A major cause of pain people are hit by when they try to use an operating system other than Windows is that they are uninformed about hardware compatibility. Frequently, when someone wants to try out a new OS, they'll try to install on their desktop/laptop/whatever and they will be frustrated to find a broken mess.

The correct way to get started with a new OS is to first try it out in a virtual machine. If you find that you enjoy using it, buy compatible hardware and go metal.