Long time Gentoo-ers

[deepclutch]

Isnt that many are claiming problems with Gnome-2.22??I mean it is very slow,resource usage shoots up opening nautilus etc :S not a distro specific problem though
http://www.thinkdigit.com/forum/showthread.php?t=84565

[paulr]

>1. If you have switched, why did you switch?

For all Gentoo's strong points, it's hassle ; things break, they are semi-fixed, things break again. It is usually repairable via the forums. It just gets in the way of doing stuff sometimes.

>2. Do you still use Gentoo?

No.

>3. What is your overall comparison of the 2?

Ubuntu:
Pro : Stability, Up to date, Quick 'n' Easy Install, 64-bit significantly stabler, more solid "management" structures, good hardware detection, good eye candy, can generally be relied on to work.
Con: Slower (noticeable but not important), not set up for Dev-Libs easily, 32-bit still aimed at i386, occasional hassles over things like codecs

Gentoo:
Pro : Speed, Configurability (a little over-rated in reality), Low level Learning Experience, Forums excellent.
Con: Breaks regularly, updates are slow because of all the possible configurations, internal wrangling, full install takes 20+ hours, updates sometimes cause damage way beyond their actual significance.

>4. Do you still recommend Gentoo?

..... for tinkerers, yes, if you want a system up quick and working, no.

>5. How long have you used Gentoo?

Off and on 3 or 4 years.

[Growlizing]

1. Been using Ubuntu for a month now, after 4 years of gentoo. Changed from gentoo to Ubuntu on my laptop, as I had ended up with both gnome, kde 3.5, kde 4.0 and kde4-svn on my gentoo-install Was just too much for my old 1,7 GHz laptop. My root directory was up to a staggering 10 GB for just the system. Felt like I did nothing but compile in the end, and I didn't see myself actually cleaning it up. It's also been about 2 years since I seriously tried using another distro. Ubuntu caught me with this release, so now I'm wondering how long it will last It might last a while though.

2. Still run gentoo on my server and mythtv-box, and they're staying

3. Each one has it's use. Gentoo if you actually need control over the box, though I never tried ubuntu server.

4. Tough one. Depends on the user. If it's someone I really believe can handle living with Gentoo, I certainly do my part of preaching from the good gentoo book But for a normally interested person? No, I'd rather recommend Ubuntu or OpenSUSE (!).

5. Since 2004.0.

[gigatony]

1. If you have switched, why did you switch?
Not really switched, got a laptop from my work, needed an easy to use distro.

2. Do you still use Gentoo?
Yup, although less active since the machine is at my moms place.

3. What is your overall comparison of the 2?
Different distro's, hard to compare. Ubuntu is sure a breeze to install(I've also had to install Vista/XP last week), but I still do miss default developer applications. It's nice to see that everything just works although I'm eager to tweak here and there and wondering how everything is connected/working.

I'm also going to give Sabayon a try, curious if anyone compared them?

4. Do you still recommend Gentoo?
Yup, it's good to learn from and although I haven't tried Ubuntu server edition, I'd definitely recommend it for anyone building a server or using old hardware.

5. How long have you used Gentoo?

+/- 3 years. User gnu/linux overall about 6-8. Used SuSE first but got fed up with broken rpm's and no up-to-date repo.

[DigitalDuality]

I started with Ubuntu, but branched out to Fedora and Suse, and eventually Gentoo. Gentoo was an educational experience and I do like the distro a good bit and can see where it can be used.

Unfortunately, it's not a good distro for day to day productivity for home & work. If I need a new application to perform a task, I don't feel like wasting time compiling. I don't like spending days to get the system setup, rather than an hour.

For a server that performs a rather static function and just needs updates occassionally, sure, Gentoo would be great. But I doubt I'll use it as my desktop again.

[Frak]

I use Sabayon re-enabled to use portage. The reason I use Sabayon instead of regular Gentoo is just because of the need for a quickly installed, up-and-working system. I've always had problems with Gentoo for its broken-ness, even in the stable releases.

The reason why I use Sabayon/Gentoo though is purely just for cross-compiling purposes. I am not a fan of portage in the least, if at all, but it does have a very strong advantage in the cross-platforming field of other-archs/mobile devices.

My work depends on my office, so I use Windows XP. My work depends on my cross-platforming ability, so I use Sabayon/Gentoo. I depend on my own entertainment, for that I use Debian/Windows.

[handy]

I use Sabayon as opposed to Gentoo, because it is so easy. Though Sabayon 3.5 won't install on my hardware, whereas 3.4a, e & f handle my difficult box better than any other distro'.

When I attempted to install Gentoo, it would not install.

I use Arch for pleasure & the learning experience; I also prefer pacman to portage as it is quicker.

[regomodo]

I use Arch for pleasure & the learning experience; I also prefer pacman to portage as it is quicker.

Not a fair comparison. You mean installing binaries is quicker than compiling.

[handy]

Not a fair comparison. You mean installing binaries is quicker than compiling.

I don't know about how fair it is, I was just mentioning my personal preference.

I much prefer using pacman/yaourt/tupac to portage for a variety of reasons, including the speed of doing things, & the rolling release system of Arch, that pacman & co' are an integral part of.

I'm not attempting to start an Arch vs Gentoo flame war by the way. I think is more than great that we have so many choices. Sometime in the future I may choose to play with Gentoo & be wrapped in the experience... Who knows what the future holds?

[yabbadabbadont]

I don't know about how fair it is, I was just mentioning my personal preference.

I much prefer using pacman/yaourt/tupac to portage for a variety of reasons, including the speed of doing things, & the rolling release system of Arch, that pacman & co' are an integral part of.

I'm not attempting to start an Arch vs Gentoo flame war by the way. I think is more than great that we have so many choices. Sometime in the future I may choose to play with Gentoo & be wrapped in the experience... Who knows what the future holds?

The next time you decide to give gentoo a try, use any live CD/DVD other than the gentoo one... knoppix or systemrescuecd are good choices. Next, unless you aren't particularly fond of your existing partitions on all of your disks, avoid the automatic installer. In the long run, it is faster to do it manually. Finally, don't use a stage3 file from one of the official mirrors. They are already out of date and you'll have some very difficult upgrades to deal with if you do. Instead, get your stage3 file from Daniel Robbin's funtoo.org website. (he was the founder of gentoo) He has an automated system that builds up to date stage3 files every week.

Have fun.