I wish Linux well, after to fruitless attempts to use it as a desktop over several years. I would love to switch over, but I'm not going to beat my head against a wall again.
But OOo and Ff are already two excellent programs. OOo, in its beta 2.0 versions, is becoming very powerful. Ff with extensions is too. And both have just begun to fight.
Try Mepis. People have been raving about its easy usability. If you like to get your feet wet in Linux, go Debian. http://www.mepis.org