Is gentoo usable by newbies?

[amantonas]

I am really trying to get myself to install Gentoo, but there is one question,

Is Gentoo usable by newbies?

[techieMoe]

I am really trying to get myself to install Gentoo, but there is one question,

Is Gentoo usable by newbies?

Yes. Gentoo is usable by anyone. However, whether it is something you personally want to use is up to you. Gentoo is a very difficult distribution to get set up and you'll have to learn a lot about the internal workings of Linux to get it set up successfully. In short, it's a lot of work.

If you're looking for something you can just plug in the CD drive and hit Next->Next->Finish I would not recommend Gentoo.

[amantonas]

About the Installation: Is it all about compiling and do you have to have knowledge on compiling? Or is it just a lot of questions about your system's configuration?

[techieMoe]

About the Installation: Is it all about compiling and do you have to have knowledge on compiling? Or is it just a lot of questions about your system's configuration?

You'll learn a little bit about compiling (such as editing a makefile at one point) but most of the compiling in Gentoo is handled by the package manager software, portage.

It will also ask you questions regarding your computer's hardware configuration such as what model and/or chipset your video card is, what model and chipset your network card is, how much RAM your video card has, what kind of monitor you have (and possibly the horizontal and vertical sync ratios for it). Things like that.

[amantonas]

The partitioning looks Very complicated, but I think i might get through it if I follow the handbook closely. Thank you for your help.

[valemon]

I installed about one month ago gentoo 2006.1. I suggest having the handbook nearby during the installation and follow step by step the instructions. This should get to you to the end.

[bryansmith]

If you're interested in Gentoo but are new to Linux, I suggest trying something like Sabayon. It's Gentoo based but pre configured with a lot of programs.

[dxqcanada]

We were all newbies once.

The Gentoo Handbook will get you through anything ... follow it step by step ... then use the other Gentoo Docs.

[Ordinary12]

I've been trying to setup Gentoo using the 64 bit Live CD version for the past week and I'm finding it very frustrating. I guess it's not answering th questions that get to me but rather the amount of people who keep telling me the Hand Book will get me through the installation. This may be true for people who have been using Linux there entire life but it's torture for newbies who are used to Windows OS. I don't understand why someone hasn't seen the need for detailed installation instructions for newbies who are using the Live CD version of Gentoo. Would someone please do that for me? I can get to the section where I can add another account and setup my root user password but it requires me to know where I want to setup the new user account. I have no idea where my account should go in the Linux directory.

I'm also trying to understand the stage three tarball section. I read that the Live CD doesn't have that included so I need to know what my options are if I only have a dial-up modem. Can I just download the tarball onto my hard drive and install from there?

[jens]

I guess it's not answering th questions that get to me but rather the amount of people who keep telling me the Hand Book will get me through the installation. This may be true for people who have been using Linux there entire life but it's torture for newbies who are used to Windows OS.

But those instructions really are very easy...
All you need to know is how to "cut and paste" and how to use a text editor.

You might get better answers if you point out what step didn't work for you including the exact error.

I'm no Gentoo fan myself though (it's a good learning distribution though).