I also started about that time and left it about 2 years ago. I've only reinstalled once during that time. But even on stable portage version these blocks are hell. Especially when you don't feel like toying with it for like a year and then it turns out that upgrade process requires packages versions which are not in the portage anymore etc.
With all but the most popular hardware you are pretty much on your own. It usually drops down to getting some debian drivers and understanding your system. It's all doable, but it's time consuming.
Still I don't think any distribution comes close to being so well organized and nice overall. It seems to take security seriously. It's just too bad that it became so unpopular. It's really hard to use it to a full potential without becoming a contributor nowadays. Which is fine if that's what you want to do but there are times when you want your OS to be your tool not your hobby. With more popularity it could be a very productive tool.
With all but the most popular hardware you are pretty much on your own. It usually drops down to getting some debian drivers and understanding your system. It's all doable, but it's time consuming.
Still I don't think any distribution comes close to being so well organized and nice overall. It seems to take security seriously. It's just too bad that it became so unpopular. It's really hard to use it to a full potential without becoming a contributor nowadays. Which is fine if that's what you want to do but there are times when you want your OS to be your tool not your hobby. With more popularity it could be a very productive tool.