I want to install linux and have many options listed below. If anyone knows which of the following linux more user friendly, pl let me know

1.openSuSE 10.3,
2.Ubuntu 8.04 LTS,
3.Debian 4.0 CentOS

Personally I would go with Ubuntu. But as it is based on debian, you could use it as well. But for a newbie I personally will suggest Ubuntu.

I'd go for Ubuntu, OpenSuse, Debian. There are more recent versions of all three distributions out there.

Just FYI, You don't have current versions listed for any of the distros you mentioned..

If you are doing a new install I would recommend you obtain the latest version of whichever one you choose.

1.openSuSE 11.1
2.Ubuntu 9.04 (although using 8.04 LTS could be intentional)
3.Debian 5.0.1
4 CentOS 5.3

I would go with Mepis. I have very little experience with Ubuntu and less with openSuSe, but a fair amount with Debian and Centos. Mepis is certainly more beginner friendly than Debian or Centos and I'm pretty sure more beginner friendly than Ubuntu or openSuSe.

Mepis (like Ubuntu) is based on Debian, so you can get the advantages of Debian with some extra beginner friendly features Debian lacks.

If you really must select from the list you posted initially, I'm pretty sure Ubuntu is the most beginner friendly.

The mainstream distros using either KDE or Gnome do not have huge differences in "user-friendliness". Mepis is a good choice as is LinuxMint or Ubuntu

If by user-friendly you mean lots of GUI configure tools, then Mandriva or OpenSuse are probably the better choices. If you mean things like multimedia work out of the box, Mint or Dreamlinux are good choices.

My first distro was Debian and it was not that difficult to learn.

The big question is why do you want to install Linux. Is it just for fun or you need server or you want to learn programming.
For fun -> ubuntu
For server -> CentOS
For programming -> Fedora

CentOS, RHEL and Fedora has same kind of structure while ubuntu (a type of debian) has some what different structure.

If you have any specific requirement, some other distro might be best for you.

I can almost understand how someone (very different from me) might prefer Gnome to KDE. There is a lot of range in personal preference. But I really don't get the idea that Gnome can somehow be considered as beginner friendly as KDE. It just isn't.

(I intentionally keep ignoring the "user-friendly" phrase in this thread, because I don't believe it means much. Its possible meaning is overwhelmed by that range of personal preference. "beginner-friendly" is more relevant and has more fundamental characteristics).

I failed (despite decent effort) to get very far with LinuxMint around the time I discovered how much easier Mepis was. Maybe I just had bad luck with display hardware relative to random version details in the software. But I suspect not. I think LinuxMint is harder to push past any of the little glitches that often arise when a beginner tries to set up Linux.

OK. I prefer Mepis, but I get your point.

I agree.

What!? Why!?

For programming, I want a simple to install and manage Linux system so I can focus on the programming, not on the system (that means Mepis, second choice Ubuntu). I also want great package management so I can get all the tools and libraries easily and focus on programming not on installing tools (that means any Debian based distribution, such as Ubuntu or Mepis). Why would I even consider Fedora?

That difference is even bigger in 64 bit systems than in 32. I use 64 bit Mepis at home and mainly 64 bit Centos at work. I prefer the Debian (Ubuntu, Mepis) approach to the Red Hat (Fedora, Centos) approach.

If you want your home Linux system to be a learning platform toward getting a job in Linux IT support, you better focus on the Red Hat family, because most of the Linux IT jobs are there, not in the Debian family. But if you just want Linux for yourself or you want to learn to use Linux in business (rather than support it for other users) Debian is a better choice. For a Linux user, Debian vs. Red Hat is not a big deal. For someone working in IT, the Debian vs. Red Hat differences would play a much bigger role in daily activities.

Ubuntu definitely first choice.

Mandriva is also very good and Sabayon is up and coming.

Any of those and the others listed are user friendly, more or less. User friendly is a bit subjective. Asking that question is like asking "which tastes better, vanilla or chocolate?"

It doesn't cost much to try a few of them. The one that's the most user friendly for you and is the best fit for you will be the last one that you try.

I also agree with the advice to get the latest and greatest if possible. You'll have a lot better time with them.