Left by Rawhide

Posted Jul 18, 2012 20:24 UTC (Wed) by nix (subscriber, #2304)
In reply to: Left by Rawhide by drag
Parent article: Left by Rawhide

I don't want full control. I want to hand control over to people that are competent and know what they are doing better then myself.

And that's a fundamental difference that you'll never resolve by arguing about it. I'm a control freak -- I got involved with computers in the first place (aged six) entirely because the things were perfect servants that will do precisely what you ask (as long as you can describe it well enough) and can in principle be completely understood. As a consequence, I consider binary-package distros to be a violation of the fundamental reason I use computers in the first place -- control.

But I'm also quite aware that most people just consider the things tools, not totally controllable havens, and I can understand why if you think of your computer as a tool you might be willing to prioritize things that make it a better tool over control issues you don't care about.

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Left by Rawhide

Posted Jul 20, 2012 5:28 UTC (Fri) by dirtyepic (guest, #30178) [Link] (3 responses)

Well put. When I first started using Linux I tried several binary distros but I kept finding myself attempting to compile mplayer from source and installing gcc prereleases. After a few Linux From Scratch installs I realized I would never be able to maintain an entire distro on my own and still have time for extracurricular activities like sleeping. So I switched to Gentoo, where I can focus my attention on what interests me and leave the rest to be managed by someone else who knows a lot more about those areas.

Gentoo is a distro for the obsessive compulsive. Most people don't get it, and they never will, and that's fine.

Left by Rawhide

Posted Jul 20, 2012 12:42 UTC (Fri) by nix (subscriber, #2304) [Link]

When I first started using Linux I tried several binary distros but I kept finding myself attempting to compile mplayer from source and installing gcc prereleases. After a few Linux From Scratch installs I realized I would never be able to maintain an entire distro on my own and still have time for extracurricular activities like sleeping.

And they say free software is not a drug. :)

Left by Rawhide

Posted Jul 20, 2012 22:49 UTC (Fri) by man_ls (guest, #15091) [Link] (1 responses)

Meh. With Debian you also have control over the parts that you find interesting, you can compile from source and generate your own packages, but the default is to leave things alone. To our beloved editor: do not listen to these guys, for regular obsessive people Gentoo.gets old pretty quick. You sound like you want Debian testing, all of the fun but little unpredictability!

Left by Rawhide

Posted Jul 21, 2012 3:16 UTC (Sat) by dirtyepic (guest, #30178) [Link]

It was between Debian and Gentoo and maybe Slackware, but Gentoo's install was closer to LFS' so I tried it first. Now they made me a developer so I suppose I should stick around. For what it's worth, I agree that our editor would probably be happier with Debian or another of the suggestions.

Some people buy a boat to relax. Some people build one in their basement. In the end it's just personal preference.