I have been experimenting with Linux for about ten years now. Back then, you read a lot about Linux, learned about Linus Torvalds and started using words like distro and abbreviating Microsoft M$. Then you either decided on a distro and found hardware that it would run on or looked hard at your hardware and then found a distro that would play nice with it, you hoped. The two killers were network and video. Hope and pray that your video card was Linux friendly because it is really hard to troubleshoot a video driver when you can't see the screen. Did I mention you needed to learn to love the command line again?
If you want, you can still download and create a command line only Linux computer. CentOS is one. It makes a great server and it can be up and running in about an hour. It is not a good desktop.
I am a fan of the Ubuntu based desktops. I have built three or four different versions, and they all share some great features:

• Demonstration and Installation from a LiveCD. ¹⁾
• Answer a few questions, run the wizard, and have a new computer in about an hour.
• Very basic system requirements.
• A helpful user base. Friendly too.

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I don't name them, I use them. Ubuntu is Bantu for “humanity towards others”. A good name for a user friendly OS originally from Africa.