If you're comfortable with Gentoo (editing config files occasionally and compiling your own software) I'd stick with it, or perhaps move to Debian. I'd highly recommend staying away from RedHat, Mandrake, Suse, or any other "newbie friendly" linux. Gentoo and Debian are a bit harder to get setup and installed, but once you get the hang of it you have ALOT more flexability.
I started out in RedHat 5 years ago. Over the next two years I messed with Mandrake and a few others, ending up with Suse for a year (I even actually bought a copy for $70, the manuals it came with were great). At that point I was pretty comfortable with how things worked.
I started getting annoyed by the limitations of the GUI configuration programs for things like webservers, databases, etc. I started poking around the config files and figuring out what needed altered based on Google research and man pages. I got into Gentoo a little over a year ago, after a few months of that I moved to Debian and have been using Debian Sarge (testing version) for the past year.
I love Debian. It has the best package management system, a huge user base, awsome mailing lists and irc channels, etc. I do hear a few bad things about it however, and with some of them I agree. Many people dislike the "attitude" of users on the mailing list and irc channels. I'll agree that many are jerks, who think they know everything, and that you're an idiot for asking. Well, 9 times out of 10 I've discovered that they DO know everything heh. If you're able to read between the lines and not get your feelings hurt, you can learn an awful lot too. Personally I'd rather get help from jerks that know what they're talking about, than really polite people who don't have a clue.
The other complaint is that the installer is hard to figure out. This is also true, it's not a pretty graphical installer like some of the others. However, it's NOT the satan derived crap-hole it's made out to be. It's really not that bad, and it's documented VERY well on the website. I'd recommend the first time you install it to pick the easy automatic options, and when asked what packages to install just pick the basic "desktop computer" option. It only takes around 15-20 minutes to install it that way, and you'll be able to start poking around. Once you get that basic install under your belt, and are comfortable using aptitude (they're package maintenance program), you can try reinstalling and picking some more interesting options. Too many people jump into the complicated parts thinking they know what they're doing (I'm just as guilty of this as everyone else
).
In the end, there's a flavor of linux for everyone. If you've found something you like and that does what you need, stick with it and learn as much as you can. That's the beauty of linux, you're not forced to conform to any one setup. But if you're really looking for a suggestion...Debian Debian Debian Debian!!!
I started out in RedHat 5 years ago. Over the next two years I messed with Mandrake and a few others, ending up with Suse for a year (I even actually bought a copy for $70, the manuals it came with were great). At that point I was pretty comfortable with how things worked.
I started getting annoyed by the limitations of the GUI configuration programs for things like webservers, databases, etc. I started poking around the config files and figuring out what needed altered based on Google research and man pages. I got into Gentoo a little over a year ago, after a few months of that I moved to Debian and have been using Debian Sarge (testing version) for the past year.
I love Debian. It has the best package management system, a huge user base, awsome mailing lists and irc channels, etc. I do hear a few bad things about it however, and with some of them I agree. Many people dislike the "attitude" of users on the mailing list and irc channels. I'll agree that many are jerks, who think they know everything, and that you're an idiot for asking. Well, 9 times out of 10 I've discovered that they DO know everything heh. If you're able to read between the lines and not get your feelings hurt, you can learn an awful lot too. Personally I'd rather get help from jerks that know what they're talking about, than really polite people who don't have a clue.
The other complaint is that the installer is hard to figure out. This is also true, it's not a pretty graphical installer like some of the others. However, it's NOT the satan derived crap-hole it's made out to be. It's really not that bad, and it's documented VERY well on the website. I'd recommend the first time you install it to pick the easy automatic options, and when asked what packages to install just pick the basic "desktop computer" option. It only takes around 15-20 minutes to install it that way, and you'll be able to start poking around. Once you get that basic install under your belt, and are comfortable using aptitude (they're package maintenance program), you can try reinstalling and picking some more interesting options. Too many people jump into the complicated parts thinking they know what they're doing (I'm just as guilty of this as everyone else
).In the end, there's a flavor of linux for everyone. If you've found something you like and that does what you need, stick with it and learn as much as you can. That's the beauty of linux, you're not forced to conform to any one setup. But if you're really looking for a suggestion...Debian Debian Debian Debian!!!
I didn't think of it until this morning when I woke up, but there's also Ubuntu Linux. It's strongly based on Debian, and from what I hear is very user friendly. The Knoppix disc you have been using is also based on Debian. 
I'll have to look into it sometime, never used it myself. I went for the real thing
