>>2We're not all rich bastards.. GNU/Linux is much more suited for a poor student.
If I was rich then sure, I'd have a mac or two; still beats Windows if not for muh games
>>3To answer your question, I suggest you choose depending on your circumstances. Pick from one of these
Ubuntu or one of its many competitors
[*]The machine should have semi-decent specs; anything made after 2009 should be fine.
[*]Great for development environments, not so much for learning Linux.
[*]You can join the millions of other Ubuntards
!! Their community is massive and it has plenty support.
Debian(derp)/Arch Linux(easy)/Gentoo(medium)[*]Debian is for fags.
[*]Extremely configurable; you're set up with the bare essentials of the OS.
[*]Requires Google skills.
[*]Can be installed on almost anything. It's superb for old machines.
[*]Makes ur laptop fast
Slackware(hard)/Linux from Scratch(NIGHTMARE)[*]heh.. I have no fucking idea why anybody would use these kinds of distributions.