From: Tim X Date: 2007-02-11T13:40:09+09:00 Subject: Re: Linux OS "Martin DeMello" writes: > On 2/9/07, Luke Ivers wrote: >> >> So, given that I find out exactly what I need and works best for me >> personally in this VM, I will then use that as a basis for how to build >> production servers. >> >> If I understand what I've read correctly, Gentoo would be good for that, >> yes? > > Most definitely! My Gentoo story goes in the other direction - our > sysadmin is using it for our servers, and then for our desktops, and I > liked it so much that I installed it on my machine at home too. > > martin > I have to state up-front that I've never used gentoo, so take the following in the context of questions (I guess I'm sort of playing devils advocate) rather than the basis for a religious war or flame bait. Many people I've talked to that use gentoo think its a great distro. However, I've also been told by quite a few that it is not the best choice for someone who is not familiar with the GNU Linux/Unix way of doing things (i.e. someone who has only been exposed to Windows). All of those I've spoken to have come from either other GNU Linux distros to gentoo or are from a Unix background. From personal eexperience introducing windows users to GNU Linux, I know that one of the most alien concepts they have trouble with is building from sources, dealing with makefiles etc. Therefore, I wonder if gentoo is really the best way to start compared to distros like Ubuntu, Debian or even Red Hat? There are a lot of quite subtle issues which anyone with some epxerience on Linux tends to be across, but for the uninitiated, they can be very confusing. The other point that is important to consider is what else your likely to want to do in the future with the Linux distro. For example, if you think you may want to install some commercial packages, then you also need to consider what distros the vendors support. Most vendors support Red hat (which isn't my favorite distro BTW), but I don't know of any that support gentoo. Finally, I think one of the most important things to consider when selecting a first GNU Linux distro is to consider what others local to your area may be using. Find out if there is a Linux users group etc. This will make it easier to get help should you run into problems. When starting a first go at GNU Linux and wanting to just get a basic exposure, I think it is best to go with the easiest and most straight-forward system to install and configure. Currently, I would suspect this may be Ubuntu (based on all the feedback/press I've seen). Initially, issues of performance and long term maintenance are less important to the novice than ease of installation and configuration. Again, this is not to say that gentoo isn't a good distribution. In fact, its one I hope to try out when I can spare some hardware. However, for a beginner, I think it may be more difficult than necessary and as it has a smaller user base than other more popular distros, the new user may find it harder to find help. Just my 2 cents worth. Tim -- tcross (at) rapttech dot com dot au