This is true, Gentoo has around 10,000 +- (eh.. heh.. free) packages that are frequently maintained by the community's dev's. All I have to do (like has been described) is # emerge software_name and badda bing... good to go. Then, every week I do: # emerge update And all of the packages that are installed on my box are auto-magically updated with new versions, bug & security fixes. Old versions are removed. Microsoft certainly doesn't do that for you. Got a package you want to uninstall? # emerge --unmerge software_name. That's not so difficult.
There are a number of GUI package managers such as kpackage for KDE. Just click on the package icon in a file manager and you can install via a GUI. No command line. Install from an ftp URL as well a local files etc. These things have existed for years. Kpackage for example shows a list of all installed packages.Clicking on a package gives a descrption, version, list of files, *software dependencies* and much more. Uninstall - no problem. Actually much better than Windows package management.
This guy never use Windows, I think. Which microsoft software except the Windows OS need you to input activation key? If you reinstall your Win everyday, you can call it a hassle. My XP was installed two years ago and now running without a glitch. Ah! maybe you own crappy old Win9x or 2K??? that's why you install it often.
Hi Craig and ktm, Indeed, many, many package opportunities exist. I worked a lot with the earlier debian and apt. I liked gentoo a lot. I'm now at Suse only because I found out that their 9.3 ran best on my 3 notebooks and I didn't want to stick with different versions of the OS. I could get others to work, but not out of the box as with Suse 9.3. I'll switch to something better if anything comes up in the future. That's what's nice about linux. The others, mainly M$, got you chained at your leg. I must say that the package choice under Suse/Novell (lots of KDE) is not bad at all. Gentoo is a bit more universal but requires much more time compiling in many cases. Gentoo's optimizations doesn't amount to much from a practical user's viewpoint.
Hi nonon, Have you found any disadvantages in suse (for the high-performance minded) as compared to gentoo?
Actually my XP box has been turned off for a couple of months. Hopefully it will stay that way. As for what I have used in the past Win 3.1, Win 98, NT, 2000, XP, DEC Unix, AIX, SCO Open Server, SCO Unixware, Solaris, HP Unix, Linux, CP/M, CP/M-86, MS-DOS, RSTS and some mainframe and mini-computer operating systems that you most likely have never heard of. Enough ?
Can tell you one thing Brand New, Talking about XP: it at least had to reinstall once a year, possibly because of package crap like Norton's &etc. triggering vulnerabilities in XP's software design weaknesses. No comparison with Linux. I run it on 6 computers now, some for more than 4 years. I NEVER HAD TO REINSTALL ANY Linux because of failure. I switched between distros, that's true. Linux also is much more responsive and robust in case of application failures. (try bootup for a change).
You screwed up your XP because you don't have enough ability to take care of it! Bad users always blame tools.