to the newest version, no need to reinstall. Just update our sources.lst and do an aptitude dist-upgrade. The nice thing about ubuntu is that they have a 6 month release cycle. If you want you can stay on the bleeding edge of everything, or you can stay with the 6 month cycle and only update when security bugs are found.
-joel On Wednesday 08 March 2006 13:10, Roger E. Rustad, Jr. wrote: > Amen, Que. I've got Gentoo running on my laptop now and agree with just > about everything you say. > > There are some GUI tools to help install ebuilds (similar to YaST). I > haven't used them, but I've seen them out there. > > On 3/8/06, Que Osler <queos...@sbcglobal.net> wrote: > > What separates Gentoo from other GNU/Linux distributions? It isn't really > > a distribution. It's more of a meta-distribution, a collection of tools > > that manage the "from scratch" approach. It doesn't have any packages per > > se, just ebuilds that describe where the source packages can be > > downloaded, and how to include your specified compilation preferences in > > the process. Installation of any part of the system consists in issuing > > the command emerge *packagename*, and then sitting back while Portage, > > the packaging system based on BSD Ports, downloads the sources, unpacks, > > configures, and compiles them, and finally installs your shiny new > > software. > > > > There is another feature of Gentoo's meta-distribution approach that > > appeals to me. With many distributions, you are stuck in their release > > cycle, which means backing your data up and upgrading in a sometimes > > not-so-seamless way. You can, of course, continually update packages in > > the meantime, but in my experience with SUSE (which I confess may be out > > of date) it doesn't match the simplicity of emerge sync && emerge -u > > world. With those two commands I can sync my local package database with > > the up-to-date online version, and then update every package on my system > > that has an available upgrade. I can do this weekly, if I'm obsessive, or > > once every few months, or when a major new release of KDE comes out. I > > can even fine-tune which package versions I want, opting for more > > unstable packages where I need the features, and blocking supposedly > > stable packages I have problems with, in a way that doesn't just get > > overwritten with the next upgrade command. > > > > All of this brings me to the first reason why I use Gentoo for my > > workstation: the package management is *easy*, leaving me to get on with > > my work. I don't have to bother with dependencies, missing libraries, > > out-of-date binaries (often because the packager lost interest or is > > taking too long to release the code), crazy configuration systems, or any > > of the other problems I've had with other distributions. > > > > Of course Gentoo isn't all sugar and spice; there are downsides. The > > first and most obvious is that if you compile everything from source > > code, you're condemned to wait. Getting Gentoo up and running is likely > > to take you a few days, unless you don't sleep, and from then on major > > upgrades can set you back a similar amount of time. > > > > For those who don't feel like learning the ins and outs of their software > > before they can configure it, the lack of tools like SUSE's YaST and > > Mandrake's Control Centre will grate. Using your new USB key drive for > > the first time, which on other distributions would often be a matter of > > plugging it in, can require kernel recompiles and long searches on the > > forums and Google before you work it out. Of course the flip side is that > > when the flashy tools of other distributions might fail you, leaving you > > digging through their crazy configuration system, the Gentoo user is > > working with the system the developers documented. > > So to summarise: Why do I use Gentoo? Not because it is more optimised, > > nor particularly because it is customised and takes up less hard drive > > space. I appreciate the simple, solid package and configuration > > management systems that keep out of my way; I appreciate the helpful > > documentation; I find the user forums indispensable; and I appreciate the > > community approach enshrined in Gentoo's social contract. At the end of > > the day, as the Gentoo Web site says, "the Gentoo developer and user > > community is undoubtedly Gentoo's strongest value." > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Que Osler, MSIT > > *"A smile can open a heart quicker than a key can open a door."* > > > > _______________________________________________ > > 909linux mailing list > > 909linux@909linux.org > > http://909linux.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/909linux -- Joel Brauer Manager IS Web Application Development Loma Linda University jbra...@llu.edu work: 909-558-7713 pager: jbra...@sprintpcs.com cell: 909-534-1934
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