this post was submitted on 25 Dec 2023
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Linux

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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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I've been using Linux Mint since forever. I've never felt a reason to change. But I'm interested in what persuaded others to move.

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 11 months ago (3 children)

To all gentoo detractors.... 20 years ago compiling a browser would take 5 days (as in 24 x 5 hours...) So you are not allowed to complain TODAY about compile times ahahahaahaha ahahaha ahah haha aaaaaaaaah ಠ_ಠ

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I remember jumping from Ubuntu (my first distro) to a Gentoo stage 2 install in 2005. I was using it on my desktop so I needed a GUI. I was using either a high end P4 or an X2 Athlon. I attempted to compile KDE and all the deps. It would compile X for about 10-20 hours... and then the compilation would break with a seemingly obscure error message.

I tried a few times and never did get a GUI built.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Today on Intel i7/Xeon with 16gb ram I go from a stage3 to full GUI (plasma, no libreoffice or such) in a few hours.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago

I've considered giving it a go again since I have a 24 core Threadripper which could easily compile everything pretty quickly, I just never got around to it.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago

Try accidentally emerge world on a full desktop environment with open office and said browser on a Pentium 2 after changing some base level compile flags... Oh, and I was on dial-up. Didn't do that again.

I got Gentoo on a DVD with instructions in a magazine for a Stage 1 build. No internet connection at that stage so I had to work through problems myself. Took a few goes but I learnt a heck of a lot about how Linux boots.

Been a very long time so apologies if I got some details wrong.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago

Yeah I remember trying it out on a k6-2 400 MHz (maybe? I don't remember if that was it's rated speed of it it was with the bus at 112mhz) and it was days of downloading sources and even more for compiling. I think there was a bootable CD bundled with some zine that allowed you to have something running on your machine