I was just looking over some guides on compiling kernels at the top of this page, and I was just wondering... what is the point? The guide on this page seems like it would be pretty easy to follow, but what does recompiling a kernel do? Why would I want to do it? Thanks.

Yes, it is pretty easy to follow. However in my case, I have quite many problems to follow after that.

There are 2 main reasons why people recompile a kernel.

1. Speed: The kernel can be compiled to take advantage of your specific CPU architecture which of course would mean a little more speed. Cutting out all the stuff you DON'T need from the kernel might also increase speed.

2. Hardware support: The kernel contains drivers for a lot of hardware and sometimes needs to be compiled to support things that weren't compiled by default.

There are other reasons as well. I sometimes experiment with it out of boredom
Just to learn is another. Some people might say, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it!"

well for instance, the default IDE kernel in Slack 9 is 1.1 megs, I just re-compiled and got the size of vmlinuz down to 462.4 kb
and also the size your System.map will also get reduced. You should goto Slackware.com and get the Slackware Essentials book!! This will tell you How to re-compile the Slackware way.

if the kernel and modules do the job for you... that is; if all works.. don't bother if you've got something else to do like enjoying a dvd or ripping your entire CD collection to mp3...