[qwertyu]

From the OS and personal perspectives.

[scutiform]

If you are new to Linux then start with the live cd's. This will give you a chance to see what the distro is like without installing anything on your hard drive. Things will run a bit slower from the cd and you won't be able to make any permanant changes. Go to DistroWatch at DistroWatch.com: Put the fun back into computing. Use Linux, BSD. for downloadable FREE iso files for almost all the versions of Linux. I'm not sure which program you use in Windows to burn an iso file to disk, Google it. Ubuntu is a very good, easy to install distro with a huge selection of applications, but some people prefer a version with a bit more challenge and some prefer one more like Windows. Experiment, it doesn't cost you anything except time.

[ozar]

Originally Posted by qwertyu

From the OS and personal perspectives.

You hit the nail right on the head... it's a "personal perspective" issue, so the best one is the one you like best. You'll need to try both and decide for yourself to get the answer.

Best of luck with your distro experimentation.