Switching from Gentoo, distro suggestions?

[SA_99]

I've been using Gentoo for a while, but compiling is beginning to get incredibly annoying, and I'm looking to switch. Basically, it's between Slackware, Debian, and Arch Linux (not too well known it seems, but I like what I hear about it).

Slackware seems great, but I'd really like dependency support and a nice package repository. I realize swaret can give me dependency support, but how large is the repository? Any games, lesser known software, etc. in it? It seems like it's just the basics.

Debian seems nice too. Apt-get and the HUGE package repository just looks awesome. But what about speed? Coming from Gentoo, it looks like Debian is pretty slow... And how much does apt-get do for you?

Arch looks kind of like a mix between the two. Package manager, and abs for source packages. And it's i686 optimized, so it seems like it'll run pretty fast. Problem is, this distro doesn't seem to well known. If there's anyone out there using it, any comments? I'm not to sure about the reliability of Arch and it's package manager.

Anyone want to throw in a suggestion?

[spork2000]

What about Yoper?

1 cd install, 2cnd had Gentoo's Portage on it.

i686 optimized.

Played with Arch Linux for a bit, couldn't get it to work quite right and didn't want to spend the time fiddling with it when I knew 20 minutes after I dropped the Yoper CD in I could be online again. Arch does look impressive though. Their forum is quite active. I'd take that as a good sign.

Slackware was too s l o w for me. Don't get me wrong, I think it's a great distro, just not for me. Easy to install and configure and to get updated using swaret but it was slow as molasses after a 686 optimized distro.

[Hayl]

why don't you try them all and make up _your_own_ mind regarding which one of the 3 best suits you?

[Pafnoutios]

Originally posted by SA_99
I've been using Gentoo for a while, but compiling is beginning to get incredibly annoying, and I'm looking to switch. Basically, it's between Slackware, Debian, and Arch Linux (not too well known it seems, but I like what I hear about it).


You don't have to compile all of your packages with gentoo. If you use the --usepkg switch you can download precompiled binary packages to install. You don't have to switch distributions to get binary packages unless you want to.

[Hayl]

Originally posted by Pafnoutios
You don't have to compile all of your packages with gentoo. If you use the --usepkg switch you can download precompiled binary packages to install. You don't have to switch distributions to get binary packages unless you want to.

1. what is the point? totally defeats the purpose of having a distro that is customized (and no i do not mean CFLAGS).
2. not every package in portage has a binary.

[asklepios]

swaret can use linuxpackages as repository if you want.

[SA_99]

Thanks for the ideas, I especially like the linuxpackages repository. I wish I had time to try them all, but I think I'll try Slackware this weekend.

[MMYoung]

Originally posted by spork2000
Slackware was too s l o w for me. Don't get me wrong, I think it's a great distro, just not for me. Easy to install and configure and to get updated using swaret but it was slow as molasses after a 686 optimized distro.
Slackware SLOW after a 686 optimized distro? I always thought that Slack WAS a 686 opitmized distro when installed on a 686 CPU? Don't let the i486 nomenclature fool you.
Posted by Hayl on another thread (but it's a direct quote from the Slackware site)
Slackware uses -mcpu=i686, not i386

From their website:

Slackware Linux can run on 486 systems all the way up to the latest x86 machines (but uses -mcpu=i686 optimization for best performance on i686-class machines like the P3, P4, and Duron/Athlon).
Just for good measure you can always recompile the kernel for your CPU.

I've been using Slack for a while now and it's faster than any distro I've tried so far and if the "686" distros are faster then I probably wouldn't be able to keep up :D!

Later,
MMYoung

[ph34r]

I went from redhat, to LFS (back when there was first talk of a LNO distro... /me misses Sensei^-san) to Slack to Gentoo to Slack to Fedora. Between Fedora being more plug-n-play on my system than Win2k is (gotta love hardware shopping for Linux-only systems) and apt-get, its kinda nice. Don't have to mess with config files, or be quite so hackerish in day-to-day use, including at work.

[SA_99]

I've tried Fedora, but I didn't really like it. I got tons of errors using whether I used yum, apt, or just plain rpms. Signatures didn't match, etc. It may have been my fault, but it was still pretty annoying. I never really used the nice gui tools much either. Once X and the kernel are configured right, I don't tend to mess with much configuring any more.
As for slackware, before I try it out, how easy is it to upgrade to the 2.6 kernel? Are there packages, or do I just do it myself?

[mdwatts]

Originally posted by SA_99

As for slackware, before I try it out, how easy is it to upgrade to the 2.6 kernel? Are there packages, or do I just do it myself?

I've noticed lots of Slackware & 2.6 kernel threads posted here during the last couple of months and some that includes links to 2.6 kernel installation guides. Searching the JL forums should easily find them.

[spork2000]

Originally posted by MMYoung
Slackware SLOW after a 686 optimized distro? I always thought that Slack WAS a 686 opitmized distro when installed on a 686 CPU? Don't let the i486 nomenclature fool you.
Posted by Hayl on another thread (but it's a direct quote from the Slackware site)

Just for good measure you can always recompile the kernel for your CPU.

I've been using Slack for a while now and it's faster than any distro I've tried so far and if the "686" distros are faster then I probably wouldn't be able to keep up :D!

Later,
MMYoung


Huh.

Maybe I'll give it another shot.

Thanks!

