Re: [gentoo-user] Resurrecting a Gentoo install

[Alan McKinnon]

On Sun, 22 Jan 2012 23:26:25 -0800
Grant <emailgrant@×××××.com> wrote:

> >> Ok, looks as though it's time for a manually-installed version of
> >> python to upgrade portage, then a portage-installed python:2.6 to
> >> bootstrap your way towards modernity.
> >>
> >> This is all explained here:
> >> http://www.gentoo.org/proj/en/portage/doc/manually-fixing-portage.xml
> >>
> >> This may also help
> >> http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-p-5578709.html
> >
> > That last one mentioned --nodeps which gave me an idea.  I did
> > 'emerge -pv python' then emerged all of the packages listed with
> > --nodeps so portage wouldn't complain.  Portage wouldn't work after
> > that until I switched back to python:2.5 with eselect.  Then I
> > emerged portage to the latest version (which switched back to
> > python:2.6) and I'm hoping I can make some good progress before I
> > come crying back to you guys again.
> >
> > - Grant
>
> I just did a 'ls -ltr /var/log/portage' and this thing hasn't been
> updated in over 3 years.  Wow.
>
> - Grant
>

Honestly, it's not worth trying to update it using portage. Just backup
everything on it and do a re-install.

Trying to update it will be a recursive process, repeated many times
over, including manually building compatible pythons and dealing with
the inevitable issues that arise. Then you still have the X migration
issues to deal with, you still have to deal with openrc, with massive
pam changes in the last 3 years, and who knows what else.

So you will slowly and painfully replace many packages outside of
portage to fix this. A reinstall will do the same thing but with much
less personal pain :-)

If however, you want to do this as a learning exercise then by all means
proceed. You will gain useful knowledge (but I think you already have
that knowledge)



-- 
Alan McKinnnon
alan.mckinnon@×××××.com