This author definitely sound like he does not use Gentoo nor is he a Unix Engineer. His only valid point, initial deployment does take longer than most other distributions. If you are in a data center/server farm where you are spitting out new deploys by the hour.... then gentoo probably isn't your best bet. However, if thats not the case then there is no excuse for initial setup time. A good admin should prefer the power, flexibility, ease of customization, and total control over a source based distro like Gentoo than a "fast deploymet". A fast install should not even be on the list for things to consider when picking an OS to run your server.
As far as "constantly upgrading and on the bleeding edge"...... In what class of Unix administration did you learn that you're suppose to update your server daily? Just because gentoo, the project itself, is constantly being upgraded (and there is a stable and unstable branch btw) does NOT mean that you need to upgrade your server every day with it. A server upgrade should be scheduled. I like to do mine once a month or 2 months The only exception is a security hole was found and a fix was released. In which case this would affect ALL distros and the same upgrades would be performed. With package masking you are in total control and you can specify what version of what application, package you need absolutely. Gentoo is a GREAT Linux server. Gentoo is a blank canvas, it only does and grows as you command. Very few distributions aside from Gentoo, Slackware, and Arch fit this description.
Snoogins
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djbdns ftw!
This author definitely sound like he does not use Gentoo nor is he a Unix Engineer. His only valid point, initial deployment does take longer than most other distributions. If you are in a data center/server farm where you are spitting out new deploys by the hour.... then gentoo probably isn't your best bet. However, if thats not the case then there is no excuse for initial setup time. A good admin should prefer the power, flexibility, ease of customization, and total control over a source based distro like Gentoo than a "fast deploymet". A fast install should not even be on the list for things to consider when picking an OS to run your server. As far as "constantly upgrading and on the bleeding edge"...... In what class of Unix administration did you learn that you're suppose to update your server daily? Just because gentoo, the project itself, is constantly being upgraded (and there is a stable and unstable branch btw) does NOT mean that you need to upgrade your server every day with it. A server upgrade should be scheduled. I like to do mine once a month or 2 months The only exception is a security hole was found and a fix was released. In which case this would affect ALL distros and the same upgrades would be performed. With package masking you are in total control and you can specify what version of what application, package you need absolutely. Gentoo is a GREAT Linux server. Gentoo is a blank canvas, it only does and grows as you command. Very few distributions aside from Gentoo, Slackware, and Arch fit this description. Snoogins