A Distribution, an Audience, and the Passage of Time

by Kristin Shoemaker - Sep. 23, 2008Comments (8)

Gentoo Linux has had a rough time of it the last few years. James Bellenger has briefly detailed the migration from Gentoo (See Table), and some reasons why it is occurring. He wonders where all the Gentoo users are going.

Matt Asay at CNET suspects Ubuntu's rising star is responsible for the exodus rather than Gentoo's lack of strong leadership.

Having used both distributions extensively, and strongly preferring one, I agree with Asay when he says that given Ubuntu's popularity, Gentoo's stats seem far less impressive. That could be said about thriving distributions when compared to Ubuntu.

However, an average Gentoo user is usually not asking the same from his machine as a typical Ubuntu user. That is not to say that all Gentoo users are power-users, or that Ubuntu users never want to get under the hood. Still, there is a very different approach to what role the operating system and installed applications play in each distribution.

I used Gentoo for the better part of a year. It is not a distribution that just works from the beginning. It's not designed to be. I learned to appreciate the first-rate documentation (which is very applicable to issues one might have with other distributions) and the fact that I rarely needed to ask for help on forums because the Handbook was so complete.

I stopped using Gentoo the day I truly broke something, and I just didn't have the time to work out the fix or re-install. Ubuntu wasn't the destination then, though I have used Ubuntu for long stretches since my last Gentoo installation. I don't have strong feelings against it, but I don't feel particularly warm toward it, either. Most of my computers run distributions other than Ubuntu.

I am willing to bet many former Gentoo users have similar stories. It is a considerable investment of time to do a re-installation if something on a Gentoo machine (hardware, or software) goes badly enough to require it. It usually has to be something catastrophic to get Gentoo to this point, but these things do happen. When the time involved is coupled with that uneasy feeling that the project has an uncertain future, and those at the helm aren't sure where to proceed -- it is necessary to look at other distributions.

Ubuntu is ubiquitous, a quick install, and works in a pinch. I am sure I am not the only former Gentoo user who has used Ubuntu intermittently, but prefers some other distribution on a frequently used system. I am sure I am not the only Gentoo user who would make a time investment to re-install if only I had a little more idea of the direction the project was taking.

So what are all of you former Gentoo users running on your machines? What would it take to get Gentoo back on your computers?


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8 Comments
 

I took a brief detour and took on Ubuntu. I'm back with Gentoo though. You can have things be simple, or you can have them be flexible. I like flexible ;)

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I used Gentoo but when I got another machine and was trying to decide what to go to I knew I wanted something I could setup and forget and not lose as many nights as I had twiddling and tweaking Gentoo.

I still recommend Gentoo, though, for anybody that wants to really learn Linux.

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If you've got interesting (or even boring) ideas for where you think Gentoo should go, I'd love to hear them!

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ArchLinux seems to be a good trade-off (that's what I'm running now). Binary AND source packages, every choice is up to the user, rolling release etc ...

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I tried to install Gentoo. I tried. I really, really tried. But days later, with nothing to show for endless hours of building software, I switched distros.

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I've been using Gentoo for 4 years, and still do. I recommend Ubuntu for most users. I set up Ubuntu for my Mom's web/mail use. I have my niece running Ubuntu. It's the least painless Linux solution for non-computer people. I don't see Gentoo ever being a 'popular' distribution, because it just isn't designed for mass consumption. It's designed for people like me who customize to the hilt, can track bugs down to the register level of the hardware if necessary, and appreciate the utility of USE flags, overlays and compiling from source. I suspect a lot of the bug fixing on many open source packages is done by developers running Gentoo (not developers *for* Gentoo) as Gentoo is a natural distribution for that sort of work.

For the average non-power user, though, who just wants something running out-of-the-box, there are better distributions. Gentoo targets a different user base.

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i used gentoo and after it broke and i spent few day fixing it while facing deadline i switched to debian lenny. it just isn't worth the pain, and debian is just as configurable, at least for my needs, and much more stable and easier to maintain

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In most situations, I use Arch, Sidux, or Zenwalk for my installations. All are very fast, all have rolling releases (or, in Zenwalk's case, something close to it), and are fairly customizable.


I'm most comfortable with Arch, though it isn't without some warts. Very fast, nearly completely blank-slate install, customizable without being overly complicated for my needs (Gentoo's USE tags, for example), fairly recent packages and drivers when I need them, simplified rc.conf file, well commented config files, good KDE implementation.


Can be a headache to get up to speed, but it does get easier with repetition and the documentation is improving as well.


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