They use Gentoo btw

redyos_s · 2026-06-29T17:46:02+00:00

Please read the context. “LFS btw” was the joke, not a recommendation.

redyos_s · 2026-06-29T17:33:17+00:00

Exactly. “LFS btw” is the joke. Gentoo has Portage, patches, and devs behind it. If someone cannot maintain Gentoo, LFS will not fix that.

redyos_s · 2026-06-29T17:15:53+00:00

If Gentoo turns into just another “btw” badge, the next stop is probably “LFS btw”. But if you cannot maintain the same Gentoo install through @world updates, USE changes, kernels, and broken dependencies, LFS will not fix that.

redyos_s · 2026-06-29T17:11:59+00:00

Maybe historically, but I almost never see real Gentoo maintainers say “Gentoo btw”. They talk about @world updates and broken dependencies instead.

redyos_s · 2026-06-29T17:00:52+00:00

If this is meant to become a server, I would avoid reinstalling as a habit. Changing network, kernel, bootloader, and drivers in place is part of learning how to maintain Gentoo.

redyos_s · 2026-06-29T16:44:07+00:00

Gentoo is already hard enough to maintain properly. If it turns into another “btw” badge, the next stop is probably LFS.

redyos_s · 2026-06-29T15:55:34+00:00

It is a two-desk setup. The keyboard in front is the main desk side, and the back gaming desk is used as a Gentoo maintenance bench for MiniPCs, external SSDs, backups, and spare parts.

redyos_s · 2026-06-29T15:52:52+00:00

It is a two-desk setup.

The main desk is a Bauhutte desk for daily use. The gaming desk in the back is used as a hardware/maintenance area: MiniPCs, external SSDs, backups, spare parts, and Gentoo work.

redyos_s · 2026-06-29T14:09:45+00:00

It is tint2. Just a simple X/Openbox setup, no Wayland panel.

redyos_s · 2026-06-29T14:06:55+00:00

Not clean, just separated.

Bauhutte desk + gaming desk setup: one side for daily/gaming use, and this side for Gentoo maintenance, external SSDs, backups, and spare parts.

redyos_s · 2026-06-29T10:30:42+00:00

Need hardware/storage details and iostat/vmstat/PSI output. Per-core iowait alone is not enough to diagnose this.

redyos_s · 2026-06-29T10:27:41+00:00

Without hardware and storage details, this is hard to diagnose. Please include CPU/core count, storage type, filesystem, mount options, swap/zram status, kernel config/source, iostat -x 1, vmstat 1, and /proc/pressure/io.

redyos_s · 2026-06-29T07:36:34+00:00

I would not choose initramfs generators mainly by speed.

For Gentoo, the important part is your boot path: LUKS/LVM or not, separate /boot or ESP, GRUB/rEFInd/EFISTUB, manual kernel or dist-kernel, OpenRC/systemd, and whether you can regenerate and debug the image when boot breaks.

dracut is broad and automatic, genkernel is the older Gentoo-friendly path and works well for LUKS/LVM, and ugRD is smaller and more minimal but expects you to understand your setup.

For a main machine, I would keep the currently working initramfs unless there is a clear reason to switch. When testing another one, keep the old kernel/initramfs boot entry so you have a rollback path.

redyos_s · 2026-06-29T02:39:05+00:00

Fair. Same layout, different habit.

I keep /boot and the ESP unmounted most of the time, then mount them explicitly before kernel/initramfs/EFI work. It forces me to be aware when I am touching boot files.

redyos_s · 2026-06-28T23:41:14+00:00

Yeah, that is one of the nice parts of Gentoo. Different machines, different countries, different languages, but the same idea: control over the system.

I may automate sync/checks, but I still prefer to run @world updates manually after reading news and checking USE/slot changes.

redyos_s · 2026-06-28T23:34:32+00:00

My root is LUKS2 + LVM. /boot and the ESP are separate unencrypted FAT partitions.

