So while doing some reasearch for work today I came across the following article:

http://www.playingwithwire.com/2007/01/why-gentoo-shouldnt-be-on-your-server/

After reading the article, which was remarkably well thought out and considerate of the distribution, I decided to go read the comments (something I rarely do due to the flamewars that tend to erupt).

While perusing the name calling and questioning of intellectual prowess (along with the rare jewel of someone who actually knew what they were talking about) it occurred to me that many people really don't grasp how Gentoo is supposed to work.

Personally I've been a Gentoo user/admin for 3 years now and I'm just now starting to feel like I have a handle on how the distro works. Granted, I've never actually dived into the docs and attempted to 'learn it all!' but what sysadmin does? :) I believe Gentoo has many fantastic aspects and that it's down-sides are equally as glaring. So I've decided to put together a list of Pros and Cons for people who are thinking of switching or just need another bit of input.

Pros:

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Portage!
Portage is God's gift to mankind in the form of a package management system that actually understands how to track dependencies. Portage is the main reason I (and many other people) use Gentoo. With a few taps of the keyboard we can build a system that works properly the first time, without any need to check version numbers or package compatibility. This makes our lives easier when trying to build whole Linux systems whos components interoperate with stability and speed.

Speed
Now granted, since Gentoo switched away from the 'stage1' style builds 2 years ago (you build the entire system from the ground up, an incredibly long process) the speed aspect has been slightly reduced. However, building software objects against the native hardware will always produce a performance increase and allow you to squeeze that extra bit of performance out of your machines. It also lends another aspect that it crucial to maintaning high-availability servers, stability.

Stability
Okay some people are looking at me funny now, but seriously, a properly maintained Gentoo system is the epitome of stable. Notice I said properly maintained there. It is my belief that many people do not fully grasp how to properly administer the Gentoo distribution. Gentoo provides many powerful mechanisms to block new packages, install updates and in-general, keep your system up to date without breaking it.

Cons:

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Time
Time is Gentoo's biggest enemy. Time is required to build your system, learn the Portage stylisms, find all the interesting places config files are located, and the list goes on. I've spent countless hours tweaking and honing my systems into submission. The process gets easier and, as a result, faster each time you do it (isn't this true with all OS installs?) however, of all the Linux distributions, Gentoo requires the most time up-front to get running.

Portage
While Portage may be a fantastic package and dependency management system, I believe it could stand some improvement. As many have noted, there are currently no mechanisms to JUST install security updates and the rather routine cycling of the profiles has been known to break the occasional build. However, disruption is usually the result of an ill-maintained system rather than an actual flaw with the profiles themselves. In my history of running Gentoo, I've only had one machine die due to a profile change and that was caused by neglect on my part. Had I done my job of setting the system up properly in the first place, the profile change would have happened transparently.

The Zealots
Linux has it's fair share of individuals who've had a bit too much caffeine and not enough lessons in social interaction whose sole goal in life seems to be defending their distro of choice as if their manhood depended upon it. Sadly, these 'advocates' seem to flock to the Gentoo distribution, probably for it's shiny colors and general coolness factor. The problem is these zelots tend to be viewed (appropriately, more often then not) as loud-mouthed, obnoxious individuals who tend to give the community a bad name. Examples show up quite often in the article mentioned above. The truth of the matter is, the Gentoo community is about 10% zealot and 90% intelligent, helpful (albeit somewhat soft-spoken) people. Unfortunately the 90% tends to get drowned out by the constant snarking and flaming of the zealots.

I'm sure I could wax far more eloquent about this topic and go into far greater depth of how to build a proper Gentoo system, but unfortunately, I'm out of time for now. Hopefully this quick list will help someone along the way during their decision making process. If you feel I missed something major in this list, by all means, tell me!

Cheers!