I would like to figure out why Gentoo is loosing ground when compared to other Linux distros. So I am asking any member of LinuxQuestions.org who conciders him/herself to be a former user of Gentoo why he/she left.

In questions 2 and 3, I created standardized answers, so that I can compare different subsets of former Gentoo users. If possible I would like you to choose from one of the standardized answers, however you can still elaborate on the answer. On questions 1, 4 and 5 I have left the answer open ended, because I don't want to bias your answers.


Question #1: How much experience using different Linux distributions prior to setting up a Gentoo system?


Question #2: How would you describe yourself at the height of your Gentoo usage?

1. I considered a computer running Gentoo to be my main system
   
2. I had a project that used the Gentoo distro, even though I never considered Gentoo to be my main system.
   
3. I just experimented with Gentoo on occasion

Question #3 Do you still use Gentoo.

1. I now no longer consider Gentoo to be my primary system. However, I still work on project(s) that require Gentoo.
   
2. I no longer use Gentoo, but I would consider using Gentoo for specific projects.
   
3. I consider it unlikely that I will choose Gentoo for a project.

Question #4: Is there a Linux distribution that you are now using in place of Gentoo, and if so what is it?


Question #5: What do you consider your main reasons for not using the Gentoo as much as you use to use it?

Thankyou in advance to everyone who answered my questionnaire.




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Several years. I had first sucess using debian based distros (Libranet), and then moved to Debian upon it's discontinuation. Had also used Mandrake & several distro's based on it, and Red Hat/Fedora before ever using Gentoo.

My major reason for ever using was to get more performance from newer 32-bit hardware that I wanted better performance than i386/i486 optimized distro's could provide.


B. I used it for several months to get used to it, but it never impressed me due to my electricity bill since my system was never turned off, since it was pretty much ALWAYS running updates.



C. I would never install Gentoo again unless there was some major change in the pc world that made Gentoo worth the time it takes to compile.

Debian and Fedora


Updates take tooooooooooooooooooooo long since they're compiled from source, and with 64-bit software, I simply don't see any performance benefit using Gentoo over precompiled binaries. I won't leave my systems on 24/7 just so that updates can complete. My systems are tools. I need them to turn on, work, update, turn off until I need it again. Gentoo doesn't allow me to work like that.

I didn't, so can't answer your questions. I run Gentoo in all my computers since 2004, with exception of FreeBSD.

The dev wars - very ugly.
But that was 10 years ago, so I guess a lot less relevant to why people are (apparently) leaving now.

I think it was my 4th distro, but my first source-based one.

I suppose the nearest thing to a drop-in replacement would be Crux -- still source-based but not bleeding-edge

Too much hard work! Who wants a system which changes so fast that you have to update it every day?

1. Recompiling stuff from source takes a long time. You hit a Java, QT4/5, Webkitgtk, kdelibs, or other big package, just... No.

2. Too many "use" flags for every little thing, and some conflict which makes it worse trying to sort out the mess.

3. Masking and unmasking packages is just downright asinine and a headache after a while to deal with, and they conflict at times too, making a bigger mess than the use flags.

4. Too much proprietary stuff in some packages to learn the actual tools. Some helpers scripts are nice but are they needed?

5. The handbook is downright terrible and the wiki needs a LOT of work to even begin to be useful. Trying to get a basic system up and going takes so much work often you just call it quits after a day of compiling, setting mask and use flags after errors, and then having to down aspirin to lower your blood pressure while that giant vein in your forehead pulses.

Funtoo is sadly just as bad and it claims to be easier...

CRUX is a pain as well, but it at least isn't as big a mess to deal with.

After a while, you just grab a binary distribution and call it a day and done.

I've found Crux a very well-behaved system, provided that you stick to the official repositories. Of course that will mean that you don't have a lot of choice about packages, but that doesn't bother me. Gentoo provides too much choice in my opinion.

I'd understand a discussion about something we love. I fail to see the rationale behind this thread. If you don't like it don't use it. And if you do not use it, why talk about it? Sorry, folks. Looks like sour grapes to me.

Mostly it's about understanding the "why" of the situation so it's multiple points of view being shared, compared, and contrasted.

Things you are not interested in do not occupy your mind. For instance, I do not care about fishing. Do I start threads on public forums about how boring is fishing and what a waste of time it is? No I don't. I don't care, I don't think about it, it does not exist for me.

^

This thread in not about bashing Gentoo, It was designed to find the real-world answers as to why people have stopped using Gentoo.

I created this thread because I uses Gentoo as my primary distro. As with any distro one uses for an extended period of time, one finds thing both good and bad about any distro. I am wondering which of the frustrating have lead to people leaving Gentoo. If I have a list of real-world issues, it may bring more weight to the argument, if I were to air these issues within the Gentoo community.

It would not make sense to post this thread on forums.gentoo.org because people who have already stopped using Gentoo will not be logging onto that site. Here there is a group of people with experience using different flavors of Linux.

As well as considering people who've stopped using it, you need to consider those who've never used it in the first place.

My own position is that I use 2 distros (as you can see), have previously used 3 others, and I've tried 109. Gentoo is one that I've never tried because of the extra work involved. The advantages listed on the Gentoo site don't seem unique (flexibility and scalability) or important in a modern context (efficiency).

Linus Torvalds once said "I'm a technical person, but I have a very specific area of interest, and I don't want to fight the rest. So the only distributions I have actively avoided are the ones that are known to be "overly technical" — like the ones that encourage you to compile your own programs etc. Yeah, I can do it, but it kind of defeats the whole point of a distribution for me."

There is no way to tell whether Gentoo is "loosing ground" or not. Nobody knows how many Gentoo boxes are out there. On Gentoo forums there is a thread about Gentoo going out of business soon. This thread is ten years old now. Meanwhile Gentoo and Debian have most packages of all Linux distributions and Gentoo Portage is used to develop Android.

And even if it is, it probably doesn't matter. What kills a distro is (1) lack of developers or (2) poor quality. So long as there are people willing and able to produce it, Gentoo is always going to find people who have a use for it.