I'm really impressed by the helpful replies to my first query. Thanks to all.
It seems to be coming down to Ubuntu in some form, or Mint, possible Mint.
Something I hadn't taken on board is this business of updates. I've got used to Windows installing its own updates, which sometimes just go on, and sometimes actively get in the way.
But it seems I have to re-install Linux every time it updates - is this the case? And everything else on the computer too???? Suddenly this gets less appealing, I confess!

I have experience of one update, from the F-16 that I downloaded a year ago to F-18 immediately after installation, and it was troublefree as far as I can tell.

Any distribution of linux is going to have a steep learning curve for us escapees from M$.

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If you are concerned about updates, you can use the Long Term Support (LTS) release of Ubuntu/Mint. The current Ubuntu 12.04/Mint 13 LTS will be supported through April 2017!

It is the user's choice whether to reinstall or upgrade when a new version is released. There are pros and cons to both methods, as you can read here:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UpgradeNotes
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Upgrades
http://community.linuxmint.com/tutorial/view/2

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Now that helps!
Thanks, Snowpine!

Just to add on, the LTS (long-term support) version means that updates will be provided for the OS for the defined period of time, evidently into 2017. In Linux Mint, which I highly recommend as an operating system, you simply click an icon in the task bar to check for any updates to the system, which Mint will then install. This is available in all the Mint and Ubuntu systems, but the updates will be supported for longer with the LTS releases. When somebody said that you had to re-install to update, what he meant was in order to move from Mint 13 to Mint 14, you would have to re-install, like when moving from Windows 7 to Windows 8. When installing, I'd suggest creating a separate home partition. This way, if you do choose to upgrade from Mint 13 to the latest version (which will be 15 in another month or two), you can upgrade without losing your data. When installing Mint, you would need to choose the advanced options to partition your hard drive. Otherwise it defaults to one large partition. The little extra time and effort could really pay off down the road. Otherwise, you could just keep using the LTS version, but I really think in 14, Mint made some very nice changes.

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And Rabirk, that helps too, thanks.
I'm still at the research stage and am bound to ask over-simple questions about partitioning later (next month, probably) when I get to actually putting this into action, but this makes it more reassuring - I was having visions of having to lose everything and start again each time, and life's too short for that, and has other things to occupy it!

Agreed! Linux Mint usually works wonderfully "out of the box." Whichever distro you choose, I hope you like. Don't neglect some of the distro-specific forums when you decide on one. Best wishes!

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