Ubuntu

At home I have been using ubuntu for a while now, so it was the logical place to start. Ubuntu is a Debian based distro that focuses on stability and ease of use. It comes with the GNOME desktop as standard, which I have always preferred to KDE for some unknown reason. If someone out there is a curious newbie, Linux doesn't get easier than Ubuntu. Some of the included features include aptitude for downloading all kinds of software that one could need and Synaptic package manager for handling download of updates, adding and removing software, and automatic updating. Ubuntu also ships with the OpenOffice and Firefox packages so it's pretty easy to get up and running in under 30 minutes.
Another plus for noobs is that the ubuntu-desktop installation CD is Live, so one can just insert it into the CD drive and boot from it into a complete and running OS without having to install anything. Its like test driving, there’s no commitment.
Those interested can just wiki it or go to ubuntu.com and download a desktop CD from torrent or http. Those on slow connections look for a link to ShipIt and get CDs shipped to you anywhere in the world for free.

Of course for a server install I will have different considerations. One of the biggest hurdles that I see is going to be getting LDAP, SAMBA, WINBIND, etc set up right.