i have to say, linux and their desktop environments have come a long way since i last tried them out. i just installed ubuntu on my laptop, and everything except the wireless adapter worked out of the box. the wireless adapter was a common issue also, due to broadcom not allowing ubuntu to ship with the drivers - so that works now, too.
i remember redhat 6.0 where not a single thing worked for me after the initial install. i was so happy when i got my dial up to work on it. i even bought that redhat at a compusa store, because downloading it on dialup would have taken days. man... wild.