Talking about Linux for more advanced user.

I'm currently using SUSE 10, very easy to use, very powerful, but is it a advanced Linux distribution? No. To most of the advanced users in Linux, Gentoo, is again and again, a very "geek" term. So what makes Gentoo the most advanced yet the most complicated, but so many hardcore programmers and users decided to spend more time installing than pretty much any other common distros(distributions)?

Well.. it's all about few fancy terms - Optimization, Centralization, Customization
Gentoo linux is like what their offical said. : www.gentoo.org

It compile almost all applications directly from source code to match your specification hardware settings and/or simplication or/more efficient performance coding to archived optimized performance, so ie) if you run windows games on it by Cedega or Winex, (www.transgaming.com) it is not just faster than windows, but most likely the fastest performance unparellel to windows.

It all have a Central place to all your applications' source download n installer(compile to your computer /wo typing much), call Portage which is a more powerful Sympatic or Kpackager, specific for install all applications to your computer without much typing

It also have the most choices available for you to decide what and how your computer is going to be.

Finish talking about the good things, now the very sad part is:

Compiling each application takes more than the time installing a compiled one but not optimized application, offen the compilation of such application takes few or several hours, and sometimes, errors might occur. But of course once it's been compiled, you will surely don't wanna delete it easily and it runs pretty fast and stable.

Portage is support by millions of programmers out there, they all usually discuss about how to improve what they've put out available through different forums, if you don't do search offen, like "googling", if you download something from portage that just be add by someone out there and it is not working for your computer and u wanna find help, "googling" is the best choose but it might be what you've experienced is very new to everybody(chance is less but possible), your problem may not be solve for a week.

Customization is only good for the visual part, I be honest here, Gentoo is too customized that it scared off home user, but only attractive to computer workers or geeks. and customization take you more time and effort to just choosing something that's not too important all the time.(waste of time to most people)

The solutions:
One of it, is just don't use Gentoo
Second is to use this, a made complied /w applications version of Gentoo call RR4/64
http://www.lxnaydesign.net/
http://shots.osdir.com/slideshows/slideshow.php?release=460&slide=1
or VLOC
http://desktop.vidalinux.com/
Thirdly, it's purely your experience which makes you better and better in it. so use
VMWARE or XEN to testdrive gentoo while working on another base distro.
Remember VMWare and XEN both have open-source version, and it's not a distro but an application, and kernel(XEN) to use for runing another operating system on top of another.

For working purpose, I really recommand the use of gentoo if made yourself good at it. It can really dig you a way to help poor countries or needed organization to overcome cost and rivals.