August, 26 2003

I really like Gentoo Linux. I enjoy using it, and I have said so many times in this blog. However, in a quest to provide balance of opinion to this blog, I must now present a list of things that annoy me about “Gentoo“Linux.

Compared with, say, Windows XP, Gentoo Linux has these problems:

• The installation is highly technical. It requires the user to understand hard disk drive partitions, find the chipset that their network card uses and to make choices about which kernel source tree they want to compile.

• The installation takes a long time. The fastest I have ever got an install done is about two hours.

• Even when the installation is “finished,” the system has no GUI, no sound support and only very basic networking capabilities.

• Like any Linux, Gentoo is very unforgiving of even slight hardware problems.

• The concept of compiling things from source scares off many potential users, despite Gentoo’s simple “emerge” interface.

• Gentoo needs to be online during installation and updates. (Not a problem for me, since I have cable :)

• The user is often required to choose one from many available options, often without understanding the full ramifications of those choices. Some examples are: file system (ext2, ext3, reiserfx, xfs or something else?); cron daemon (dcron, fcron or vcron), system logger (msyslog, sysklogd, syslog-ng or metalog); and desktop environment (gnome, kde or X + window manager like enlightenment). This is not bad in itself, except for the lack of explanation.

• Setting up each new feature takes an age – half a day for X windows and Gnome, a day for Samba, half a day for the printer. It all adds up to a time intensive hobby. Sure you learn a lot, and sure, the second time around is much quicker, but this is not a Linux distribution that “just works” out of the box.

PS: If you are looking for a more postive take on Gentoo, I invite you to search my blog for other Gentoo entries.