What distribution will *YOU* switch to?

bertaboy · l33t Joined: 05 Nov 2004 Posts: 604

I installed Ubuntu on an 800mhz computer because I wanted to quickley try some things out, and I was left with an impression that I do not like at all. I'm sure that if I read through the documentation I could've found out how to open the thing up to me more, but I didn't like having to sudo nearly every command to get the thing to work. I'd much rather just su in and issue commands that way. Also, Ubuntu's forums are not nearly as informative as Gentoo's. So, I suppose if I had bothered to rtfm it would've been a better experience, but for my needs for the computer, I guess Linux in general won't do as I need specific Windows-compatible programs because I can't be around to tell my extended family how programs X, Y, and Z are different from Microsoft's A, B, and C.

Now if I could only figure out how to install a Dell OEM version of Windows XP Home on a non-Dell computer, I'd be set. Especially since I do *not* want to hook up anything with Windows ME to the internet....

Dralnu · Veteran Joined: 24 May 2006 Posts: 1919

Kasumi_Ninja · Posted: Sat Dec 30, 2006 8:26 pm Post subject:

Kasumi_Ninja · Posted: Sat Dec 30, 2006 8:30 pm Post subject:

Sunnz · Guru Joined: 18 Jun 2005 Posts: 370

sargek · Apprentice Joined: 13 Mar 2005 Posts: 170 Location: Texas

I bounce distros whenever I'm not in class, which means every few months or so. I have run every major distro and quite a few unheard of ones. I always come back to Gentoo because it gives me power and flexibility. The only reason I move away from Gentoo temporarily is because I have b0rked something and don't feel like rebuilding the box. I used to usually run Debian Etch when not running Gentoo, but got tired of the convoluted "Debian way" of doing things, which is completely bizzare and unintuitive.

I hope to stick with Gentoo this time and try to keep my prying hands from breaking something...

. I really don't like other distros because either they abstract everything to death, not allowing me to actually do anything, except use it, or there is something else that annoys the crap out of me. I'm happy where I am - besides, there is just something beautiful about watching multiple xterms compile stuff... :lol:

The only other system I would consider running is FreeBSD, but I need to be able to run Neverwinter Nights...not sure if it will run in FBSD. Printing for me is hosed in FBSD also, but I'm sure I could fix that...
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PaulBredbury · Watchman Joined: 14 Jul 2005 Posts: 7310

linuxfriese1 · n00b Joined: 03 Jan 2007 Posts: 6

Kasumi_Ninja · Posted: Thu Jan 04, 2007 9:05 pm Post subject: Re: Switching

sargek · Apprentice Joined: 13 Mar 2005 Posts: 170 Location: Texas

Rukie · Posted: Fri Jan 05, 2007 7:19 pm Post subject:

switch? who'd wanna switch

If I had to switch, probably suse...

I'm fine running gentoo, especially since I have about 3-4 personal computers running it. If one has to update, I've got another one around here to play with while it compiles.. (If only I knew how to sync personal files from computer to computer...)
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LukeLemmings · n00b Joined: 25 Feb 2004 Posts: 25

Windows + colinux (+some distro) + cygwin.

For a desktop ofcourse.

Running colinux-debian on windows with cygwin as the X server left a good impression with me. Ok you need 2 GNU/Linuxi + windows to run a windows desktop with all your Linux apps available via the seamlessly displayed kde panel, but damn it's good.

Best of both worlds.
L.
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Kasumi_Ninja · Posted: Sat Jan 06, 2007 12:16 am Post subject: Re: Switching

desultory · Bodhisattva Joined: 04 Nov 2005 Posts: 9410

agent_jdh · Veteran Joined: 08 Aug 2002 Posts: 1783 Location: Scotland

If I ever ditched Gentoo from either my main box or my server, I'd probably go back to Debian (the only other distro I've used, and the one that got me started on Linux back in 1997) - but at this time I see no need. The Imp of the Perverse perched on my shoulder does sometimes hanker after it though.
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erik258 · Posted: Sat Jan 06, 2007 7:53 pm Post subject:

After using gentoo for about 4 years, I now find that any other distro (debian is one of the best) horribly cumbersome.
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dlublink · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 30 Sep 2006 Posts: 146

If I left Gentoo it would be because of a lack of binaries available in portage. I like Gentoo because it is always up to date, but have not yet found another distro that is as up to date that has the option to choose between binaries and sources.

I think that instead of using openoffice-bin to install a binary, there should be an option to portage. That way, I could enable the option in make.conf on the slower machines and than gentoo would automatically install Bins were available.

David

aidanjt · Posted: Mon Jan 08, 2007 7:08 pm Post subject:

There is the option there, but there's no offical binary respitory.

dlublink · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 30 Sep 2006 Posts: 146

Sunnz · Guru Joined: 18 Jun 2005 Posts: 370

aidanjt · Posted: Mon Jan 08, 2007 7:23 pm Post subject:

No, the distro release people just compile features they think the majority of people will use.

Fortunatly Gentoos method for handling self-compiled packages is a tincy wincy bit better than the others.

sargek · Apprentice Joined: 13 Mar 2005 Posts: 170 Location: Texas

I also think the whole point of Gentoo is compiling your own packages, with your own optimizations. Binaries defeat that purpose. I am guessing Gentoo provides binaries for a couple of large, popular packages so people don't have to compile them - can't say for sure, just a guess. Gentoo is a source distro, not a binary distro. Maybe that sums it up. Am I stating the obvious?
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bertaboy · l33t Joined: 05 Nov 2004 Posts: 604

breakerfall · Posted: Mon Jan 15, 2007 12:32 am Post subject:

Thought I'd chip in too...

If I was going to switch - well... it would almost certainly be to a binary distribution. In fact, I recently got a laptop, and for convenience and such, I installed ubuntu to give it a whirl. I like it, though I've found myself now installing gentoo, just two weeks later. Why? I think, mainly, familiarity with the way gentoo does things. I haven't spent much time with debian, so it's almost alien to me. Also, with the disk I used, it installed a chunk of packages without giving me the option, so my ubuntu install was filled with fluff.

However, I absolutely loved the fact that I booted up for the first time in ubuntu, my ipw3945 internal wifi was already setup and ready to use, ivman and plugdev was fully setup, power management and cpu frequency scaling were already there and working... and best of all, anything I installed - took very little time. Pretty much just the time to download the binary. And that's why I would switch to a binary distro. I'm so used to the gentoo way of doing things and the actual OS, that I want to use it. I know gentoo. If it's actually possible to install something like aptitude on gentoo, then I'd be the happiest guy around. Seriously. I have to look into that. But really, I install something and it's there! Quick! No compile times. :mrgreen:

shickapooka800 · Guru Joined: 05 Dec 2004 Posts: 304 Location: no

to be honest, for my desktop at least, I switched to slackware. slamd64 to be excact (for amd64).

it is well put together, and just feels like home. I don't ever really care about the version of most of the apps and libs on my machine, so feverishly upgrading using a package manager is nonexistent. I havent even installed some of the third party package managers like slapt-get or even portage. slackware had most of what I needed in the install discs, and once I compiled my own kernel, and a few choice apps I can't live without, I was done. unless I see a really enormous security hole that bothers me, my install will stay like this for a while.

slackware has always been, to me, such a relaxing distro (I know, many of you don't belive me). gentoo has actually struck me as more of a server distro now, just by the way things are handled by the dev community. it allows for an incredible self-automated up to date, and reliable system in capable hands.

I would NOT however run slackware on a server... that is asking for frustration.