When/Should you use equo and when emerge?

[Jeff91]

Alrighty so been doing some reading and just want to make sure I understand this correctly -

equo/entropy - install pre-compiled binary packages

emerge/portage - downloads source code and build requirements and builds the packages to install on your system

I messed up my first Sabayon install by mixing and match emerge/equo update commands (something I am trying to avoid doing again). During my reading I saw that portage typically has newer revisions of most packages when compared to equo, also isn't it true that compiling the software yourself for your system gives it a performance increase? When is it ok to use emerge for a package (is there a list somewhere?) Or if I want to emerge packages should I only being emerge then or are there some cases where you can mix and match equo and emerge?

Thanks,
~Jeff

[joeoden]

then or are there some cases where you can mix and match equo and emerge?

I do prefer to use sulfur because it is easy to use and is the package manager that comes with Sabayon, but somtimes I must use portage
The main thing I have learned is not to update system using both entropy and portage

I use portage only
When a package does not work using entropy
When I have to downgrade a package
When I can't wait for the package to be in entropy

If you plan to compile your system yourself then you should use portage

[albfneto]

For mix the installers, is necessary first to edit the flie /etc/entropy/client.conf to activate, enable the option ignore pseudo-downgrades, then update portage, update entropy and the syncronize both... with the command equo database gentoosync
they are how tos in this forum...
in all cases, some experience with portage is needed.., or at least desirable.
I a general manner, Portage is used when you need install the lastest versions, experimental, or for recompile parts or the all system.

[wolfden]

You shouldn't be mixing package managers unless you fully understand what you are doing. You can request packages thru our bugzilla if need too. Portage has a steep learning curve and the gentoo handbook can help explain more on that. New users should stick with entropy till they learn more.

Performance increase from compiling isn't really noticed unless you understand all the config files and know how to tweak them. Portage is a huge thing to learn between configs and USE flags. Portage can also pull in things that can break entropy based systems, that is why we don't recommend mixing unless you know what u are doing.

gentoo.org had lots of great documentation for it's users to read and learn all about it.

[Jeff91]

Yes I've been reading alot of the portage documentation. Is there a list of particular packages that I should avoid on Portage with will break equo?

~Jeff

[wolfden]

nope no list, just need to know and that comes with time

[Jeff91]

Alrighty, so been doing some more reading/wiki crawling and I stumbled across this here on the Sabayon Wiki - http://wiki.sabayonlinux.org/index.php? ... rld_Update

Is that a safe guide to follow? I see it references Sabayon 3.3 at one point - so will it all still work on 4.2? Also I have already done an initial system update using equo, so if I want to start going the portage rout should I do a fresh install before using the guide to update my system?

~Jeff

PS: Sorry to be such a pest about the subject, its just that portage/compiling my system myself is really what drew me to Sabayon over other distros in the first place

[wolfden]

if you want to go portage - than download the corecd, install, edit configs, rebuild, than build

yes, that guide still works as portage is portage, commands are still same.

[Jeff91]

Also I have already done an initial system update using equo, so if I want to start going the portage rout should I do a fresh install before using the guide to update my system?

Is it safe to follow that guide after having done equo update already? Or is a fresh install a good idea to save myself from broken packages/system

~Jeff

[wolfden]

It's way easier to do corecd as you have to do twice the work and will take twice as long with mini-dvd.

Yes you can follow it tho.