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Ok, this post already comes a bit late since gentoo has already been released for quite some time. However, since no mention was given on this blog, I felt compelled to write something about it.

Gentoo is a meta-distribution. This means that, trough a complex and yet incredibly easy to use system called portage, you can get source packages + dependencies and compile them, making sure you always have the latest (or most recent stable software, depending on your choice) software available. This is why gentoo 2007.0 is considered to be nothing more than a snapshot of gentoo at a certain point in time. Expect an updated version sometime later this year.

The most important features are: Kernel 2.6.20, Gnome 2.16, a totally revamped installer and, of course, gentoo’s portage tree which elivers you pretty much anything you’ll ever need.

Gentoo has a bad reputation for it’s users fanatism. Yes, it’s true there are some childish fanboys out there. But generally speaking, they are all nice people who are willing to help you anytime. Just go to #gentoo on freenode and ask a question… just don’t blame gentoo or they’ll beat you to death hehe. In a sense they are right. The system will hardly crash on you if you follow the tutorials and don’t do anything stupid. Gentoo is very temperamental. It needs love and care

For those of you thinking about giving it a try, I recommend you make sure you have a free weekend for compile and configuration. It’s not easy, I know. But it has many rewards. I recommend you to search for information on these packages: beryl/compiz/compcomm, kuroo, glipper, ifplugd, samba, gentoolkit and layman. Also, to make the most fo your gentoo, read the information on USE flags and CFLAGs carefully.

links: www.gentoo.org, www.gentoo-wiki.com

good gentoo’ing

–Luí­s