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I've been through the Stage 3 version of the Gentoo linux install.

This is a cool distro! Instead of throwing in the kitchen sink, it let's you
build your own system as you go....and the documentation is very good -
helping you to work out what you need.

It definitely helps to have some purpose in mind. In this case, I want the
PC concerned to be a Personal Video Recorder (PVR) using MythTV.

A Gentoo install isn't a 30 minute thing, but you do end up with a system
customised to your hardware - and mainly compiled on your system.

I have KDE 3.1.4 running as the window manager...and it's all very snappy -
even allowing for the high setting of the 'eye-candy' scale in the Control
Centre".

Installing it on an nForce2 chipset, Abit mobo with an added nVidia
GF4-MX420 video card was no issue at all.

The only stumble I had was when manually configuring the bootloader - grub -
I didn't realise there was to be NO space between:

"kernel (hd1,0)" and "/boot/kernel-2.4.20-gentoo-r8 root=/dev/hdb2"

So at first, the boot couldn't find the kernel. With a bit of nzlug help on
that one, I was up and running.

--
defenestrate: The act of throwing Windows out the window and replacing it on
your PC with some other operating system.

On Tue, 04 Nov 2003 10:32:37 +1300, steve wrote:

> I've been through the Stage 3 version of the Gentoo linux install.
>
> This is a cool distro! Instead of throwing in the kitchen sink, it let's you
> build your own system as you go....and the documentation is very good -
> helping you to work out what you need.
>
> It definitely helps to have some purpose in mind. In this case, I want the
> PC concerned to be a Personal Video Recorder (PVR) using MythTV.
>
> A Gentoo install isn't a 30 minute thing, but you do end up with a system
> customised to your hardware - and mainly compiled on your system.
>
> I have KDE 3.1.4 running as the window manager...and it's all very snappy -
> even allowing for the high setting of the 'eye-candy' scale in the Control
> Centre".
>
> Installing it on an nForce2 chipset, Abit mobo with an added nVidia
> GF4-MX420 video card was no issue at all.
>
> The only stumble I had was when manually configuring the bootloader - grub -
> I didn't realise there was to be NO space between:
>
> "kernel (hd1,0)" and "/boot/kernel-2.4.20-gentoo-r8 root=/dev/hdb2"
>
> So at first, the boot couldn't find the kernel. With a bit of nzlug help on
> that one, I was up and running.

grub is the best bootloader once you get to know it.
I came across an article that might interest you, using pxe boot for
mythtv and freevo
http://www.viaarena.com/?PageID=281
http://linpvr.org/
http://www.freevix.org/

Heres an article on getting your TV out working
http://www.linuxhardware.org/article...41&mode=thread
And a project for that too
http://sourceforge.net/projects/nv-tv-out
MythTV looks like a great project, let us know how it goes.

On Tue, 04 Nov 2003 10:32:37 +1300, steve wrote:

> A Gentoo install isn't a 30 minute thing

Oh, my God - that's gotta be the understatement of the year!

I tried Gentoo over a year ago.

Highlights:
* source packages are up to twice as large as binary packages,
so take up to twice as long to download
* configuration/compilation of sources takes approx twice as long
as the download over 128k jetstart
* several basic packages were broken - one or more of:
- wouldn't compile
- emerge didn't download prerequisite packages
- packages got installed with non-working configs, requiring me to:
read manuals, beg for help on IRC channel and mailing list, and/or
read source code

I got sick of this brokenness, and switched back to Debian. Rather a
surprise that my box goes from power-up to usable desktop much quicker
than Gentoo ever did.

EB