[gberardi]

I also started with Mandrake (maybe v6 or v7), and I eventually found myself rebooting back into Windows. Eventually I found an old machine, put a very stripped down version of Debian Potato on it, and used it in my spare time. I could still use Windows, but I learned how to use the command line on my Debian machine, which helped me figure out how to use Unix systems in general. Anytime I needed an applications, I found out what it was, installed it, and ran it. For a long time, I knew exactly what was on my system, which was a good feeling.

That was a number of years ago. I now use Debian Testing as my main desktop, and I only use Windows for games that don't have a port. I find myself incredibly restricted when using Windows now. It's like reading choose-your-own-adventure books all your life, and then going to a linear novel.

For a first try, check out Kubuntu or Knoppix, which both have Live CD versions. As ChefSalad said above, they run off the CD so you don't need to install them. Just keep in mind that running off the CD will be slow, especially for loading big applications.

Afterwards, you can either dive in with a ready-to-run distro, or you can do what I did and start from a stripped down distro. Learn the basic commands, find out what applications do what you want to do, and you'll eventually learn how to do things. Or, if you just want something that "just works", go ahead and install a basic desktop distributions. PCLinuxOS is one that gets suggested a lot.

Just keep in mind that it isn't really difficult. It's just different. I remember learning how to use Windows 95 when my last computer was an Apple II c+. I deleted files instead of uninstalling programs, and I did a lot of things that I would cringe at if someone told me that they just did it today. You'll figure it out easily enough if you give it the time a new skill deserves.