That would probably be since I manage the systems Daniweb runs on.

Well good for you. You should put in a good word for me.

TheNNS, how old are man? being a mod means working more, it's not a bonus.

DaniWeb staff isn't necessarily chosen based on their helpfulness in the forums. Thinking that you would make a better moderator because your post count or number of solved threads is higher than an existing moderator is silly.

Back to the main point, I would recommend Slackware as the starting point in learning about inside Linux.

Unlike most other distros, there are almost no configuration helpers. You mostly have to do them by hand. In a way it forces you to learn to get thing the way you like. I found out a lot more about Linux this way.

Plus, the packages provided have its respective source code provided, so if you are a big fan of modding, this is one to go for.

>Unlike most other distros, there are almost no configuration helpers.

For some one who has no linux experience this is not a good starting point. They should start out with something simple, like debian, and then gradually move on to harder distros, like Slackware and Gentoo.

Pardus!

what does that even mean.

Like most Linux distros, choosing one to start with all depends on your needs and goals. If your goal is to be as productive as possible while using an open source operating system, Slackware might not be the best choice. You could possibly spend days trying to configure a system that would already be working and ready to go on a distro like Ubuntu. On the other hand, not having to configure anything with the operating system itself will mean that you probably won't learn much, either. If your goal is to learn Linux as quickly and thoroughly as possible, then it would probably be a good idea to jump right into something like Slackware or Gentoo.

Are there any distros with a down-to-earth help file to guide you along from the start?
Five years ago I bought a laptop that came with a Linux distro--I couldn't get anywhere with it so for lack of choice, erased it and went back to Windows. I still want to use Linux and have been cleaning out all the needed files from an old computer (transfering them to the one I'm working on now) with the intention to make the plunge once again.
As I have learned from my children and grandchildren--the first steps are the hardest and require assistance till you can walk alone.
It's really nice to have the assistance of Daniweb, but I'd like something more immediately available.