About the installation of Gentoo Linux

Read the Gentoo Handbook.

Even if you are using the new Gentoo Installer I suggest actually read the installation instructions.

Go to Gentoo's Handbook: http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/handbook/index.xml

The Handbook talks about three different stages of the installation. You can install a Gentoo  system of different stage types. The method that I will use is fully compiled system from Stage 1. This is the way that Gentoo describes a Stage 1 installation:

So, you want to compile everything from scratch? Okay then :-)

In this step, we will bootstrap your Gentoo system. This takes a long time, but the result is a system that has been optimized from the ground up for your specific machine and needs.

Bootstrapping means building the GNU C Library, GNU Compiler Collection and several other key system programs.

Don't be alarmed the amount of work for you is not that hard.

Over all it is not that difficult as long as you follow the Handbook and if you pay attention you will learn a lot about Linux.

The time it takes for a Stage 1 install takes about 4 days to get the base installation (currently Gentoo does not suggest Stage 1 installs anymore).

A stage 2 may drop a doy off that time. In the end it is worth the trip as the operating system will run amazingly fast. It is worth it if you want a usable system on an old pc that is able to use the latest applications.

A stage 3 install can be done in less than a day.

One added benefit of Gentoo Linux is the control over what applications get installed. If you want a minimal installation of the core operating system plus the application that you want ... then Gentoo will give that level of control.

Many people using Linux run into problems installing applications where they download one application and then Linux fails to install it because of a dependency. A dependency refers to another application that is required to be installed prior to the application you want to install in order to support it (Windows users don't run into this issue because the dependencies are included into the complete application). Gentoo's "portage" system removes the head aches as it was designed to install any dependencies with the application you want to install.

You will read on the Internet about how difficult and frustrating it is to use Gentoo Linux ... but I think that the people that attempted this wanted a quick and easy installation and were disappointed that this distribution was not that. Gentoo Linux was not created to be like that. If you want that just go and install Fedora or SuSE Linux ... or even just stick with Windows XP.

In the end I end up with a very usable system in terms of speed and the only monetary cost was one CD-R disk. My old laptop has been reborn.