Gentoo goes Binary!
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Gentoo ☛ Gentoo goes Binary!
You probably all know Gentoo Linux as your favourite source-based distribution. Did you know that our package manager, Portage, already for years also has support for binary packages, and that source- and binary-based package installations can be freely mixed?
To speed up working with slow hardware and for overall convenience, we’re now also offering binary packages for download and direct installation! For most architectures, this is limited to the core system and weekly updates - not so for amd64 and arm64 however. There we’ve got a stunning >20 GByte of packages on our mirrors, from LibreOffice to KDE Plasma and from Gnome to Docker. Gentoo stable, updated daily. Enjoy! And read on for more details!
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LWN ☛ Gentoo in binary form
Gentoo Linux is the prototypical source-based distribution, but there is now a binary installation option available as well.
It's FOSS News:
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Big News! Gentoo Linux is Now Providing Binary Packages for Quick Software Installation
If you don't see the big deal with it, you don't know Gentoo.
Debian has deb packages, Fedora has RPM packages. Even Arch Linux provides binary packages that are installed via the Pacman commands. Basically, these distributions build these packages from the source code and make them available to you. You use the package management system of your distro to get those binaries and install them on your system.
But enter into the Gentoo realm and things are entirely different here. Want to install any piece of software? You have to compile it from the source code.
Yes, you read that right. That's the reason so many memes exist on compiling and Gentoo.
Linuxiac:
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Time for Change: Gentoo Focuses on Binary Packages
When I saw “Gentoo goes Binary!” on the Gentoo website, I immediately checked my calendar, half-expecting it to be April Fools’ Day. But nope, it’s actually December 29th. So it turns out Gentoo really is making a big change. Here’s what it’s all about.
First, no need to worry! Gentoo is still the source-based Linux distribution we all know and adore. But guess what? Its developers are taking an exciting step forward. They’re now also focusing on offering precompiled binary packages that are prepped and ready for installation. Isn’t that great?
Yes, I know; Gentoo did have some prebuilt binary packages that you could easily blend with others using the Portage package manager. However, their number was limited, and, more crucially, they weren’t always the most up-to-date versions. Well, that’s in the past now.
Hackaday:
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Gentoo Linux, Now A Bit Less For The 1337
Among users of Linux distributions there’s a curious one-upmanship, depending on how esoteric or hardcore your distro is. Ubuntu users have little shame, while at the other end if you followed Linux From Scratch or better still hand-compiled the code and carved it onto the raw silicon with a tiny chisel, you’re at the top of the tree*. Jokes aside though, it’s fair to say that if you were running the Gentoo distribution you were something of a hardcore user, because its source-only nature meant that everything had to be compiled to your liking. We’re using the past tense here though, because in a surprise announcement, the distro has revealed that it will henceforth also be available as a set of precompiled binary packages.
There may be readers with long and flowing neckbeards who will decry this moment as the Beginning of the End, but while it does signal a major departure for the distro if it means that more people are spurred to take their Linux usage further and experiment with Gentoo, this can never be a bad thing. Gentoo has been on the list for a future Jenny’s Daily Drivers OS review piece, and while we’re probably going to stick with source-only when we do it, it’s undeniable that there will remain a temptation to simply download the binaries.
Linux Gizmos:
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Gentoo Introduces Binary Package Support
Gentoo Linux, known for its source-based distribution, has now added support for binary packages, aiming to enhance user convenience and accelerate installations, particularly on slower hardware. While most architectures initially offer binary packages for the core system and weekly updates, amd64 and arm64 users benefit from an extensive library of over 20 GB of packages, including popular software like LibreOffice, KDE Plasma, Gnome, and Docker.
More in the media:
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Gentoo Linux Officially Offers Binary Packages
Gentoo Linux, the distribution that is famously source-based, has announced the availability of more than 20GB of binary packages on its servers.
Gentoo’s claim to fame is its source-based nature, meaning the majority of applications and packages are built from source whenever the user installs something. While time consuming, this approach has the benefit of ensuring an application is tailored for the specific hardware profile it’s installed on.
Gento has supported mixing and matching binary (pre-built) packages for some time, but the distro maintainers are now maintaining more than 20GB of binary packages on their servers in an effort to lower the barrier to entry for users that have slower hardware.
Linux Magazine:
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Gentoo Linux Goes Binary… Sort of
Gentoo goes binary! That's right, the source-based distribution that every hardcore Linux user loves to brag about using now has binary packages available for installation.
This is made possible thanks to the Portage package manager. But until now, every single package installed on Gentoo was done so from source, which meant every time you installed a package it not only took time but also skill.
This doesn't mean Gentoo is migrating away from its roots. Gentoo is and will always be the most challenging Linux distribution on the planet. But with the help of binary packages, it won't always be so time-consuming to manage.
ZDNet:
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Surprise! Gentoo adds binary support - but there's a catch
Gentoo isn't just any Linux distribution, it's the distribution that targets a special faction of the Linux community. Gentoo is the distro for users who want an operating system that's geared specifically for them. To make that possible, Gentoo is 100% source-based.
What does that even mean?
The Register:
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In surprise move, Gentoo Linux starts offering binaries
Gentoo now offers 20-plus gigabytes of pre-compiled binaries, from desktops to office suites, to speed up installations and updates.
In news so unexpected that the Reg FOSS Desk originally thought it was an oddly timed April Fool prank, the Gentoo project revealed the move just before the end of December in a post titled Gentoo goes Binary!
Gentoo supports a very wide range of types of computer these days, including both 32-bit and 64-bit x86 and Arm, both 32-bit and 64-bit big-endian and little-endian PowerPC and IBM POWER, along with nine other architectures from Alpha to SPARC. For now, the full range of pre-compiled binary packages focus on x86-64 and Arm64, for which the project offers, in its own words, ">20 GByte of packages on our mirrors, from LibreOffice to KDE Plasma and from Gnome to Docker. Gentoo stable, updated daily."