>
> The machine is actually a server, which just sat in a corner doing its
> job perfectly. That's one of the reasons it wasn't updated: if it ain't
> broken, don't fix it.
>

Any system that is not getting software updates is broken to some degree,
just in a subtle way.

Trimming your /var/lib/portage/world file and removing the trimmed packages
can make the update less painful. I sometimes remove non-system packages I
want, then reinstall again later to get through difficult upgrades.