I want to install Linux onto my laptop. Advice please.

So I'm getting a new laptop that will come preloaded with Vista on it at the end of this month, for the fact that I'm going to need certain programs I'll keep Vista on that laptop. Currently I'm running XP on this laptop but want to start using Linux on it instead. I have no experience with Linux at all, ever.

I guess the big question is, what version should I install? Ubuntu seems like the logical choice from what I've read, but then again a lot of you lot in *NIX seem to hate on it.

Also what sort of problems am I going to face when I change over, will all my hardware work? etc etc etc

Any help is appreciated.

EDIT:
The laptop is an:
Acer Travelmate 4100
1.50GHz Processor
504 MB RAM

[Kamisama]

I started with Ubuntu. It's good, and a lot of people understand how it works. I still consider it a bastardized version of Debian. Uh, if I were you, I'd start with Ubuntu. Ubuntu likes breaking the rules with drivers and hardware support. Some stuff is open-source, while other stuff isn't.

Laptops are a bit of a bitch with Linux. Each one tends to be a little complicated to setup. The first thing I do when tackeling a laptop is getting the wireless to work. Then I attempt to work on the video driver.

I think if you were to mess with that new laptop, though, you would opt for Debian Sid, since it keeps using cutting edge stuff. Debian Sid is for people who know what they are doing. I know enough to survive with Sid, but when something breaks, it takes me about a day to a week to figure out wtf happened.

So yeah, Ubuntu.

I suggest you use a Live-CD first.
Using a live-cd is my tough love method to people.

If you can get a Live-CD to work and configure the wireless, video, gconf, and more, then you've got a good understand to survive with many diff. types of *nix distros. That stuff takes coding experience. But yeah, always opt for the live-cd if you can to see if you can configure your shit with the distro, and to see if hardware even works.

Use the newest version. The newer version uses a newer kernel. And newer kernels with newer modules mean better support for recent / newish hardware.

Whenever using a new nix distro, expect to take some time to configure hardware. It's hard to get around that fact unless you've got an old box. Sometimes things work off the bat, but that's if the box is old.

Your best bet is to type in the kind of laptop you have and add a keyword like "Ubuntu".

so

"brandname type" "ubuntu"

That helps a lot.

[Prometheum]

You want to install Gnu/Linux, probably. Gnu/Linux is an operating system, whereas Linux is just a kernel, not a full operating system.

Boot off of a (just about any, but) Ubuntu (will work as well as any) liveCD, and give us the output of lspci, lsusb, and dmesg. That'll tell you what hardware you have, and how to look into supporting it.

Ubuntu and Linux (I'm using Linux because I'm talking about the kernel, because that's what it is) support just about everything. The challenge now is doing it with 100% free software. This is exceedingly difficult, because Linux ships with non-free software in it now.