I'm using Ubuntu Linux right now, and there isn't much of a learning curve at all compared to other Linux distributions, IMO. Plus, the community is great; you can ask all of your questions for free at
Ubuntu Forums and have quick responses from people who use Ubuntu.
With the latest version of Ubuntu, you can try it out without installing anything on your computer. That way, you can see if it can detect all your hardware and run on your system before installing it. Give it a try before you judge it--you may actually enjoy it.