services

[stu]

>
> The thing to do with Gentoo is to read the Gentoo Handbook (how to install
> Gentoo) first.  Print out a copy (if you have a printer) or have another
> machine available to read the Handbook on while you're installing.  It
> takes ... 8 to 9 hours to "emerge kde" on a 2200 MHz Athlon with 1G, so
> do that (or emerge gnome, or whatever) overnight.
>
IIRC, the main differences between Gentoo and Debian is that Debian uses 
binary files from the Debian repositories, while Gentoo is essentially 
compiled directly from source code, which is why it takes so long. With 
Gentoo, OTOH, you can get the latest "bleeding edge" stuff, while Debian 
tends to use the "stable" versions that have been around for awhile. (I 
remember having to compile Inkscape 4.3 because the Debian repos were still 
using 4.1)
What other differences might make one system preferable to the other?
(Not trying to start a Distro war here! I believe the real strength of Linux 
is hidden within it's diversity!)