Gentoo Linux: The Story of a Journey

Gentoo Linux is ...

Whoops! I think it is necessary to start with a little information before telling you something about this distribution that has been the starting point in my Linux life.

A bit of "I":

First I'll start by telling you a little about myself (if that doesn't bother you of course, but if it does, you can skip down a couple of paragraphs, I won't be offended  ).

My name is Christopher, I'm 24 years old and I've been using different Linux distributions for a little over 2 years now. It's been a journey full of joy (although also confusion, I must admit  ) and along the way I've been able to learn a lot of things.

I study (I'm about to finish my degree) software development in Lima, Peru. Throughout my career I have seen different types of languages ​​and frameworks, and one or another I have used it for personal projects.

I am passionate about computer security, that is a field in which I hope to develop professionally, especially in vulnerability research.

With this little introduction I think there is more than enough, now if we can enter our history.

A bit of "you":

DesdeLinux is one of the main meeting points for Spanish-speaking users of different distributions. And it is likely that everyone who is reading these paragraphs has already used, uses or wants to use a Linux distribution. The more conservative will be able to use a dual system with some other version of another operating system, and the more adventurous will surely jump from distribution to distribution as the months go by. Wherever you are right now let me share a bit of my Linux story, a world full of adventures, challenges and successes.

Like many, especially here in Latin America, when I was younger, I had no idea of ​​the existence of Linux. I had always felt dissatisfied with the continuous disk fragmentation, losing speed with each installation, having to pay for each maintenance, in short, a thousand and one situations that maybe we have all gone through at some point.

First chapter, Ubuntu:

This all changed when I was introduced to Ubuntu shortly before I started studying Software Development. I still remember the first time Ubuntu's Live USB started, with that typical orange color, the sidebar, the new order and that "strange" way of searching for my applications by pressing the key. Windows.

The first meeting:

I must admit that it was love at first sight, a new world of possibilities, things to learn and without a doubt the new experience of living freely with your team. But like all sudden love, it didn't last long ... I have to admit that at first I had no idea what updating repositories entailed or even how to update a package. Installing my favorite software was always an experience that, although stumbling, left me with a feeling of absolute satisfaction when seeing the window with the program that had taken me (sometimes a little, sometimes a long) time to configure running on the main screen.

Heartbreak:

In a short time I began to notice that in my lack of experience, I had started to install hundreds of repositories, files, programs, etc, etc. So one day I said to myself: "Today we are going to clean the computer" (not that it was slow or anything like that, it just seemed to me that it would be better to have it with a few things that I no longer used). After a couple of hours of cleaning I began to notice that there were many more things than what I had installed in the first place, programs and packages that I was not aware of their function and especially the reason why they were on my system.

Curiosity:

As I finished discovering the news, my ever-active curiosity drove me to keep looking for more things to discover. In this way I started reading about all types of Linux distributions out there. In a short time, names like Fedora, SUSE, CentOs had passed through my eyes ... and the list went on and on until I found one that caught my attention ... Arch Linux ...

Arch Linux is a distribution that blew my mind ... rolling release… Was one of the first things that caught my attention. The second was philosophy KISS. Very soon I began to dream about it, to be able to create my system from the minimum, to know exactly what I had and to have exactly what I wanted, without extra programs, without extra settings. I have to admit that I felt very little capable at the time, in fact I had only been on Linux for a few months, but I thought I could not keep up with the console installation. Fear overcame me and I decided to look for something a little simpler.

My dreams came true when I found Manjaro

Second chapter, Manjaro:

For everyone known to the subject, Manjaro is one of the distributions that focus on bringing the newest users of the Linux world closer to the Rolling Release environment of Arch Linux. Its environment and its applications have a wide selection of programs that make life easier for any user and allow them to become familiar with pac-man, Arch's package manager.

I had been using Ubuntu for just over four months, and I decided to go with Manjaro. I said to myself, "If you can handle this, you'll be closer to being able to install Arch on the laptop." It was an enriching experience, I was able to learn how different types of kernel were handled (and find out what the kernel was) here. I was able to install a lot of new packages and learned a lot about configurations and the bare minimum that a system needs to boot. At the same time, I began to practice the Arch installation process on virtual machines. Without feeling fully prepared to make the leap, I decided to try installing Arch on a machine that I could borrow at high school. Following the installation guide and the occasional online tutorial to the letter. And in the blink of an eye, I had it done, the complete installation on my laptop.

