Gentoo Linux - still sucks
Written 07 Jul 2004
This is a purely subjective review.
Last year, in the midst of the hupla, I tried Gentoo Linux. It did not stay on my system very long. Too many configuration problems, too much time overhead for everyday use.
Two weeks ago I decided to give it another go using the 2004.1, the binary version for my Athlon XP. After a few days it was forceably removed from my system. Gentoo is still crap in my estimation. There were no speed improvements versus my installation of Debian Unstable. System stability is about the same, but the configuration overhead is still intolerable.
By configuration overhead I refer to the configuration during system installation. Even Debian, who is not known for a user-friendly (whatever that means) installer beats the Gentoo installer black-and-blue. With the Debian installer, a person can perform a non-esoteric installation all within a single program. If something extraordinary is needed, then you go to the command prompt. With Gentoo, even the most basic installation is from the command prompt. There is no installer program that ties all the basic steps together. Even the BSD's (FreeBSD, OpenBSD & NetBSD) are easier to install from this vantage point.
The Gentoo installer appears to be their documentation. That, indeed, seems to be their only shining point: quality documentation.
Next year I'll give it another try.