I've been using Gentoo Linux for the last year and a half without any trouble. It is, in fact, the only operating system I use, and it works better than anything else I could imagine. My workflow revolves around three applications, and three active windows, with Gimp thrown in there occasionally:
1. Konqueror as my web browser and file manager. One window is sufficient - it's split into two vertical panes, one for viewing my work and the other for managing the (remote) files. 2. Kate as a tabbed syntax-highlighting programmers' editor. Works like a charm, and because of KDE's in-built multiple protocol support, I can modify files live via FISH/SFTP/FTP. 3. Konsole as a general purpose pretty console/xterm replacement. Being a web application developer, that's about all I need. (Sure, Firefox comes in handy, as does VMWare with a Windows XP session to test IE, but hey, the above is the bare minimum.) As a case-in-point, the above three applications are all I have open right now working on my company's website.
