[mythtv-users] linux distro suggestions?

[Brad Fuller]

On Fri, Mar 20, 2009 at 9:14 AM, Matt Garman <matthew.garman at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> At the risk of starting a flamewar, I'm going to go against the
> FAQ[*] and ask the question: which distribution should I use?
>
>    [*] http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/Frequently_Asked_Questions#Which_Linux_distribution_should_I_use.3F
>
> To be a bit more specific: I currently have a working & stable
> combined frontend/backend running on Gentoo.  I have the same setup
> for my parents, who are 150 miles away.
>
> I also use Gentoo on my workstation, but Ubuntu on my laptop and
> file server.  I forgot how nice it is to not have to wait for
> packages to compile every time I install something new or do an
> upgrade!  Plus it seems I always have some dependency issues to work
> through whenever I upgrade on Gentoo.

I had just the opposite experience. Running Fedora, there was always
some package that had a dependent package I couldn't get. I had to
search hi and low for it and it was often difficult to find. Maybe
those days are gone, I don't know. The other problem with the package
approach is that the package is usually built with the most or all of
the features/options which I may not need or want.

I use gentoo and I do have problems from time to time when a package
is broken or it's blocked by something strange. I have always worked
it out, mainly by searching and finding people who have the same
problem. This usually leads to bug report and the bug report has the
fix or workaround.
Granted, though, this is not for the casual user. The majority of the
time emerge update works just fine. And, I have a system that is built
just for what I need.


-- 
Brad Fuller