Gentoo-ing Away
My new laptop came today… I say “my” new laptop, but it’s really one on loan to me for work. Still, I get to use it, take it home, and… install Gentoo linux on it.
This evening, tomorrow, and Sunday will likely all be spent compiling and installing Gentoo. Unlike most other Linux distributions, Gentoo is source-based, meaning you compile everything you install from it’s original source code. That takes considerable time, but you get a system that is tailored for your specific needs.
It’s like buying a custom-tailored suit. Yah, it takes a bit more planning, and it takes longer to get, but it fits so much better!
I’m actually being a particular glutton for punishment this time around-I’m doing a stage one Gentoo installation. What that means is that I’m not taking any shortcuts-the whole shebang is being bootstrapped and compiled from the ground up. It’ll probably spend tonight bootstrapping the compiler, and then I’ll compile the kernel tomorrow. Lovely fun. :)
The new laptop is a Dell Latitude D800. It’s got the extra-wide screen, which is kind of nice, but it’s got a non-linux-compatible wireless card. I hear that the Linuxant windows-compatibility wrapper driver works pretty well, though—it lets you use the version of the driver written for Windows, in Linux. Pretty clever.
Anyway. Here’s to hoping things compile faster than usual. I want to play with my new toy!