[asklepios]

Originally posted by SA_99
As for slackware, before I try it out, how easy is it to upgrade to the 2.6 kernel? Are there packages, or do I just do it myself? Slackware 9.1 is 2.6.x ready that is module-init tools will need no upgrade but you'll have to compile your own kernel as i have not seen any packages but then compiling is quite easy actually :)
imo Slackware currently has no competition (just my opinion. pls don't flame). i tried Gentoo lately and compiling everything is not my idea of fun. it was taking too much of time actually without any performace benefit. that "faster b'cos of source based" seems just saying to me as slackware is equally fast.

[maccorin]

i actually just moved away from gentoo myself, into Arch linux, originally i was just putting slackware on my laptop because i didn't want to deal w/ compiling on it, but was planning on keeping my desktop as gentoo, well about a day after installing slack dakor in #justlinux convinced me to give arch a try, and i had nothing to lose yet so i did. Well the next day I erased gentoo of my desktop and am running only Arch now because I liked it so much. It's great. But Slack is cool too.


AFA slack being *optimized* for 686, there is a big difference between -mcpu=i686 (slackware) and -march=i686 (arch)

but i actually want more optimizations then that for some things.... which is why i like arch so much, i use pacman to install stuff, but if there is something i wanna compile my own self, there is the ABS tree to make packages w/ your CFLAGS that you put into /etc/makepkg.conf.

there aren't USE flags for it, but you can just change the PKGCONF file in the ABS tree, came in really handy cause i needed to patch util-linux to use my encrypted drive.

[bandwidth_pig]

I myself would go with Debian. I have ran all three of the main distros discussed here. I run Gentoo currently. I have ran Slack (of the 8 flavor) and I have ran Debain Woody and Sid. Granted, I have been out the Slack loop for a while, but Debian Woody, contrary to what some will tell you, IMHO is just as fast as Gentoo. The problem I had with Slack was like you mentioned, I was compiling from Source a great deal of the time. It's most likely changed since 8 (has it Slack users? I'm thinking of switching again myself)...and apt really does spoil you. Coming from Portage, apt will provide a nice transition. The binaries available for Debian from my experience are optimized quite nicely. Right before I gave Gentoo a whirl, I was running Sid with a 2.6 kernel and it was every bit as fast as Gentoo. Matter of fact, I may very well go back to Woody. I do recommend Woody over Sid myself just becaue Woody runs so great.

Slack users what is happening in all that is Slackware as far as package management? Back in 8 package management didn't work for squat. Or I was going about it all wrong. I'm curious. So many Slack converts here recently...it has sparked my interest. I suppose one could run apt on Slack...but if your going to do that, one may as well just go with Debian in my opinion. Besides, you made it through the Gentoo install so either is a option for you. I would say Debian is a little more of a challenge to install than Slackware. But both are much more pleasant to install than Gentoo.

[merclude]

actually i think package systems for slackware have been becoming more popular, first there's swaret, now there's a gentoo portage clone called 'emerde' , sounds cool, i've never used either, i always compile stuff myself...

i still run slackware on my server box, simply because i dont trust gentoo enough yet..i run gentoo on my desktop and laptop though, i enjoy compiling everything.

[Hayl]

if you are running Gentoo solely for "speed" then you are running it for the wrong reasons. the real reason to run Gentoo is to control what support is compiled into your apps - i.e. disable/enable OSS or ALSA, disable or enable SSL, disable/enable kde or gnome support, disable/enable ARTS or ESD support, etc. with precompiled you get whatever the package maintainer decided to put in. if you don't care what is in it then use binary - if you want control then compile. the other reason to run Gentoo is ease of use - it is an extremely easy distro to maintain - as is Debian.

with Gentoo you may notice a slight speed improvement in things like X, Gnome/KDE, Window Managers, Mozilla, etc. The rest will be about the same.

[goon12]

Originally posted by SA_99
As for slackware, before I try it out, how easy is it to upgrade to the 2.6 kernel? Are there packages, or do I just do it myself?

Check this out: http://www.j79zlr.com/linux/index.php?page=kernel

-goon12

[SA_99]

I was just about ready to install Arch when I read that Debian post. Now I'm considering Debian much more seriously. But then there's also Slackware... There are just too many to try!

Anyway, when installing Debian, is there a sid installation cd, or will I have to install woody, change my apt-get sources, and upgrade? I may give woody a shot on my old pentium, but on my main computer, I like to keep up to date.

I may try Arch when/if they get Debian's menu system working, apparently they're working on it.

[bandwidth_pig]

You can get Sid running by just changing your apt sources file and upgrading.

[squeegy]

I would definitley recommend Sid (testing), Woody (stable), has tons of older packages. Don't let the word testing scare you.

[JohnT]

To really appreciate Slack now you have to learn Swaret. It in conjunction with pkgtool, when needed make installation a snap.....I go one further and use 'checkinstall" for those occasional downloads not .tgz and want to compile from source...it configures sources for Slack and installs them in the proper paths. Actually it has taken some of the fun out of Slack....he,he.:p

[x2z]

I would suggest that you use Debian Sarge (unstable). Debian Sarge isn't unstable at all, and it has all of the latest packages. I, myself, switched from Slackware to Gentoo and finally to Debian.

[pezplaya]

I actually just made that switch. I had gentoo on my box for a while, but there were some things that bugged me about it. I went back to slackware 9.1 and I'm currently running kernel 2.6.4. It was very easy to upgrade the kernel actually. Try eash distro and see which distro you like the best... don't have anyone choose for you.

Here is an easy guide:
http://durham.randomwire.com/articles.php?article=kernel.php