Why is Gentoo so popular here?

You can stoke your e-peen with it.

Gentoo is a meme

>>61965255
it is more autistic than the others

>>61965255
USE flags. You can customize your installs to have as much or as little extras as you want.

Compiling from source, so anything that works on linux will work on Gentoo.

>>61965255
the USE flags and the chance of compile each package with the features you want.
also portage is great

What's the deal with an AUR type thing? Does it have anything similar, as that's what's keeping me on Arch. How do you get packages like i3-gaps that probably aren't part of the official repositories? Sell Gentoo package management to me.

>>61965427
Compile from source. If you have the source code, you can install it.

That includes any sources from AUR files.

It's mainly popular because fags think it's a meme distro, like this poor gentleman thinks >>61965299. That being said, it does offer some great advantages in terms of speed, stability and flexibility when compared to other distros.
Speed by everything being compiled and optimized specifically for your system and not having a gorillion useless drivers compiled into the kernel (my kernel image is 4.5MB and my initramfs is 5.5MB, the kernel and initramfs on the Kubuntu liveCD are 7.3MB and 28.6MB).
Stability by everything being linked to exactly your system's libraries and packages not being installed if they can't be compiled or fail a test phase.
Flexibility thanks to USE flags, which give you the ability to install packages only with specific features, like various media codecs or nginx modules.
2 downsides come to mind: The griefs of manual configuration and compile time.

>>61965427
Portage has an overlay feature. Layman automatically manages a lot of overlays and makes installing them very easy. You'll find just about anything in those. You can even create your own private overlays if you want even more esoteric packages, or perhaps something you programmed yourself and want to distribute easily between all your machines.

>>61965255
>no systemd
>infinite customization
>literally the most autistic installation process
>>>/sqt/

>>61965255
Because it's a hobbyist's system. It's very customizable and makes you do a lot of leg work.
> great advantages in terms of speed
Well, maybe it is more noticable on Thinkpad x60
> give you the ability to install packages only with specific features, like various media codecs or nginx modules
Even Fedora can do that.

>>61965255
>What advantages does it have over other distributions?
Source code based package manager that lets you do the vast majority of everything you might want to do with source code with some comfort.

Want ARM binaries generated apart from x86_64? You can have that. Want trucolor patch sets on 5 pieces of software? No problem, and the binary is still largely handled by the package manager. And so on.

Also it's really rather good in terms of long-term maintainability.

But that doesn't mean it's for everyone. If you're not feeling any need to do anything with source code, a binary-based distro is likely just better for you.

>>61965540
>>61965555

Alright, you've convinced me, gonna try it right now in a virtual machine? But what about stability? Are packages aggressively tested in the same way Debian packages are?

>>61965255
you can waste the rest of your useless life compiling firefox and then spending another day ricing it with shitty css hacks

dont forget the anime wallpaper

>>61965255
it's not its just the /g/ version of delete system32

>>61965578
> makes you do a lot of leg work
Not really very much, no. It makes your computer compile a bunch and you make a few decisions but ultimately it's pretty damn tame because they package manager is quite comprehensive.

Once it's set up you largely just update and make decisions where there just is a conflict or problem.

> Well, maybe it is more noticable on Thinkpad x60
There is no particular speed advantage in using Gentoo in general, you have to work with alternative (more minimalist) software configurations to even notice anything, really.

> Even Fedora can do that.
Not on the same level regardless. Can't just choose to leave libatomic and cryptopp and zfs support disabled on ceph. Or enable more experimental features.

>>61965610
>But what about stability? Are packages aggressively tested in the same way Debian packages are?
Gentoo flags ebuilds as stable, unstable and testing (explicit unmask only).

I'm not sure they're tested the same way Debian's packages are, but it works okay if you ask me.

>>61965610
Lets go even woth than devian.

>>61965610
>>61965663
Packages need to pass this in order to be included into stable
https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Package_testing

>>61965555
> no systemd
Had systemd as one of the first distros, and ever since. I myself switched to systemd pretty early.

