Organically Grown Software ™
Gentoo Linux is a major linux distribution that religiously offers as much choice as possible in terms of how the system is set up. This allows us to consider just what we need when building a new system. We don't have to worry about what will be on the system by default, and the Gentoo package system makes the job of installing just what we want very simple. This is ideal for servers where unused services can be a security risk as well as a waste of compute power and memory.
Gentoo Linux tends to be more stable than many other linux distributions. By allowing its packages to be installed from source code, all packages are compiled specifically for the machine they are used on. Along with the fine grained choices for what gets installed, this source code based system helps to ensure that incompatable software is not installed.
Gentoo Linux has a built in software management system called portage. Portage makes it easy to see what has been installed, install new software, and upgrade the software on the system. No software management system for linux has yet matched portage.
It is hardly suprising that compiling software from source code for a specific machine will lead to faster programs than would be possible otherwise. When compiling, we turn on appropriate optimizations, and leave out support for features that will not be used.
Gentoo Linux has a very active user community with highly knowledgable members. The community maintains up to date documentation and numerous "How To" guides. The information is organized well and easy to find. It is not geared toward the linux novice, but should be easy to digest for a knowlegable unix user or administrator.
To learn more about Gentoo Linux, try their web site.
Linux is a trademark of Linus Torvalds, Gentoo is a trademark of Gentoo Foundation.
