If u've never used any Linux Distro before, i suggest you to start with UBUNTU. The latest release is ubuntu 9.04 jaunty jackalope. You can download the Desktop CD from https://www.ubuntu.com/. It has got a very huge forum with really helpful members. Another thing is, Linux is not at all easier than Windows. I suggest you to start with a dual boot configuration of ubuntu and windows, until you get familiar with linux. If you have a slow internet connection, using linux can be more difficult because all the software installations are done through internet as it include a lot of dependency satisfying.