[tux]

> Microsoft makes a great operating system for the end user, has anybody ever tried to use gentoo?

I can never understand why people suggest windows for end users. Just the spyware problem alone is more than most savvy users can handle. Regular people have a miserable time of it.

One other really nice thing about linux is the ease of updating.

Go and update every part of your microsoft system. Sure, the base system (and maybe office) have an update mechanism, but with a linux system, every installed package can be updated with a few commands.

In gentoo, I do ...
esync
emerge -uD world

and my system is completely updated.

Of course with gentoo it may take a while since everything is compiled from source. I just start it in the evening and let it go.