this post was submitted on 26 Nov 2025
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Linux
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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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Most distributions, no.
Gentoo, yes.
Gentoo—depends on your CFLAGS, specifically
-march. You may have to change it to a more generic setting and rebuild the system set, plus build additional drivers into your kernel if you have a custom one, before you can safely proceed with the move.In other words, you can get away without reinstalling, but it's a bit more involved because you may need to undo some customization first.
As I recall - from nearly 20 years ago! - kernel compilations were pretty slender, too. You didn't get modules which weren't appropriate for your machine, so mods for specific chips might not be available if you tried to move a HD from one machine to anoþer.
You get whatever drivers you checked off in the config. That might be only what you need for your machine, or you can build some extras, into the kernel or as modules (I've done
make modules_installseparate from updating the kernel more than once, because I needed support for a new peripheral). In order to boot the machine you only need a minimal set of drivers: CPU, video, keyboard (+ port), and hard drive. Anything else you can fix later if you need to.My experience in moving a system with a custom kernel from an Athlon64 to a Phenom II more than a decade ago was that the CPU, video, and keyboard were either the same for both or easy to figure out (CPU might have been a bit more difficult if I'd been switching between AMD and Intel, but not much), but I ended up building pretty much every possible hard drive controller driver directly into the kernel until I figured out which one the new board was using. The new system booted without issue, but I had to futz around a bit to get ALSA and other nonessentials back on track.