well, i've heard Mandrake 8.1 was the easiest to start with. personally i started with SuSE 6.1. Mandrake is supposed to be the easiest to install and use. that would be my recommendation, but linux isn't something that makes you 1337. most people i've seen crash on installation. so i suggest reading a lot about linux and have a basic understanding of what it is and capable of. I'm still in the process of learning this system too!

Linux is compiled in C so if you want to get the full advantage of having open source code to learn from or to tweak with, i would also learn C/C++.

here are links to linux and programming sites.

http://linux.box.sk/index.php]http:/...x.sk/index.php
http://sunsite.dk/linux-newbie/before_installation.htm
http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Lakes/6013
http://www.cs.wustl.edu/~schmidt/C++.../~schmidt/C++/
http://www.codeguru.com/]http://www.codeguru.com
http://www.freewarehome.com/Programming/Tutors_t.html
http://www.1001tutorials.com/]http:/...1tutorials.com