"To the novice user, moving across from Windows to Linux for the first time, the desktop screen of Gentoo Linux will have a more familiar feel than most other versions of the platform.

Appreciating that many Linux distros adopt a similar approach, Gentoo mirrors as closely as it is legal, the initial set-up of a Windows Vista-esque installation; with a standard taskbar, familiar icons, and everything pretty much ready to go. It?s only on closer inspection, things appear different.