One of the most noteworthy features of Gentoo Linux is its Portage software management tool.
Unlike other distros like those from Red Hat, Novell and Ubuntu Gentoo has a rolling release cycle as users continually build their systems, thanks in part to Portage. While none of the big Linux distros have moved to Portage, starting soon Google’s ChromeOS will become a Portage user.
“As we’ve been growing and working with more partners, the need to
support board specific builds and improve our tools has become more
urgent,” Google developer Ryan Cairns wrote in a mailing list posting. “In order to get there more quickly we’ve been
investigating several different build tools. We found that the
Portage build tools suit our needs well and we will be transitioning 100 percent within the next week.”
I personally see this as a big win for Gentoo and its approach to Linux.
