Used Windows then 'evolved' into using free software so I switched to Linux - tryed many of mainstream distribution as OpenSuse, Fedora, CentOS, Ubuntu, but ended with great Linux mint - mainly because Gnome 3 sucks for desktops and they were first to develop something similiar to Gnome 2 - called Mate. I recommend this distribution to everyone.
I've been on mint with cinnamon for 3 months now and I'm never going back to windows. even the gf is using mint with mate on her laptop and she's about as computer illiterate as they come
everything just works right away and installing programs is as simple as googling "skype linux" and typing a few commands