
What makes Gentoo Linux stand above other distros is not just its flexibility -- Slackware and Debian are just as flexible -- but its customizability. Whereas with Debian's stable distribution you're left using software that is months or years old (including the kernel), Gentoo uses the latest tested editions of the Linux kernel, the GNU project's userland utilities and compiler, and the more than 7,000 ported programs in Portage. Slackware, although just as moldable as Gentoo and Debian, does not have an automatically updatable package management system and compiles nothing from source by default.
Gentoo Dedicated Servers on the customer servers is a mixed experience