query on gentoo

It's a very good distro. I really want to know how good are you in Linux? If you know Unix very well, you can take any distro.
If you are new to Linux , I suggest Mandriva Linux 2006. Since it's very easy to use. And people moving from Windows
to Linux find it very easy. If you want to learn more about Gentoo Linux checkout the following link:

*www.gentoo.org/doc/en/faq.xml

It's suitable for any kind of people who can read their documents. You can very easily install it if you follow their document's properly. You just need some basic knowledge of working with linux.
If you have no knowledge of Linux. Start with a live cd. Knoppix will be a good choice.

but live cd will have a slow performance.
so i suggest to install it first & then use

Yeah, Knoppix Live CD is a good choice. If you use a 17' inch monitor keep the
resolution as 1280x1024. While booting Knoppix press F2 for the options.
You need to type 'knoppix xscreen=1280x1024' (press Enter)

Gentoo is for those who enjoy doing fun stuff with computers, exploring new things, concepts etc. Its my favourite along with slackware.
You need to
1. Read thier Handbook (all sections not just installation) carefully.
2. Spend thinking how u can apply those concepts for managing packages etc.,
3. Have some time to kill.

Is it suitable for newbie programmers?