Glad to see there's people using it or willing to try
I have tried the different variants ubuntu, kbuntu and xbuntu
And i have to say each has its pro's and cons
Ubuntu is gnome gui the most unlike windows but is the most popular
Kbuntu is kde gui which is closer to windows in layout and feel the start at the bottom left and little things like that also mac is based on kde (i think) its real cool looking but requires the most resources out of all of them
Xbuntu is for lower spec machines and is like a hybrid between the 2 not as fancy but real good on low ram machines
Nearly all apps run on all three as the kernel is the same
I have been using command code on ubuntu for a few years now and its simply a lot easier than fedora or red hat maybe because of more novice users willing to try it and asking about code on forums, i tried fedora and red hat and found ubuntu a lot easier
If your ever willing to give it a try let me know what you want to do as i have installed server and desktop on lots of different hardware
I have a ubuntu server in the house with all my media sharing on it and also have a ubuntu desktop with Xbmc installed which by the way is one of the best media centres i have used its also available on windows and mac
Right out the box it plays pretty much everything .mkv .avi .flacc and so on really good for high def
XBMC
Here is a YouTube video of it [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOc8JavYzHE&feature=related[/ame]
In the video they use a mouse i prefer a media centre remote FYI all the video art work it downloads itself and if you press i on the keyboard or remote it will bring up all the imdb info rating, cast, plot etc real cool
On the C programming i know a bit no expert but can compile drivers, kernel and play with some source code
Would always be willing to get my hands dirty