EPTI did originally try Ubuntu Linux before trying Mint 12 but im not keen on the design of it and the need to regularly use the terminal was intimidating for a new user.
On to Mint - all my hardware drivers were installed automatically unlike the useless windows 'detect drivers' which never finds anything , it came with a bunch of great preinstalled software which fills pretty much all the roles i need (admittedly mostly just browsing the web , watching videos/dvds , listening to mp3s and some basic photo/audio editing nowdays).I really enjoy the software manager , it is great to be able to download free programs easily without having to go to download.com and filter free programs , then by user rating and then cross your fingers that the program achieves what you what it to do in a decent fashion.
On the downside i am still looking for a good mp3 player in the fashion of winamp , audacious is very good but i have not come across a good pitch plugin which i need for some of my electronic stuff that was recorded at too slow a speed.
All in all if you are like me and have kinda grown out of games (I still play the occasional SC2 custom games on my Windows 7 Laptop here) or just have an older computer lying around that you would like to use for basic stuff you should give linux mint a try it is very easy to use and enjoy.
