Should I use Gentoo?

[Drysh]

I used to have gentoo installed on my home computer. But since I quit being a programmer and started using computer mostly as an user and a gamer, I moved to Windows and Linux Mint (Debian based). I don't have much time for my computer these days, so I use what's easier, not always what's best (I rather use my time to play a game than tweaking the OS).

Note that this is my home computer, with nothing very important (except some home banking, but Mint is good enough for this). At work I'm not in charge of the computers, and it doesn't really matter since I can easily connect to them from any Linux or Windows when needed.

But, I miss gentoo... I noticed it yesterday. I miss what I believe is the greatest asset of Gentoo: you, the user base. I always had someone helping me setting some strange hardware or tweaking that program to do exactly what i wanted. Can I have my cake and eat it too?


My needs:
• Be able to play Windows games easily. Is wine up to the task? Or will I have to adjust it for each new game? Should I dual boot anyway?
• Instant, easy, hands free updates, without having to wait for everything to compile or adjust something somewhere.
• Be able to run non-free software (mostly Linux games and Steam) without trouble.
• Run Flash, Unity, HTML5 games. I'm currently using Windows for this.
• If possible and easy to set, it could become a file server/media streamer, so I could put my pdf, photos, musics and movies and watch/read/listen from my TV, cel or tablet (only at home, I don't need to have access from anywhere).

The main advantages of others distros are that I can forget about them and only keep minimally updated (mostly security updates) until it's time to install the next version (once a year or two or when I buy a new computer -- last time I did that was 2015, so it's time to update), and that most things are compatible with debian based distros. The main disadvantage of gentoo is that it takes a long time to update (or used to).

So... Should I come back?

[AJM]

If you enjoy fiddling with your computer and getting it working exactly as you would like then yes, you should come back. If you just want to get in and drive then maybe Gentoo isn't right for you and will just frustrate you.

I couldn't imagine using anything else for my own main PC - it MUST work exactly like I want and be squeaky clean. For other machines I use all sorts of distros though - I have a Chromebook which gets mostly used for general web browsing at home (though it's a nice fast machine so I often use it out and about for configuring routers, switches etc.)

Various Raspberry Pi mini servers run Raspbian, and I have a "disposable" laptop which runs Mint; this one I use if I have a one-off need for a particular program I don't necessarily want to pollute my desktop PC with; like all binary distros it ends up a cluttered mess eventually but I don't really care as I could wipe it any time and not lose anything of value.

I'm not a gamer so can't really comment on that aspect - though the first game I have played in many years (Machinarium) works perfectly under Wine which is handy as the Linux version is ancient and broken!

[John R. Graham]

[krinn]

[szatox]

[JackHunt]

[Zucca]

[krizoek]

i'd suggest if you want to use linux, consider using only things made for it.

it's good to keep that windows stuff away from your main physical computer. i think there is risks by it. never know what's up with it.

i have been doing this for a while, playing only linux games and having only linux on the computer. it's quite liberating

if it's not for linux, it doesn't exist

[Ant P.]

[szatox]

I had it on my Nokia 3310
Hell, I didn't even have to update it, that thing simply didn't age!

[Zucca]