Fedora vs Gentoo

[screwball]

I have started getting into Linux environment. I mean i have started learning linux now and want to install a linux operating system in my machine. But I am confused over which of the above 2 linux would be good for practicing. These 2 were advised by my mentor. So I seek advice from you experts of linux which to choose between these 2.

[SalVatore]

I am using Gentoo now. For servers, it maybe not a good idea to run Gentoo. Sometime it needs to build too many packages for updating. Gentoo is a good way to learn and get familiar with package dependency.

[Calvin K]

If you are new to Linux O.S, install Mandriva Linux. It's very user-friendly & the best option for users migrating to Linux from Windows. Other distros like Fedora, Suse, Ubuntu are also good distros, but you should be already familiar with Linux to use them with ease.

[Lillebror]

Love gentoo..
Was openbsd user prior and when I switched to linux looked for something that would be similar.. gentoo fit the bill nice..

Most distro's install a bunch of garbage that some 13 year old on crack compiled (take mandrake on a P4 for example).. Gentoo is a bit more work to set up, but well worth it for optimizations and if you are like me and fully lazy about patching.. Meaning, you can cron up the "emerge" tool to update your software nightly so you are always up to date without having to think to about it and you just need to run the built in tools for checking changes to config files (which emerge nicely also does not clobber) and with a world make.conf for always compiling stuff with mysql support etc et all it is a dream for a sysadmin. Pretty much the only distro I will use, think about using, and recommend to programmers.

[Dr. V]

Fedora is the distro that most serious programers/unis/research institutions use as well for the same reasons that mentioned, also its a very flexible and easy to modify to suit your needs apparently.

[Bracken]

Fedora has been leading in Linux distro's as it provides desktop as well as Server level OS. It is quite stable and reliable then Gentoo.