FAQ/Old

Using Funtoo Linux, Portage and Git

How do I start using Funtoo Linux?

For information on how to start using Funtoo Linux, see Funtoo Linux Installation.

Is it possible to convert an existing Gentoo Linux install to Funtoo Linux?

Yes, it is possible, but not supported. Some people have done it, but you should not rely on it to always work. It is always best to install Funtoo Linux by following the steps in Funtoo Linux Installation. If you proceed to convert an existing Gentoo system to Funtoo, be aware that it may not work, and we will not officially support you if you get stuck, so you may have to install from scratch anyway. However, there are people on the forums or on IRC who might be willing to help you out.

What is mini-manifest?

A feature introduced by Funtoo Linux, and now integrated upstream into Gentoo's Portage, are mini-Manifests. Because we use git for our Portage tree, which uses cryptographic hashes internally, we don't need Manifests to include hashes for all files in Portage, just files that need to be downloaded from mirrors. This is what mini-Manifests are -- Manifest files that have gone on a diet.

How do I get my initial Portage tree, or update my Portage tree?

This is done by typing:

root # ego sync

Ego will use the git pull command to update your tree for you, or will use git clone if one doesn't exist.

What is the status of Funtoo's UTF-8 support?

Funtoo Linux has UTF-8 enabled by default, even for the root user. This allows UTF-8 files to be edited without issue, root GNU screen sessions to display UTF-8 character sets properly, etc. The classic sort order of ls -a has been preserved by setting LC_COLLATE to POSIX. All other locale settings inherit the system default defined in the LANG variable, which is set to en_US.UTF-8.

What if I want to use a non-English locale/language?

I recommend two things. First, it's strongly recommended that you always use a UTF-8-based locale.

The next thing I recommend is to try to avoid changing the global system LANG setting, and instead set the LANG setting on a per-user basis by adding the desired LANG setting to your ~/.bashrc. This will preserve English log output in /var/log and make it easier to search for more common matching English strings on the Internet when you need help.

If you really want to change the default system LANG setting (taking into account the paragraph above,) then it's recommended that you create your own /etc/env.d/02locale file that contains something like this:

LANG="fr_CA.UTF-8"

You will need to run env-update and source /etc/profile to apply changes immediately to any open shells, and reboot to apply changes fully.

Does Funtoo Linux use an older udev?

Historically, we have, in order to avoid problems introduced with newer udev versions.

We have just recently migrated to eudev, an udev fork, and will be keeping udev up-to-date.

What is the minimum kernel version I can use with Funtoo Linux?

We test and support 2.6.32 and above, and maintain compatiblity with RHEL 6 kernels, which are based on 2.6.32 and heavily patched.

Why is package.mask a directory?

Portage allows /usr/portage/profiles/package.mask to be a directory. We use this to organize our package masks into categories so they are easier to maintain.

How do I tell if a problem I am having originates from Gentoo or Funtoo?

Let us figure this out for you. Report a bug to our bug tracker, and we will determine how to resolve the issue. See Reporting Bugs.

How can I see the differences between the Gentoo and Funtoo Portage trees?

In the old days, this was tricky. We do not have a comprehensive way to do this, but here are some things to start looking at:

See the funtoo-overlay for our main repository of Funtoo-specific stuff -- this is our main Funtoo package repository, but not our only one.
To get a full view of everything, see our merge script which generates our unified emerge --syncable tree. This describes everything that is part of Funtoo Linux.
We have an automated report which is visible at Compare Forked Packages To Gentoo. This report is designed for Funtoo developers, and lists only the "bad" stuff -- areas in which our packages are older than what is in Gentoo Linux. We use this report to identify ebuilds that need to be updated in Funtoo Linux.

Is Paludis compatible with the Funtoo Portage tree?

Paludis does not appear to be compatible with the Funtoo Portage tree, unfortunately. It does not support the package.mask directory without additional hooks, and also does not support merging device nodes. These features are supported by Portage and we use both of these capabilities. I think that both package.mask (and package.keywords, etc.) directories are a good idea, and I also think it's a good idea for the package manager to support device nodes, which is particularly useful for the udev and baselayout ebuilds. Funtoo Linux has separate versions of these packages, and these ebuilds are easier to maintain if device nodes are correctly supported by the package manger, and the package.mask directory is a great help to us as well.

We could maintain a patched version of Paludis that would be useable with the Funtoo Portage tree, but I don't want to get into the business of supporting a non-standard package manager as the upstream project seems not seem very supportive of getting these compatibility issues resolved, and thus this could turn into a maintenance burden for Funtoo. So I'd rather just not support Paludis for now.

