your recommend version of linux

what would you recommend for a first time user?

Ubuntu
www.ubuntu.com

or could just download a bunch, and since a lot can run off of live cd's you can try them out too see which ones you like without having to install any of them.

I too would recommend ubuntu (7.10 with Compiz Fusion)

Ubuntu is Known for its simplicity for new users. thats why there catch line is "linux for human beings". It also comes with lots of drivers pre installed so there is less less fussing around to get it set up.

There are hundreds of different distro's out there designed for different things and at the end of the day its mostly down to personal preferance. You could also take a look into suse and Fedora, these are also nice distro's for newbies. Do a wikipedia search for a few distro's and see what you like the look of.

Remember, Linux is based on the Unix system, just like mac!

Another vote for Ubuntu.

+1 for ubuntu

1) Linspire 2) Freespire Both a snap to install (less then 10 minutes). Easy to use. From there you could move to other distros that require a little time.

PClinuxOS

dedicated ubuntu user
http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/showthread.php?p=530066#post530066