On Mon, 10 Jan 2005 17:30, Derek Smithies wrote: > The topic is: Does one suggest gentoo for a linux newbie? > My answer is unchanged. > �For 99.9% of linux newbie's, No.
I have watched many people being very successfully guided through a first-time Linux install using Gentoo Linux on the #gentoo irc channel. The criteria as to whether somebody new to Linux can make use of Gentoo really boils down to the answer to the questions "Can you convert printed information into knowledge, i.e. can you read?" and "Can you follow printed instructions precisely?" If the answer to either of those questions is other than a confident "Yes!", then Gentoo is not for them. UNESCO were here a while ago and suggested that approximately half the NZ population was adequately literate to be able to function in a technical society, so I'd posit that about half of the newbies could cope with Gentoo. imho, saying that only 0.1% of the population could cope with, and use, Gentoo is a bit harsh. The nice thing about Gentoo for the newbie is that it is very stable, there is complete set of command line tools for remote administration. The web-based Gentoo fora, and irc channels are probably the real plus that Gentoo has over other Linux distributions, also the emerge system is a joy. -- Sincerely etc., Christopher Sawtell
