In gentoo, upgrading major components of the system, such as libc, python, gcc, libtools, etc. can lead to breakage, or at least require (often automated) rebuilding of many packages, and fixing the loose ends, which can be daunting to a non-experienced user.
Dists such as Debian avoid this by only making huge changes at once, in a distro upgrade process you have to do from time to time, which updates all essential components together, reducing the danger of things blowing in your face.
Still, I think that the complexity of rolling distros such as Arch and gentoo is overrated and the simplicity of more traditional distro upgrades too. I've had dist-upgrade breakages on Debian too, though not as frequently.
The argument that it is not easy to simply try out Gentoo (short of using a live CD) is true. It takes a commitment due to the more complex install process. As a result, it tends to attract people who know exactly what they are looking for in a distro, and not distro-hoppers running a different one every week. In that case, 12 hours (most of which is fully automated, you go and have an espresso and watch a movie) is really not a major argument.
Dists such as Debian avoid this by only making huge changes at once, in a distro upgrade process you have to do from time to time, which updates all essential components together, reducing the danger of things blowing in your face.
Still, I think that the complexity of rolling distros such as Arch and gentoo is overrated and the simplicity of more traditional distro upgrades too. I've had dist-upgrade breakages on Debian too, though not as frequently.
The argument that it is not easy to simply try out Gentoo (short of using a live CD) is true. It takes a commitment due to the more complex install process. As a result, it tends to attract people who know exactly what they are looking for in a distro, and not distro-hoppers running a different one every week. In that case, 12 hours (most of which is fully automated, you go and have an espresso and watch a movie) is really not a major argument.
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