Gentoo or Debian

[bonedaddy]

I'm am absolutely sick of RPM so after a little research, I found that Gentoo or Debian could free me from this madness. For a server setup RPM/RedHat is fine but I want to set a stable desktop with up to date apps.

I'm a noob at linux and only know RH. I've set up a Postfix mail server in RH9, and that's about it. Nothing major.

Could someone recommend the best solution and which would be easier for me to tackle? If I go with Debian, should I use Knoppix to install it?

Is Deb a better system than Portage? I want to be able to keep my system up to date without living in dependency Hell!

TIA!

bd

[lordnothing]

both are good at dependencies..
debian uses prebuilt binaries and has an installer...
gentoo builds everything from source with compile-time options that you set in /etc/make.conf.. there is no installer for gentoo, but the install process is pretty easy if you follow the instructions on their website..

[bonedaddy]

Thanks for the info LN! I'll start with Gentoo tonight and see how it goes.

Thanks again.

bd

[Dolda2000]

Note that since Gentoo compiles everything from source, it can very well take 12+ hours to install it.

[bpark]

I've been using Debian for sometime now and I can say that both dpkg and apt are good tools (I think there is something called aptitude that is superior to apt nowadays). Unless you are using the stable version, you will run into dependency problems sometimes. This is rare but when it happens, it's annoying to find the fix to it.

As for installing Debian, why use knoppix? Just install from the CD. It's not as gruesome as people might think.

Portage .. didn't know that it compiles directly from source. While that gives a great option during the make phase, as Dolda2000 mentioned, it'll can take sometime to install packages.

[Dillinger]

Well worth the wait, and stage 3 tarballs can be used on slower systems and have the same effect as a stage 1 build. Can be used on fast systems as well for that matter. Once you use Gentoo for a while it becomes no hastle. Updates can be done by cron and not ever through about, and updating the config files afterward isn't that big a deal. Just have to make sure you don't replace key ones like fstab, /etc/conf.d/net, make.conf and so on with newer defaulted ones.

[linduxed]

my pick: Gentoo

Debian is nice but Gentoo is faster (especially if u use stage 1) and portage is glorious! even better then the great apt system.
and Gentoo is also nice because, when you've learned a bit about the inner workings of the system (i aint there yet, but im trying) then you'll experience that Gentoo's one hell of a customizable system.

Dont get me wrong, Debian is also very nice.

[Oddball]

I must say that apt works more smoothly than portage... in my oppinion.

/Thor the allmighty

[lordnothing]

why is it that i'm sensing the beginnings of a holy war between apt users and portage users??

[linduxed]

ok then im jumpin' of the thread (just not to make it a flaming-one) .

i would still say that portage fixes dependencies more nicely, but that's really a matter of taste i think.

i would recomend debian too you though (i said "MY pick" before) as if yer a newbie, then debain's installer and package management are a bit more newbie'ish if you know what i mean. So even though Gentoo has more configurability i'd say you should go for debian...