I was an Ubuntu user since 2006. I stopped using Ubuntu when they switched to the Unity interface and replaced the app intallation program , I much prefered Gnome. I also hated how these changes always managed to mess something up somewhere with other software I was using. Even if I installed Gnome it still had problems. Now that it has had time to mature though I may have to give it another shot.
Now that I am past my gripes about Ubuntu, It is a great operating system and the amount of software available for it is great. Anyone looking for a free alternative to Windows should consider it. It even allows you to install it from within windows without repartitioning and without replacing the bootloader. This makes it great for new guys stepping into Ubuntu. They can install it and start exploring without the risk of nukning their Windows installation and they don't have to use that dreadful Live CD mode. You install everything from an "app store" so you don't have to search the web and download anything, all updates are automatic as well.
Nice post!
I started out with RedHat 3.0 a long, long time ago. My Windows 3.1 floppies had corrupted and I didn't have the $80 at that time to replace them. I think I had a 486 computer at that time. I found RedHat at the library and started to work with it.
At that time, It was a real pain to get your dial up modem to work with Linux. So I started a web page with script I wrote to get your dial up modem to work with Linux. Once I had that web page up, I was contacted by U.S. Robotics. They told me that they were going to include my scripts with a couple of their modem, which was really cool!
I am running Fedora 17 right now. I am using the rawhide updates (unstable branch) and it's fun to play around with until you get a kernel panic.
Out off all the distributions I have used recently, I think Linux Mint
Main Page - Linux Mint is the best distribution right now.