What about pkgcore?

Pkgcore is not currently compatible with Funtoo Linux and this isn't something we test.

How do I report a bug?

We have a bug tracker. See Reporting Bugs.

How do I become a Funtoo developer?

First, we want you to be a Funtoo Linux user. Funtoo Linux is a project run by users.

Then, see Contributing.

General Funtoo Stuff

What can you tell me about Funtoo Linux history?

Funtoo Linux was created by Daniel Robbins, the creator and former Chief Architect of Gentoo Linux, in late 2007, as a means to get Gentoo to build reliably (see Funtoo Linux History for an accurate timeline.) This led to the adoption of Metro, an automated build tool developed by Daniel, to replace Gentoo's catalyst build tool for building Funtoo stages. Some changes to Gentoo's Portage tree were needed to produce reliable stage3 builds of Gentoo, creating the need for Daniel to create a slight variant of Gentoo's Portage tree to support automated builds. This in turn created the need to maintain a forked Portage tree that also integrated recent upstream Gentoo changes. Daniel adopted git and worked with Zac Medico to integrate support for git-based Portage trees and mini-manifests into Gentoo's emerge command. Over time, Funtoo Linux has continued to grow into a modern Gentoo Linux variant, supporting novel offerings such as support for RHEL and Debian kernels, OpenVZ support, multiple system profiles, a wide selection of stages optimized for modern CPUs, support for systemd-less GNOME, and more. Initially, upstream Gentoo changes were merged into Funtoo's git-based Portage tree by hand; this process is now fully automated via the use of advanced merge scripts that run every 12 hours.

How big is the Funtoo Linux Dev Team?

Two people. The Funtoo Linux development team consists of Daniel Robbins and Oleg Vinichenko. Oleg handles day-to-day maintenance and fixes, and supports users. All other tasks are automated.

What is 'Funtoo' all about? And 'Funtoo Linux'?

Funtoo by itself refers to this site, or the larger Funtoo project run by Daniel Robbins. That's just a fancy way of saying that Funtoo refers to all the stuff I'm doing.

Funtoo Linux refers specifically to my variant of Gentoo Linux.

If you see me use the phrase Funtoo Portage tree or Funtoo ebuild, I'm just talking about our separate (and slightly different) Portage tree, or our version of an ebuild.

What is 'tnufoo'?

tnufoo is funtoo rotated 180 degrees vertically.

Is Funtoo Linux a fork of Gentoo Linux?

Funtoo Linux is not a full fork of Gentoo Linux, but we do fork some ebuilds.

It's more accurate to refer to Funtoo Linux as a Gentoo Linux variant, meaning that it is more like another flavor of Gentoo than a fork.

We share our changes and bug fixes with the Gentoo project, so Gentoo is free to merge in any of our changes at any time.

What is the best way to interact with the Funtoo community?

There is a list of resources on our Welcome page that is kept up-to-date.

What Architectures does Funtoo Linux support?

Currently, Funtoo Linux is supporting x86-32bit, x86-64bit, including pure64 (non-multilib), as well as ARM. There has been a Sparc64 build in the past, which could always come back in the future if others come forward to maintain it.

Do you use the normal Gentoo system profiles?

I designed a new profile system for Funtoo which you can read about at Funtoo 1.0 Profile. It has a lot of cool functionality, including flavors, mix-ins and other cool things. Thanks to Ryan Harris (rh1) for the excellent Funtoo eselect implementation for our new profile system.

Is Funtoo Linux More Stable Than Gentoo Linux?

The short answer is that we don't know, but some people think it is, and we strive to make it more reliable than Gentoo, not because we're competitive, but because Funtoo Linux originally started as a version of Gentoo Linux that had several bugs fixed. We like to fix things that we find that aren't working.

Do you use Gentoo's Guide XML for Documentation?

I've made the decision to go with MediaWiki as our official documentation format.

Forking the Portage Tree

I want to fork the Portage tree. How do I do this?

Currently, the best way to do it involves forking the funtoo-overlay, which is much smaller, or creating your own overlay. I have scripts that combine the Funtoo overlay and the Gentoo tree to create a unified Portage tree.

Where can I learn more about `git`?

So, you want to learn more about git, do you? A collection of excellent git resources is now available on the Git Guide.

Where can I learn more about the Funtoo Linux philosophy -- what you are about?

See Funtoo Linux Vision.