I'm going to date myself here, but when I was in high school in the late '90s, a friend of mine introduced me to Linux and helped me get it set up. He gave me the distro he used at the time: Debian. He explained to me how Debian, unlike other distros, compiles everything it installs, which is why it takes so long. I recall him explaining that this would make things run better in some way (but I was a teenager and don't remember too clearly). The install took hours. Many hours. I don't remember what kind of computer I had, it was a Pentium something.
There was such a sort of romance and intrigue to Linux back then. It was so challenging to get working, the desktop environments were janky AF, getting some drivers working was like a day's work. I miss it, though.
A long time ago, streamlining linux for your computer did avoid all the fuss with modules installation, that would fail often. Also, a long time ago Debian didn't have many optimized kernels for you to pick, so compiling it for your CPU in particular made a lot of difference.
In 2005, I installed a stage 3 gentoo on a pentium MMX 233Mhz with 32 or 64Mb of RAM. As I was sleeping at night and at uni during the day, it took me 3 days to install the base system. No GUI.
16 Comments
JerkyIsSuperior@lemmy.world · 83 pts · 3y
I bought the entire CPU, and I'm going to use the entire CPU.
idunnololz@lemmy.world · 18 pts · 3y
This is why I load my PC up with as many viruses as possible. I'm not using those resources so why let it go to waste 😎
cyanarchy@sh.itjust.works · 0 pts · 3y
This, but unironically. Just slap
-giton it and let 'er rip.multicorn@programming.dev · 21 pts · 3y
I know its a meme, but I am on a Laptop with a ryzen 5 3500U and it only takes 1,5h
Tb0n3@sh.itjust.works · 4 pts · 3y
Just built the nightly for fun on my 5950X and it took about 35 minutes.
aaronbieber@kbin.social · 18 pts · 3y
I'm going to date myself here, but when I was in high school in the late '90s, a friend of mine introduced me to Linux and helped me get it set up. He gave me the distro he used at the time: Debian. He explained to me how Debian, unlike other distros, compiles everything it installs, which is why it takes so long. I recall him explaining that this would make things run better in some way (but I was a teenager and don't remember too clearly). The install took hours. Many hours. I don't remember what kind of computer I had, it was a Pentium something.
There was such a sort of romance and intrigue to Linux back then. It was so challenging to get working, the desktop environments were janky AF, getting some drivers working was like a day's work. I miss it, though.
marcos@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 3y
A long time ago, streamlining linux for your computer did avoid all the fuss with modules installation, that would fail often. Also, a long time ago Debian didn't have many optimized kernels for you to pick, so compiling it for your CPU in particular made a lot of difference.
None of that is true today.
GameWiz@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 3y
They should be compiling their own compilers too.
multicorn@programming.dev · 17 pts · 3y
how do you think gcc and llvm are installed on a gentoo system?
Bandicoot_Academic@lemmy.one · 5 pts · 3y
Oh god. This is giving me flash backs to when i installed gentoo and i had to compite llvm. It took like 72h.
GameWiz@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 3y
Then let's go another step further, compiling the compiler that compiles the compiler, aka compilerception 🤣🤣✌✌.
TheDarkBanana87@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 3y
emerge -av firefox-bin ftw hehehe
0x4E4F@sh.itjust.works · 6 pts · 3y
Extremely... cuz they can get some actual work done during those 8 hours.
kautau@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 3y
Gentoo users be like
flint5436@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 3y
Bro I wish. Took 18h on my old potato lol
LMagicalus@discuss.tchncs.de · 4 pts · 3y
Mickpyro@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 3y
In 2005, I installed a stage 3 gentoo on a pentium MMX 233Mhz with 32 or 64Mb of RAM. As I was sleeping at night and at uni during the day, it took me 3 days to install the base system. No GUI.