But you can run openrc or others if you prefer. Gentoo doesn't really care.

> literally the most autistic installation process
You extract a base set of binaries and set your PC up to boot it. Pretty straight-forward and much simpler to do with the tools provided than just bare bones Linux source packages.

Autistic is a MS Windows installer that refuses to install on various drives and partitions because it expects that the dumbest possible BIOS won't allow booting off them.

it's very fast if you ignore the several hours each week you'll spend compiling updates

>>61965578
>>61965650
And there's more customizability than just USE flags. Portage has a number of features, you can relatively easily compile selected packages with debug symbols, use splitdebug, install sources and other stuff.

>>61965610
DESU man the overlays are a hassle, same with use flags. If you REALLY like to tweak your system then definitely try Gentoo but if you like arch because you can just pacaur -S and have basically anything working immediately then Gentoo might not scratch the itch you think it will. That being said, you should still try it out. The install process was a learning experience, although not actually as hard as I thought it would be, and also since you visit this website it's probably worth checking it off your bucket list

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I'd choose gentoo if I need to use Linux.

>>61965771
Not you. Your computer might be. You are shitposting on 4ch or whatever else you do.

Never mind a decent modern CPU working off a SSD just plows through most packages.

>>61965540
thanks for the writedown, very informative. Maybe in a year or two when I am a bit more fluid in bash and the inner workings of a linux system I will try it myself.

>>61967262
You don't need to be "fluid in bash" for shit.

And doing the Gentoo handbook is one of the best ways to understand (at a sysadmin level) these "inner workings" of a Linux system.

>>61967316
off to the VM I am then

>>61965427
They pretty much have everything in the repos you faggot.

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>>61967403
>He fell for the meme

It's a meme you dip

Gentoo is like a bad version of Arch. It's slow because you have to compile every single thing yourself.

>>61967403
Sure. This and a bit of time is all you really need:
https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Handbook:AMD64

If I may suggest, the VM will be faster on a SSD 'cause it'll touch many small files.

Also, if you JUST wanted to learn to play around with portage rather than understand Linux on a sysadmin level, you could install Sabayon or such with its GUI installer. (And then just use portage rather than equo).

>>61967537
>inb4 anon only wants to post a gentoo neofetch screenshot

>>61967513
Ultimately it's not "you" who compile "every single thing yourself", you tell portage to install xy with configuration z - and it does it including dependencies.

Modern machines are actually pretty damn fast at this for most packages, but sure enough it takes longer than just extracting a binary tarball.

>>61965255
g is infested with basement residing turbo autists whom need to do everything the hard way in order to feel they did something that day

>>61967679
You don't have to do much at all.

Run updates daily or bi-weekly or monthly if you want. Usually there's barely two decisions to make.

And then you just do your shit while it runs in the background. Less time spent than looking at a forced Windows 10 shutdown-update-reboot shit cycle.

>>61967784
>Less time spent than looking at a forced Windows 10 shutdown-update-reboot shit cycle.
Less time spent on the feature that was reworked a few weeks after the release. I had to check last week if my Windows actually updates, since it didn't say a thing since Anniversary update. But sure, we can continue spreading bullshit that was fixed years ago.

AMD has no drivers on Linux guys!

>>61967784
i literally never had to pause my work or my shitposting wrongdoings because of a forced update ever
kinda gay you are, arent you?

>>61967902
I've lost count how many times a relative or some user or whatever wanted to show or try something on their infrequently used machine and then we sat there watching 5-20 minutes of Windows 10 startup updates.

And then a bunch of even worse instances where MS fucked something up and updates had to do fucking slow rollbacks and stuff like that.

And the sad thing is that this then can be followed by individual applications asking to update or doing updates on launch, wasting even more time.

Shit, Gentoo is downright holy. It may be a "waste" of cheap computer time vs a binary distro, but it's nowhere near the giant waste of human user time that Windows (including 10) causes.

>>61965610
>virtual machine
Lame.
Whip out a spare hard drive and directly install onto that

What are the differences between Arch and Gentoo?
Which is the best for a lightweight, fast OS?

