@mgorny@social.treehouse.systems
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To me, Gentoo is a litmus test for software being actually free. Some (usually large, usually corporate-maintained) programs come with a free license, but have no practical way to be locally compiled, let alone modified by the end-user. Things packaged for Gentoo, by its nature, are actually, in fact, compilable locally, with a minimum level of adaptability to a particular setup. The exception are *-bin packages, which are clearly marked and are kept to a minimum.
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Gentoo provides a shallow learning curve from very little (being able to follow instructions in the Handbook) to the very depths of computing. From installing the system, to making your first ebuild, to droping a minor fix into /etc/portage/patches to contributing an ebuild into one of the semi-official overlays (you are getting feedback now!) to submitting bugs upstream -- every step is small, and every step is a learning opportunity. And at every step there is a community willing to help.