I've been using linux on and off for four years with different linux distros. I've compiled my own kernels, I've ran servers with linux machines, and I've tried to use it as a desktop machine ever since I started. I've installed gentoo and funtoo from the command line more times than I can count. I have used ubuntu, xubuntu, plain debian, linux mint, gentoo, sabayon, backtrack, and more. Sabayon has treated me the best.

No matter what linux distro I to use I can't get all the issues that bug me fixed. While these issues are small and the system still works, I never had to deal with this on windows. I have screen tearing because I have an ati card that is on the legacy drivers now (radeon hd 3870). I have random problems like random peices of text in firefox being bold for no reason until i highlight it. I have weird redraw problems when Installing stuff from the commandline. On some mate themes I get weird flickering on firefox back butons when I use them. When I close an application that is in the notification area the workspace switcher redraws wrong until i mouse over it. Desktop icon text appears black and hard to read after restarts.

Everything I want to do It seems like I have to jump through hoops to make it work. Something as seemingly simple as making mate open with another file manager takes hours of googling and forum posting to make it work. Making one monitor extend the other instead of mirroring also took hours of googling.

Its been fun playing with it over the years and I've learned a lot. Yet, I don't have enough time to figure out why firefox makes random things bold until i highlight it. I'm fine working on things like enabling vsync on my out of date card. I wish it was only crucial things like that. I want a linux distro that comes with an automated instller with plenty of options like encryption that just works.

Recommend a distro for me please. Offer some words of hope perhaps. Thank you.

if you could install countless different MS distros.....you would get all these issues (or even more ?).
So take one, learn one and use one, or construct a common setup and use it on all of your distros. At this moment you can choose what you really like.

I have the radeon hd4290 on my desktop but I just installed an Nvidia card which works great,

I switched from windows xp to slackware 11 for my day to day work laptop some years back and am now using slackware 14 with kde. It's extremely stable and requires very little maintenance. I invested some time in learning how slackware/gnu/linux works and that has paid huge dividends.

Cent os 6

Slackware/Salix

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So, you have time to play with various distros, to compile your own kernel, you have even time to install gentoo "more times than you can count", but you don't "have enough time to figure out why firefox makes random things bold" until you highlight it. I don't understand.

Slackware is great.
If you want something more out-of-the-box, distros i had the least problems with are Debian stable, SolusOS and Xubuntu LTS (and maybe latest Fedora).

Oh no! another boring "what's your favourite distro thread". I think "YMMV" says it all.
You want to try a few Live CD's? they are out there.

jdk

I used to get the "bold" text thing in firefox on my old Radeon HD 3xxx GPU with the fglrx driver. Have you tried using the FOSS radeon driver?

Regarding the video card, I had text randomly disappearing in Firefox with the free radeon drivers, this was fixed using the Catalyst drivers. Fixing the tearing issue is as easy as installing the legacy driver, start the Catalyst Control Center and enable the "Tear Free" option. Works fine with my HD3200. Setting up two monitors should also be very easy using the control center.

Regarding the distro, if you want something automated Slackware is, while a fine distro, obviously not the right choice for you, you would go better with something like Mint, openSuse or Mageia.

Been there, done this.

The first time I installed alfresco, I had it up and running in like 3 minutes. Cute, the installer works. Only problem I see with it is that is has it's own stand-alone version of mysql-server installed right along with it. I being an enterprising kind of guy, love to isolate my services by function and have an existing remote mysql database. WEEKS surfing, asking, chasing down every lead about "alfresco with a remote db" came up with empty. But the clues suggested it could be done, and the documentation didn't say it couldn't. Months go by with no significant progress, then the week after Christmas 2011, I nailed it and now can do an Enterprise Alfresco install with a remote db in a whole lot less time. Defaults are good, and they're there for a reason.

wrt: I bought a brand new system recently, and I knew I'd have to consider two components, the Video and the NIC. Most of the issues you describe sound like a bad, or flaky, or inadequate Video Card and I wonder is it the same hardware for four years?

Try Fedora KDE if you want to get away from firefox......KDE uses konqueror as a browser. You may want to replace your video card, it sounds like the source of all the problems.I wish you all success in your hunt!

It looks like the only road you haven't been down is Slackware. The installer isn't automated, but it's pretty simple. Certainly you can do it if you've installed Gentoo/Funtoo.

Then again, if you're looking for a seamless experience, there's this one little BSD-based distro, that has great hardware/software integration, from a little developer down in Cupertino. I hear everything "just works" with this distro.

You aren't going to like this, because it is the advice that I'd offer a newbie, but it seems particularly relevant in your case, work out which GUI you would like to use. Work this out in the light of how many irritating annoyances each has, and how curable they seem, but mostly whether you like the 'look and feel' (mostly the feel) of using the desktop. This will knock out a number of distros, because they either don't support or only give half-hearted support to your desktop of choice.

There is a lot of Debian and Debian-derivative stuff in there. Is it possible that you just don't really like Debian?

If the ATI card is a major problem, and you don't play games, it would be cheap enough to replace it (as I say, if it is a major problem). If you do play games (on a 3870, which is hardly state-of-the-art, these days, and probably never was) then it gets a little more expensive.

If this gets you out of all the messing about with different drivers, it might be worth it.

I think one important thing to avoid annoyances like those you mentionned is to make sure you have fully-linux-supported hardware, no matter which distro you're using.