I would say if you are new to Linux - Try UBUNTU. It is one of the easiest and most USER FRIENDLY Distributions out there. There are plenty of distributions out there - just go to
http://distrowatch.com/ to get overwhelmed. Then there is the "interface" which can be used. "Gnome 2.X" or now there is "Gnome 3.0" or "Unity", KDE, Mate .... etc. The beauty is you can "try" them ALL without having to "commit" - well you will have to commit to one of them at least, and did you hear about the FREE part - Open-Source = FREE.
I think it is the verity of choices that is scaring away new users. WHERE DO I START ?.
My answer to that is at the easiest point Ubuntu 12.04 LTS with Unity. Then go from there.
