Installing Gentoo Beta 1 on the Kuro Box
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1. Discussion

1. a. What we hope to accomplish by installing Gentoo

In this guide, we are going to walk through the process of erasing our Kuro Box's hard disk and installing a new version of Linux on it. Specifically, we are going to install a version of Gentoo Linux which has been customized for the Kuro Box and Kuro Box HG. By moving to a new Linux distribution, we hope to get around the limitations of the Linux software that is supplied with the Kuro Box by Revolution. We also want to gain easy access to the wealth of software which is available for Linux.

And we want to preserve the option to return to the original software which was supplied with the Kuro Box if we so choose to. Therefore we will not make any changes which will permanently alter our Kuro Box hardware. That said, obviously we are going to erase the hard disk and install new software on it. But if you are not satisfied by running Gentoo on your Kuro Box, you can always reformat the hard disk again and reinstall the original Linux software.

1. b. What is Gentoo Linux?

Gentoo is a distribution of Linux, which means that Gentoo is a collection of software built around the Linux kernel. Gentoo is not a commercial distribution, meaning that it requires no monetary payments for installation or support.

Here is how they describe themselves (taken from their About page):

[Gentoo is] a special flavor of Linux that can be automatically optimized and customized for just about any application or need. Extreme configurability, performance and a top-notch user and developer community are all hallmarks of the Gentoo experience.

Thanks to a technology called Portage, Gentoo Linux can become an ideal secure server, development workstation, professional desktop, gaming system, embedded solution or something else -- whatever you need it to be.

If you wish to find out more about Gentoo, visit the Gentoo.org web site.

1. c. The Pro's and Con's of Gentoo for the Kuro Box

The Kuro Box is a great platform for having fun and learning Linux. It is also a very specialized piece of hardware compared to a standard desktop PC. Because of this specialization, the Kuro Box has special needs and requirements when choosing software.

There are many factors we need to consider when evaluating Gentoo for the Kuro Box:

1. Low speed PowerPC CPU (200 or 266 MHz PPC 603e)
   Because most of the Linux hobbyists and developers are using x86 desktop processors, there is less attention paid to the needs of users with PPC based systems. We need an operating system which treats the PPC architecture as a first class citizen. We also want to have software which is efficient and will not bog down our relatively slow CPU.
2. Limited RAM (64 or 128 MB)
   Because of our limited RAM, we cannot afford bloated software designed for desktop machines. We need to be able to carefully choose and configure the software installed on our machine to save RAM when possible. We want to install only the software we need and nothing more.
3. Lack of Keyboard/Video/Mouse ports
   Since we do not have a video port on our Kuro Box, we do not want a Linux distribution which is centered around a heavyweight GUI such as KDE or GNOME. We want to be able to work comfortably with our Kuro Box using only SSH/Telnet and HTTP.
4. Flash-based Linux kernel
   Our kernel is stored in non-volatile flash RAM and is not easy to customize as of today. Even when booting from the hard disk, the kernel stored in this flash RAM will be used. This is a major factor to consider because it brings many technical issues into play. For one, our kernel cannot be customized, replaced or upgraded. Since we are stuck with a Linux 2.4 kernel, we need a distribution which will work well with it. Also, our kernel was built with a specific version of the GCC compiler. Any software that we install must be able to properly communicate with with our kernel, even if it is compiled with a different version of GCC.
5. Small user/developer community
   The Kuro Box user community is very tiny compared to the hundreds of millions of desktop PCs around the globe. Therefore, we need to have software which leverages the work of others whenever possible.
6. Good library of up-to-date Linux applications
   We expect our Kuro Boxes to function as network servers for our home and office. We want access to all of the great open source applications that give our Kuro Boxes the power to do exactly what we want them to do. And we also don't want to be stuck with old software. Any distribution that we consider needs to have some sort of package management system available and needs to have new versions of packages made available periodically. The software needs to be fairly easy to install and compile when necessary.

Gentoo has many attributes which make it a great choice for the Kuro Box and a few disadvantages. But like so many things in life, its greatest strength is also its greatest weakness.

XXX DISCUSS PROS AND CONS HERE

1. d. Does it require flashing the Kernel?

No, the Gentoo distribution for the Kuro Box has been specifically designed to work with the existing kernel.

1. e. How this will change your Kuro Box?

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1. f. Who ported Gentoo to the Kuro Box?

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1. g. Technical details of the Gentoo distribution

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