Third chapter, Arch:

My first installation had a lot of setbacks, I was still unaware of many things about the world of Linux, but at least I already felt a little more experienced in the subject. He had managed to install a system that others considered difficult and I had succeeded on my second attempt (the first was on the machine I borrowed from high school). Soon after I decided to reinstall my system, it seemed to me that there were still many things that I could configure better, or install better. Over time I realized how few packages I really needed to run my laptop, and I became more and more comfortable with the terminal, commands, and file locations.

Everything was going great until one day, while surfing the internet, I came across an image that aroused my curiosity ...

What was this? Was there anything more advanced than Arch Linux? Gentoo? Linux From Scratch? ... My curiosity was calling again. More determined than ever to start this new challenge.

A new chapter, Gentoo:

The first thing you come across when talking about Gentoo is documentation, a lot of documentation. The Gentoo Wiki It is a wonderful place where you can find all kinds of information regarding thousands of programs and settings. But the most basic of all was a compendium full of architectures and processes called Gentoo Handbook.

In the Handbook one can find step by step everything necessary to be able to install Gentoo from scratch. Highly detailed and explained in an understandable way, this manual takes you through the Gentoo Linux setup and installation process. I must admit that I tried to postpone the installation as long as I could, thinking that I was not going to be able to complete it, but one weekend, with all the excitement and a little fear, I launched into the installation that would change the way I see Linux.

The process took me just under two days (one day of pre-reading and one day between compilation and installation). I say compilation because in Gentoo you can compile all your programs instead of downloading a binary copy, but it's actually pretty much like pacman, apt or even yum. One of the longest processes was the kernel, the configuration part, reading the options, selecting what was necessary. Another new world of possibilities and forms of customization that escaped all the other distributions that I had seen until that moment.

With the process done, I can't deny that it was a totally new thrill to see my GNOME desktop environment turn on for the first time, move my mouse, and see everything I had accomplished with my work. All this happened in January and since then I cannot deny that every day I learn more about this shocking distribution, and I have decided to stay here until the day I stop using a computer.

The true beginning:

This is the third time I have installed my laptop with Gentoo from scratch, with each installation I feel more the ability to better configure my computer, get the most out of my hardware and enjoy the excitement of knowing that the equipment is completely mine, and that I'm the one who makes it work.

I have also tried installing Linux From Scratch (it was definitely a must for me). I was able to complete it and turn on my terminal, knowing that I had compiled each program from scratch, and had assembled it from scratch inside my laptop, another wonderful experience I must admit.

But it is at this point that I have found and reinforced the reasons to stay on Gentoo and continue to enjoy my distribution.

A quick look at Gentoo:

At the end of this adventure I have chosen Gentoo for the following reasons:

Having a community makes maintenance easier:

This will always be true, Linux from scratch is wonderful, but it is not possible to maintain it in a simple way, much less when there are security vulnerabilities involved, or when you want to have the latest software on your computer.

A world-class community and documentation:

The Gentoo documentation is great, everything is available somewhere, just a matter of reading. In case you can't find it, you can always find someone on IRC for advice. Many are very friendly, and although not very talkative, most are always in a position to help everyone.

Total control and performance:

When using Gentoo, you build everything, and everything is EVERYTHING. But the main difference with Linux from scratch is that after installing it, maintenance is quite simple. Portage, Gentoo's package manager, is extremely versatile and allows you to configure in every detail (and in a simple way) the attributes of the programs you install. This configuration at the same time allows you to squeeze the most out of your computer's hardware. If your laptop is modern and doesn't use Gentoo, it is losing a lot of its potential.

To end:

If you've made it this far, I hope you've been able to get a little excited about the wonderful opportunities Linux offers its users. The power of knowing your machine in every aspect, if you are a software developer like me, is one of the most satisfying experiences you can experience. If your curiosity inclines you to try new things, I can only recommend DO IT!  Without waiting a long time, without putting buts, and if you don't get it the first time, keep trying. In no time, you will realize how much you have learned and discovered in the process.