This question is dangerously close to violating the rule about no OS comparisions. If it ends up with an OS flamewar expect it to be closed quickly . . .

However, since you're asking for advice I'll suggest you look at Ubuntu for an easy Linux for new users. It is considered one of the more newbie-friendly distributions.

If you are looking to learn a lot about Linux and don't mind a steep learning curve and some frustration Arch Linux might be appropriate. It is definately not aimed at newbies. It installs just a basic Linux kernel, without even a graphical desktop, and lets you build what you want on top of that. But the forums and wiki provide pretty good support if you're willing to really work at it and teach yourself Linux.