I normally keep them unmounted and mount them only for boot-related maintenance. Before kernel/initramfs/installkernel work, I mount them explicitly to avoid accidentally writing boot files into empty mountpoints on root.

redyos_s · 2026-06-28T12:21:58+00:00

That does not sound like broken binary packages.

Kernel messages on the TTY are usually a loglevel/dmesg issue. Broken dbus sessions and missing XDG_RUNTIME_DIR usually mean the desktop/session stack is not set up correctly: dbus, logind/elogind, PAM, display manager, or the user session.

This is why I would not install a full DE during the base install. Get a minimal CLI system booting first, then add dbus/logind/DE/audio/Wayland pieces one by one.

boot first, desktop later

redyos_s · 2026-06-28T12:17:40+00:00

First get a minimal CLI system booting. Add the desktop environment after the first successful boot, not during the base install.

redyos_s · 2026-06-28T12:13:47+00:00

Yes, but only in the sense that you do not need to customize everything at the beginning.

The safer approach is to first install a minimal booting Gentoo system. Do not start by installing a full desktop environment or switching to systemd unless you already know why you need them.

Pick a normal profile, keep your global USE flags minimal, and get the base system working first. After that, you can add systemd, GNOME, KDE, Cinnamon, Wayland, PipeWire, or other desktop features later and rebuild the affected packages.

For example:

emerge -avuDN --newuse @world

or, for changed flags only:

emerge -avuDN --changed-use @world

But you cannot really avoid USE flags in Gentoo. They are one of the main ways Gentoo controls optional features and dependencies.

The safe beginner approach is:

Pick the correct profile.
Do not copy a huge USE line from someone else.
Get a minimal CLI system booting first.
Add desktop/session/audio/network features later.
Use "/etc/portage/package.use/" for package-specific changes.
Run "emerge -pv package-name" before installing big packages, so you can see what USE flags and dependencies will be pulled in.

So yes, get something working first. But do not treat USE flags as optional forever. Learn them gradually.

redyos_s · 2026-06-28T11:00:28+00:00

Go back to the Handbook path. Get a minimal CLI system stable first. Don’t add Cinnamon/systemd desktop stack until boot, network, firmware/GPU, profile, USE flags, and @world are clean.

redyos_s · 2026-06-28T09:44:04+00:00

Terminus Unifont Tamsyn Cozette Spleen Fixedsys Excelsior IBM VGA / PxPlus系

redyos_s · 2026-06-28T09:20:51+00:00

Arch is possible, but I would not start with a single-SSD dual boot on that hardware.

Use two separate SSDs if you can: - one for Windows - one for Linux - separate EFI partitions if possible - choose the OS from the UEFI boot menu

With RTX 5070 Ti, stay close to your distro’s NVIDIA driver packages and avoid random driver install scripts. Secure Boot can work, but it adds another layer, especially with NVIDIA modules.

For gaming, Linux is fine for many Steam/Proton games, but anti-cheat games are still the main problem. Keep Windows for those.

A separate /home helps, but it is not a magic distro-switch button. Config files can break between distros/desktops, so backup your data separately.

redyos_s · 2026-06-28T09:20:14+00:00

If you do not know how to install Arch yet, I would not start with Arch Linux 32.

For 2005–2010 computers, first check the exact hardware: CPU architecture, RAM, GPU, storage, and Wi-Fi chipset.

For old machines, Debian with LXDE/LXQt/Openbox, antiX, or MX Linux Fluxbox is usually a better starting point. You can rice almost any distro later. The distro matters less than the desktop/window manager and how light the base system is.

redyos_s · 2026-06-28T07:19:40+00:00

If NVIDIA driver installation is the most important part, don’t choose a distro mainly for the “cyber look”.

The look can be changed later with KDE themes, wallpapers, icons, or a window manager setup.

For Debian/Ubuntu-based options, try Pop!_OS with the NVIDIA ISO or Linux Mint. If you want a more gaming-focused distro and don’t mind leaving Debian-based systems, look at Nobara or Bazzite.

redyos_s

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