The best linux distro is the one you use more confortably.
I use Mandrake, and where I work we are mostly replacing $MS*Windows$ with Mandrake. Mandrake does have some gizmos to ease the life of the everyday user and of the administrator. I tend to be much sensible to those. The upgrade system is also easy and straightforward.
I have heard the same from SUSE, and of the latest distributions of Redhat. So I urge any of you to get whatever your closest friends have when learning. Once the linux desktop is apreended, then you may change to Gentoo, Debian, Slackware, whatever.
I wish the topics were more on EDA on Linux or programming on Linux, and not on Linux itself, though.
quack