On Tue, 2004-03-16 at 13:48, Richard Lewis wrote:
I've just downloaded the two ISOs for Gentoo 2004.0.
Before I burn them to disc, does anyone know what they contain? Is it source packages or binary packages?
Both I think. You can choose to do install prebuilt packages or to build from sources on the CD or to download latest packages or source from the net.
And how long is it likely to take to install (from sources) a standard desktop system (X, KDE, OOo) on a Pentium III (512Mb RAM). Presumably I can do it a bit at a time (e.g. compile X first and then KDE in another session). What worries me slightly is that I'm running a laptop and they don't take kindly to be left switched on for long periods of time.
Any thoughts would be very much appreciated.
Cheers, Richard
Richard, you NEED to read this.... http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/handbook/handbook.xml?part=1&chap=0
The important bit to answer your question is.....
Starting from a stage1 allows you to have total control over the optimization settings and optional build-time functionality that is initially enabled on your system. This makes stage1 installs good for power users who know what they are doing. It is also a great installation method for those who would like to know more about the inner workings of Gentoo Linux.
Stage1 Pros and Cons + Allows you to have total control over the optimization settings and optional build-time functionality that is initially enabled on your system + Suitable for powerusers that know what they are doing + Allows you to learn more about the inner workings of Gentoo - Takes a long time to finish the installation - If you don't intend to tweak the settings, it is probably a waste of time
Stage2 installs allow you to skip the bootstrap process and doing this is fine if you are happy with the optimization settings that we chose for your particular stage2 tarball.
Stage2 Pros and Cons + You don't need to bootstrap + Faster than starting with stage1 + You can still tweak your settings - You cannot tweak as much as with a stage1 - It's not the fastest way to install Gentoo - You have to accept the optimizations we chose for the bootstrap
Choosing to go with a stage3 allows for the fastest install of Gentoo Linux, but also means that your base system will have the optimization settings that we chose for you (which to be honest, are good settings and were carefully chosen to enhance performance while maintaining stability). stage3 is also required if you want to install Gentoo using prebuilt packages.
Stage3 Pros and Cons + Fastest way to get a Gentoo base system - You cannot tweak the base system - it's built already - You cannot brag about having used stage1 or stage2
It sounds like you need to use a "stage 3" install. I used stage 1, and had to leave the box (1Ghz C3) on for a couple of nights to get to the point of having a working Gnome system. But it's been worth it.
Peter