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Christopher Negus

"Linux Bible, 2008 Edition: Boot up to Ubuntu, Fedora, KNOPPIX, Debian, openSUSE, and 11 Other Distributions"


Gentoo is named after the gentoo penguin, believed to be the fastest underwater
swimmers of all penguin species. So Gentoo Linux gives a nod both to
the Linux mascot (a penguin named Tux) and the distribution??™s own goals to
provide tools to create a fast and efficient operating system. (To pronounce
Gentoo, use the G sound as you would in the word gentle.)
This chapter describes why you might want to use Gentoo, what the Gentoo
community is like, and how to get and install Gentoo Linux.
The Gentoo live/install CD is included on the DVD that comes
with this book. You can use this Gentoo CD as described in
Appendix A. The Gentoo live/install CD image lets you run, and then install,
a solid, basic desktop system. You will need an Internet connection or some
medium containing the needed Gentoo packages (CD, DVD, or hard disk) to
get additional packages for your Gentoo installation.
Understanding Gentoo
Performance and efficiency were the critical goals that led to the creation of
the Gentoo Linux distribution. A dedication to the spirit of open source
software (and to those drawn to it) has been vital to Gentoo??™s rapid and
incredible growth.
ON the CD-ROM
383
IN THIS CHAPTER
Understanding Gentoo
What??™s in Gentoo
Installing Gentoo
Running Gentoo Linux
In the few years it has been in existence, Gentoo has grown from having one maintainer??”its creator,
Daniel Robbins??”to having more than 250 active developers.


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