>>61968570
Jesus Christ it's for trying it out.

>>61969044
That's why you have spare drive
So you can try all sorts of shit without jeopardizing your main drives

>>61968664
please respon

>>61965255
You never have to guess with what flags a library or program has been compiled. Kernel, too. The downside is that unless you have a recent computer, compiling Libreoffice or Firefox is total ass — unless you take the weak route and install libreoffice-bin or firefox-bin

>>61970281
Took me like 15 or 20 minutes tops for Wasserfuchs. Might have been 10 for all I know, I didn't time it, on a 6600 btw.

>>61968664
Ultimately you will get a bit faster and more lightweight with gentoo because you compile everything yourself if you want and can set the compiler-flags to values optimized for your system, also only having the kernel modules you picked can boost boot-time a bit

But on a modern machine you won't notice a difference and are better of with Arch and save yourself the hassel of customizing gentoo

>>61970386
Desktop, sure you *probably* won't notice. On waterfox-bin I scored 48k on octane, while on -git I scored 51k. On a large system, a admin would cream for a 3% optimization.

>>61970418
6%~ fuck me

>>61965255
-customizable for your exact needs
-real choices and alternatives
-you can install multiple versions of a lot software and libraries for all your development needs
-ability to choose from multiple versions of all software, latest git/svn/whatever version included
-works just fine without systemd

>>61970386
How hard is it to install gentoo really? Is it really THAT tedious?

It has no real advantage over NixOS.

>>61971077
It's rather time consuming, especially when you do it the first time and have to look up a lot of things. Configs, use flags, exact names of software etc.
I can set up a kernel for a single machine within five minutes. For a first timer it could be a half hour or more to go through menuconfig.
Yes, genkernel exists but only niggers use genkernel.

>>61971077
Editing .config files and compiling shit. Will take a few hours.

>>61971077
I'm too brailet to install Gentoo, the doc is hard to understand.
Void Linux is the only distribution with a good installer.

>>61971103
No sysd is a huge advantage

>>61971187
That's the opposite of an advantage. Systemd actually makes everything on my system faster. Soon will be able to switch to runit anyway.

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>>61965540
>initramfs
Fuck that shit. My kernel boots traditionally.
I have encountered enough bizarre problems in my days, that initramfs-based Linuces required me to dig up another computer and write a rescue system onto a USB-stick, while traditional setups just let me set

init=/bin/bash

and unfuck what got fucked.

>>61971294
>genkernel all
>just werks

>>61965540
Compiling packages "for your system" doesn't make them faster, stop spreading that meme.

>>61971705
Yes it does. See
>>61970418

>>61966043
Just use bsdinfo dood
It has a better logo

>>61971175
watch a fucking youtube video, then everybody should get it

>>61965255
sweet summer, I'm glad your ending soon

>>61966043
i'd like to interject for a moment...

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>>61965540
>advantages in terms of speed,

--omg-optimized
--fuck-upstream
--teach-me-unix

Install SourceMage

>>61972597
What's the screenfetch like? I might switch if it's A E S T H E T I C

>>61972625
All you see is your wallpaper with no applications running. That is if you're an i3 person.

>>61972646
I want to see the neofetch or screenfetch sempai

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>>61972687
Gentoo kinda looks like this

>>61972723
No, silly, source mage

>>61965255
1) You have more control over how the packages are compiled, debian is take it or leave it.
2) It's very close to Linux from Scratch but with a nice package manager

>>61965366
This. USE flags for configuring your package compiles let you build them without support for things you don't want.

My personal opinion is that Gentoo is a total waste of time, specially for your own desktop. The time you spend configuring it and customizing it is better spent doing actual work on your computer or cuddling with your wife/waifu.

If you want some dedicated server which does one specific task (or two) and you want a slim system that has a program or two configured exactly how you like it then it's totally fine.

gentoo is botnet

>>61965255
DO IT

>>61971175
Im a brainlet and I followed the guide just fine.