Can't plus-one this enough. The Gentoo [installation] handbook is a true treasure for the linux newbie. Especially if you are the kind of learner who needs to

Can't plus-one this enough. The Gentoo [installation] handbook is a true treasure for the linux newbie. Especially if you are the kind of learner who needs to be challenged to truly ingest the material at hand, just read every word and apply what you have learned. You'll be astonished by the distance that you covered in a month! Whenever Gentoo is brought up, somebody always brings up LFS. LFS becomes repetitive fast. I also don't think trying to use esoteric build systems that come with cryptic readme files is newbie-friendly. Just learn to read ebuild scripts if you are after that kind of skill :)