Linux vs. Linux: Which Distro For You?

I'll be honest with you; I'm not a full-fledged Linux Geek. I'm one of those poor suckers who cut his teeth on the Windows OS, learning bad habits and working within the limitations of the sandbox set up for me by Microsoft. This is a good thing for you, since I'm better-equipped to tell you how the different Linux distributions compare to Windows, in addition to how they compare to each other. Now granted, most people using Linux today probably started out with Windows or even DOS; however, I still work with Windows in addition to Linux, so I'm specially equipped to help you choose a distribution that's right for you.

I've been working with Linux for a little over a year now, and I haven't switched over entirely as yet, but if and when I do, I want to be able to choose a distribution that's familiar to me, and that won't leave me longing for Windows or a certain application. I'm going to narrow things down a bit for myself and choose a Linux flavor that offers the best balance of tools, performance, and price. Now you may say, "But I thought Linux was free?" And you'd be right. Linux itself is free, but the manuals, support, boxes, CDs, and extra software aren't necessarily. I'll take these all into consideration as I make my choice of the best Linux desktop replacement for Windows.