Package Manager

[bosshoff]

Hey guys,
I just got through listening to most of your podcast while on my run this morning, and wanted to make a point. I caught the part about how one is "married" to the packages in a package management system. Now, I have witnessed this in the Debian environment, but let me add that Slackware isn't the only system that can handle multiple variations.

So, what other system handles custom configurations marvelously? Why, Gentoo, of course! Now, I know you guys hate the compile times on Gentoo, and I agree with you so much, insofar as desktop computing is concerned, that I now run Ubuntu on my boxes. However, if you strive for customizable, stable, and easily upgradeable packages, then I see no better solution than Gentoo.

For example, take the problem you were having with trying to get mod_php, mod_perl, etc.. integrated in Apache. In Gentoo, it's two steps:

1)add "mod_perl mod_php" to the USE flag in /etc/make.conf
2)run `emerge -av apache`

Sure, it takes a while to compile that stuff, but what's a few hours of letting stuff compile while you sleep or do other stuff, compared to one or two hours of active configuration?

So, basically, if i were concerned about the stability of my server, and wanted the ability to easily compile in new things, then it would be Gentoo all the way.

Just my $.02. Great show!