I figured that this may spark some great user response/debate:
I'm looking to try Linux on my laptop/desktop for the time. Of course, having little-to-no experience with the operating system, I don't even know where to start. What distributions do you recommend for a beginner and why? Also, what distribution(s) would you recommend to someone as they slowly become more experienced with the operating system?
... go... :-D
I am somewhat a beginner. I've done a few projects that are somewhat involved but not too much. I have used both Fedora and Ubuntu. Both of these are a little easier to use for beginners (mainly the install). Ubuntu is a little more user friendly and has a huge support community, but tends to drift away from your classic personna of a Linux Distro.
If you want to go a little more all out and want to install from command prompt etc. Use slackware or Gentoo. Both are a little tougher too use, but if you get it going you'll have learned much more in the process. I plan on giving one of these two a shot here shortly.
...hmmm... Ross + Linux = killer Penguin Robot. w00t w00t
I'd say Ubuntu. It comes from a tried-and-true Debian heritage but has a more open policy when it comes to package selection. So, in general, it has more desktop-friendly software, and the Ubuntu team has added some of their own touches to make using the system a little easier. They also have a large user-base like raptor said.