OT: Windows is too expensive

[parabolize]

Ubuntu has all you need to compile seamonkey in the build-essential meta package though there isn't packages for seamonkey itself yet (you have to grab the source from mozilla.org for now). Its going to be hard to find a distribution that won't let you build and use a custom kernel though I'm not sure why you want to.

[Baron Munchausen]

I am presuming that the kernel in nearly all distributions is also compiled for vanilla 'Pentium' rather than using any exotic instruction that risk compatibility. Many Linux installations are on very old hardware that doesn't have any other uses. I'd like to actually use the fancy capabilities of my hardware. The MMX instructions are now something close to 15 years old. Even SSE is about a decade old now. (And then there is SSE2 and SSE3, but I don't have any processors that handle those... ) Also, there might be some services included in the kernel by default that I don't need and don't want for security reasons. It's been a few years but I did tinker with Linux a bit back in the 1.x kernel days. Then, you had to recompile to change quite a few options. Maybe that has been fixed?

[parabolize]

For the most part yes the default kernel for a distribution is generic usually coming in 386, 686, k7, 64bit and what have you. I have never seen much improvement in making hardware specific kernels or software in general though many people still do it. If you think compiling for days just to get mild performance increases is what you want to do there are many distributions made around that ideology. I would suggest Gentoo.

One thing is for sure, configuring the kernel is a butt load easier then what you remember.
Here is a quick run through: Gentoo Handbook

[Baron Munchausen]

Days!? When I had Linux 1.x running on a 40 Mhz 386 it only took an hour and a half or so to recompile the kernel. Has it grown that much that it now needs days to recompile on modern hardware? Or has the optimization performed by the compiler become that arcane and complex?

Anyway, the kernel and the windowing system (when in use) underly all other programs running on the machine. I would expect any improved use of hardware features to have a noticeable effect on system performance.

[parabolize]

No, compiling the kernel itself is quite fast. But a stage 1 Gentoo install does often take days. Luckily it looks like the handbook is pushing a stage 3 these days.

[Baron Munchausen]

OK, every day I'm getting closer to actually swapping drives & starting to install things. But I am trying to get everything in order. Since I don't have broadband, I need to know "How do you setup a modem in Linux?"

[parabolize]

This help? https://help.ubuntu.com/community/DialupModemHowto