Quoting "Johnson, Tracy" <[log in to unmask]>:

> The concept of an OS that does one thing well, sorta reminds me of MPE:
>
> http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/06/20/usenix_07_opening_keynote/
>
> Tracy Johnson
> Measurement Specialties, Inc.

I think this guy needs to do some more research as to what's available out in
the digital world now, and has been for years. Gentoo Linux has since it was
started allowed the user to streamline the OS down to only what was needed to
run the OS environment and intended application(s). If you're running a box
that will only be an email server then why load in video drivers suitable for
high end graphics? Gentoo lets you leave out the unnecessary (for your needs)
video drivers. Gentoo also has hardened server OS setups, so you build into the
OS only the modules necessary to perform the intended functions for the box.
What you end up with is an OS that isn't open to known and many unknown
exploits for attack as the code subject to attack isn't in the OS you've built.
For example telnet and ftp are considered security risks, and if you're allowing
only sftp and ssh connections then why even have telnet and ftp available in the
OS? With Gentoo hardened, leave them out.

Gentoo's update is one of the easiest update and patching processes I've ever
seen and the time window for my personal review is more than thirty years. The
command is "emerge --sync" and the list of current module release levels on
your machine is updated. Then emerge the module, package or application you
want to update. Emerge *does not* trash your configuration files. Instead a
simple method is provided to easily compare the new config files with your
current ones and allows you to replace, merge or discard the new config files.
This process is called etc-update and you can of course use manual comparison
and editing of config files if you wish.

As a personal plug I've been using gentoo linux at least since 2002 in
production environments for boxes that function as firewall, web server, email,
sftp and scp, vpn, EDI server with multiple trading partners, etc. On the vpn
side setting up a box for about $500-600 will get you a box that will serve
about 3,000 vpn connections, which is a fantastic return on investment. I know
of just such a box in production today one hop off my network block so I've
seen the thing in action, 24x7x365.25 - it just works. Isn't that what we want?

I'd say gentoo linux is the MPE of the linux world - it's what other linux-es
want to be when they finally grow up.

See http://www.gentoo.org for more information.

And yes everybody, gentoo linux runs on PA-RISC hardware too.

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