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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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Is gentoo Linux really worth it? (iusearchlinux.fyi)

submitted 9 months ago by potentiallynotfelix@iusearchlinux.fyi to c/linux@lemmy.ml

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I've installed gentoo but there seems like there's so many sacrifices. I love that it's all open source, but I really don't mind closed source software now and then, because after all I would be using it to play closed source games. The biggest compromise I've observed is the very long build times. I have a lukewarm cpu(i3 10100) and it's powerful enough for good gaming but the build times are still like 10x minimum for some software. All this to say, is using gentoo really worth it? I love the idea behind it, and if I was doing criminal activity I'd definitely use it, but is there some absolute upside to it or is it a really good OS for privacy that sacrifices in usability?

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[–] potentiallynotfelix@iusearchlinux.fyi 2 points 9 months ago (7 children)

I would use it because of how customizable it is. Encryption support seems very robust, and you've got all-foss obviously. It seems like a great option like tails, but more customizable

[–] intrepid@lemmy.ca 11 points 9 months ago (3 children)

If customizability is your concern, then Arch might be a better fit. Arch is almost as customizable, without the build step. The recent Gentoo binary repo is also equivalent.

I use Gentoo too. But it's for another reason.

[–] Nibodhika@lemmy.world 5 points 9 months ago (2 children)

Not really, on Gentoo you can set use_flags to disable entire parts of a binary. Is it useful? Is it worth it? I personally think not, which is why I stopped using Gentoo, but it's definitely more customisable than Arch.

However that has nothing to do with doing illegal stuff, not sure where he got that idea from.

[–] poinck@lemm.ee 1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I think it is very useful because of that, because that way you can omit dependencies that would be installed otherwise.

And maybe it reduces the risk of having bugs and security problems in the software that you use tied to certain features of it you don't have compiled in.

[–] Nibodhika@lemmy.world 2 points 9 months ago

Or maybe it causes other bugs or security issues that are not widely known because most people use it with different flags.

It's no more or less secure, it's just more customisable.

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