this post was submitted on 04 Jul 2026
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Trying out Gentoo shortly. Any advice for a smooth(er) sailing? (piefed.blahaj.zone)
submitted 2 days ago by akunohana@piefed.blahaj.zone to c/linux@lemmy.ml
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I have been using Arch with systemd for some years now and I would like to try out Gentoo in order to learn OpenRC and get used to manually controlling the system with config files instead of having it all served on a silver platter with some *ctl command as per systemd.

I have read the installation guide for x86_64 systems two times now, and in the following week, I would like to try installing a minimal system (no graphical stuff).

Any advice from people that already use Gentoo? Especially things that they wish they knew before trying for the first time? Like, what not to waste time on initially? For example, to simply get an Arch system up and running, I didn't have to learn how to write unit files, but I accidentally wasted a week on that before just enjoying my system first. 😅

A few of my own thoughts:

  1. How much time and effort should I put into fine tuning the global USE flags if my initial goal is to get a system up and running?
  2. With systemd, I enable --nowed that which I wanted to "autostart" (iptables and sshd, for instance). Is there an equally intuitive counterpart with OpenRC?

Thanks in advance! 🐧

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[–] z3rOR0ne@lemmy.ml 5 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Not that I'm trying to dissuade you, as I am on Gentoo and have been for about 1 year now, but if you're only interested in other init systems, did you consider trying Artix?

I'd still say go with Gentoo if you want fine grained control over nearly every aspect of your system, as compiler flags, eselect profiles, and just overall minimalism make it superior for tinkerers imho.

That said, if you just wanted to experience other init systems like openrc, then Artix might be a good option. Prior to jumping to Gentoo, I was on Artix Linux with runit init system for 6 years. It was good, but I wanted to know more about Gentoo. There were some definite tradeoffs from Artix with runit, but I appreciated the fine grained control I got with Gentoo's compiler flags, so I stayed on Gentoo.

The only advice I'd say when installing Gentoo is to choose your profile carefully during initial install and to choose your stage 3 tarball accordingly (just think about your ultimate use case). Also, if you need to use wifi, make sure to install wpa supplicant while chrooted into the live environment.

Anyways, hope this helps.

[–] akunohana@piefed.blahaj.zone 4 points 2 days ago

Thanks for these amazing tips! But instead of a tarball, you threw me a curveball! Sorry... I'm sleepy and my pun brain has taken over... I hadn't considered Artix! And now I see that it's even compatible with OpenRC! Not that I have any preferences on init systems, though. Maybe I should try that first. I'll think it over! Thanks! 😊