I just have to give props for the absolute awesomeness that is the portage system in taming linux to the point where an average user can become a poweruser in the same way one would learn photoshop, learning by doing. When I first ran into gentoo, it took me two tries to finally get the thing working, and for a few weeks I was on the forums daily, but after that, I found myself only rebooting when external conditions dictated it. I just went 45 days between reboots, and the only reason I did it was to upgrade my kernel to the newest version.

I just compiled over 150 libraries and applications from the source code, integrated them perfectly into my linux system, and moved to a new kernel, all without a hitch. The only thing that didn't work perfectly when I rebooted was bittornado. (It required a recompile against the new version of python. Easy as pumpkin pie.)

Anybody who wants to give linux a try is hereby strongly recommended to give gentoo a whirl. I hear they have a brand new graphical installer that brings an almost windows-like feel for the install. I haven't used it yet, but it sounded like truckloads of awesome. There really is nothing like the raw feeling of power you get when you pull off something like the above, and you are just a novice administator.

Once you learn the power of USE flags, you will never want to go back to the windows registry.

Anybody who needs help on admining their gentoo system and doesn't feel like browsing the boards for the simplest questions, feel free to ask them here. Don't let that keep you away from the boards though, they have some awesome resources there that can help you get up and running in no time.