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Gentoo is as stable as YOU make it!!!! |
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I have run Gentoo exclusively as well for 14+ years, since ~2003. While |
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my production servers are all mostly stable, none are 100%. All |
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production systems have some ~arch packages, usually mine. Development |
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network and desktops/laptops have always been ~arch. I rarely if ever |
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have issues. I have long felt and state stability on such a |
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distro/platform is a misnomer. |
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If your system is unstable, it could be due to the lack of time you |
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spent making it stable. With some exceptions. Many time stable is more |
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unstable and has issues, sometimes fixed in ~arch. ~arch can be more |
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stable than stable. |
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That being said having been bit recently by a udev update that wanted a |
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file from /usr/lib, which I have on lvm, so it broke udev and booting |
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on ~arch. I reverted back, I did not file a bug. |
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Maybe the core profile/base system is maintained as stable and not, and |
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all the rest, packages are not stable or unstable, They are masked or |
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not. Things like tool chain, and base system should be stable. Beyond |
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that up to a package maintainer to mask or not. Masking new stuff is |
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underused. |
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It seems odd that upstream will release a package. Just for downstream |
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to consider it not stable. Did it get messed up during packaging? Did |
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it get messed up by the distro? The whole lag thing does not make sense |
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for Gentoo. Sooner released and tested on Gentoo. Sooner bugs can be |
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founded, reported back to upstream, etc. Speeds up development. That is |
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Gentoo's role in FOSS IMHO. |
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There are other distros if you want rock solid stability all the |
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way through with minimal effort. Though ever system admin I know has |
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changed their personal distro a few times due to one issue or another. |
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Even ones who work for vendors who sell Linux, and they carry 2 laptops. |
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While I remain on Gentoo, but telling them to avoid Gentoo. Many ran it |
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before and did not put in the effort. Not why I tell them to avoid. |
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Gentoo should get back to having the latest of all packages, and |
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testing integration. It is more a development distro, than mission |
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critical deployment. That possible and it can be rock solid for |
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mission critical uses. If the administrators make it such. |
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Gentoo is as stable as YOU make it!!!! |
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-- |
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William L. Thomson Jr. |
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