[gentoo-user] Gentoo, new computer, still a bit confused

[CJoeB]

Hi everyone,

First, thanks for all the input regarding CFLAGS.

Can I be honest here?  My technical skills don't seem to be anywhere
near on a par with most of the people on this list.  I've been using
Gentoo since 2004 and the reason I do, is for the control that I have
over my system.

Because this will be a new computer and I may essentially void the
warranty if I alter the pre-configuration, I seriously thought about
leaving the status quo and putting up with Windows 7.  However, I would
lose practically as much as losing my first born!  I would have to put
up with all the things that bug me about Windows and I wouldn't have all
the programs that I love in Linux.

If I am a "chicken shit" and still want Linux, I could install another
distro, like Kubuntu, where you can be almost brain dead and still get a
running Linux system, but then I would sacrifice the control that I know
and love about Gentoo.  I'm not willing to do that either .... at least
not without a fight.

I've always managed to get my Gentoo system running and maintained, but
I've always used an x86 iso and stage 3.  I've googled and didn't really
find a definitive answer to my question so, I am bowing to the experts
on this list and asking you guys to bear with me and help me out.

What would you recommend that I used for the iso an stage 3?  As a
reminder my computer is a Dell XPS 8300 with an Intel Core -i7-2600
processor.  I'm a little confused between the choices x86 (which seems
to only apply to Pentium 4 systems and only utilizes 32-bit processing),
amd64 and ia64.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Regards,

Colleen

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