recompile Linux kernel

I think every heay-duty Linux user should try to recompile the kernel so as to know how to do it. Every now and then I read about some feature (often involving security) that sounds good, and the author will say that such and such a feature has to be enabled or compiled into the kernel. Also, if size becomes an issue, it is good to beable to compile a cutom kernel with only the features, drivers, etc. that are needed.

I have found several articles in books, magazines, and on-line (the HOW-TOs in the Linux Documentation project for example) that discribe the steps needed to recompile the kernel. When I have done a recompile, I have found the process a bit time consumming, but not really very hard to do.