[AuckLUG] Help Requested With Installfest

[Chilling_Silence]

> Josiah Spackman wrote:
>> Nevyn wrote:
>>> On 4/10/07, Kent Wilkinson <kent_wilkinson at xtra.co.nz> wrote:
>>>> Sigrid Roehling wrote:
>>>> >
>>>> > Note: This is a University of Auckland Linux User Group event and
>>>> will
>>>> > be held at the University of Auckland city campus.
>>>> >
>>>> > Linux savvy volunteers are needed to help out with an Installfest
>>>> > to be held on a Sunday (yes, Sunday, because of the parking
>>>> situation
>>>> > near campus) the 6th of May. We will need you from 10am onwards
>>>> and plan
>>>> > to finish at 3pm at the latest (earlier if attendance is low). If
>>>> you
>>>> > can only do part of the time, that's fine. Reply with your name,
>>>> which
>>>> > Linux distributions you're comfortable installing, and contact phone
>>>> > number.
>>>> >
>>>> > This Installfest will be open to the public, so we're expecting a
>>>> higher
>>>> > turnout than last time.
>>>> >
>>>> > -Sigrid
>>>> > UALUG Coordinator
>>>> >
>>>> >
>>>> > _______________________________________________
>>>> > AuckLUG mailing list
>>>> > AuckLUG at linux.net.nz
>>>> > http://www.linux.net.nz/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/aucklug
>>>> >
>>>> I could help out with a Gentoo install, although it would have to be
>>>> from the live cd with pre-built binaries. Not really a noob distro
>>>> though.
>>>> I could also offer my laptop as a demo machine to show case a desktop
>>>> different to KDE or Gnome. I have a Gentoo  system with a modified
>>>> ROX-Session with beryl as the window manager, no gnome or kde
>>>> libraries
>>>> installed.
>>>>
>>>> Phone number off list
>>>>
>>>> Regards
>>>>
>>>> Kent
>>>
>>> Would be interested in getting a few tips in kicking off a gentoo
>>> install. Never been able to install it successfully myself.
>> Dont worry, since the new GUI Live CD, after 8 attempts I still havent.
>>
>> Was fine back in the days of 2006.1, 2004.2 etc :-/
>>
>> I'd be interested in a few tips too :D
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> AuckLUG mailing list
>> AuckLUG at linux.net.nz
>> http://www.linux.net.nz/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/aucklug
>>
> The first few times I tried installing Gentoo I had no success either.
> It usually takes more than a day to get the system completely built and
> running properly with all software and updates done. Unless you have a
> seriously grunty machine. I have never tried the GUI install, although
> I'm pretty sure it would result in a system thats too out of date.
>
> I found on my laptop I had to pass noapic to the boot loader on the
> install cd just to get it to start, took ages to figure that one out.
>
> 1st tip.     Once the install cd has booted, ALT F2 to a different
> terminal and load the install instructions in a text based browser with
> the following command (obviously you would replace amd64 with your
> architecture).
> #links http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/handbook/handbook-amd64.xml
> Now you can use ALT F1 for your install terminal and at any time
> including when you have chrooted to you install system, you can use ALT
> F2 to go back to the install instructions. It's a good idea to follow
> the instruction for changing the name of the chrooted terminal (#export
> PS1="(chroot) $PS1") as I once found myself typing all my commands in
> the wrong terminal, made a right mess of the install.
>
> 2nd tip.    Follow the install instructions to the letter, even the
> seemingly pointless ones.
>
> 3rd tip.    Do a live install, not from a pre-packaged cd, they tend to
> be too out of date.
>
> 4th tip.    Don't over optimise, cflags = "-march=amd64 -O2
> -fomit-frame-pointer -pipe" would be all I would use for a first time
> install. (Don't use -fomit-frame-pointer if you plan on debugging apps)
> ( I have recently got a -O3 system running on my AMD64, but like my
> laptop it is a pretty basic system, no Gnome or KDE libraries installed,
> in the past I have found some binaries don't work and can cause compile
> problems when using -O3)
>
> 5th tip.   Unless you are really comfortable with manually setting up
> grub, then use lilo. (I have never managed to manually set up grub and
> I've followed the instructions to the letter).
> Good old lilo! works every time and is easy to configure.
>
> Gentoo takes a lot of work to get it running nicely, configuration is
> with text files. Once running you will never look back.
> All you need to update using portage is #emerge --sync | emerge world
> There is no need to setup special repositories for some of the more
> legally questionable software out there, they are all available through
> portage.
>
> There can be issues with updates sometimes, configuration files
> sometimes need updating, this can override files that you have modified
> (you have to tell it to do that though), and masked packages can be
> annoying. masked packages are packages that are considered unstable or
> pose security risks.
>
> You can reach me by phone (off list) if you have specific questions.
>
> Google for "gentoo software name" when you are configuring the system,
> the Gentoo wiki's are really good. ie: "gentoo wpa_supplicant" if you
> need help setting up your wifi.
>
> I could possibly come over and help one weekend, depending where you are
> and what weekend, I'm in Mt Wellington.
>
> Cheers
>
> Kent
>
>
Hi Kent,

Thanks for the offer, should be okay for now. Actually thinking I'll be
trying out SimplyMEPIS 6.5 this weekend :D
Ive done plenty of Gentoo installs in my time. To be honest,  most of my
problems are probably based around the fact that Im impatient so I throw
in all my CFLAGS &  USE Flags too early on in the process (which used to
work in the days of 2004.1 or 2006.1 but not now so much with the GUI
installer), so Im eventually going to get around to doing it again. Maybe
install Gentoo in a fortnight or so, depending on how Mepis goes.
Maybe I should try it on my new Acer laptop! :D

I always try & go with the minimal LiveCD and install from the Internet
(Mostly from Stage 2 or Stage 3).

Ive done many-a-gentoo installs in my day, on a 486 with 1GB HDD & 16MB
Ram, to P1s as basic http servers, to my Xbox, to Celeron Desktops,
Sempron Desktops, P4 Desktops & Laptops, as well as multiple K8 Athlon x64
systems... always different challenges, but always great fun. Distcc was
cool for helping the xbox along, but I couldnt be bothered with it for too
long, the xbox took a lot of coaxing to get going with rice CFLAGS back in
the day.

Im more than comfortable with Grub, have just grown up with it since
Redhat 7.x :)
Me and Lilo never really saw eye to eye.

I used to sit in the #love-sources rooms on freenode, but that patchset
died... And the #gentoo folk arent usually too talkative with anything
other than "Did you RTFM?". Should really get back into #nitro.

Anyways, when all this is said & done, I doubt we'll be doing any Gentoo
installs at the Installfest. SuSE / Fedora is usually the flavor of the
day, but I dunno about the Uni LUG's preferences there.

Im out west & work on the shore, but I'll keep your numbers / email addy,
just in case ;-)
Appreciate the offer, and its people like yourself that make adopting
Linux all the more easy for n00bs :)

Cheers


Chill.