Ignatz Sol wrote:
I'm fairly new at Linux, but I really enjoy using Debian. I'm looking to install a desktop Linux at home in a dual-boot mode. As the Debiandesktop still has a ways to go, can ya'll recommend a distro for me? It needs to be slick to please my wife, but I love the Debian spirit. A friend recommended Suse, which looks great, but I'm put off by theidea of paying for it. (Not that it's out of the question.)
distros mostly default in installation, package management, default themes etc. So if you are happy with debian just configure it the way you (and your wife) like it and that's it. There's really no much difference in desktop suitability between distros, as long as you are happy with system administration.
when you read about how good a distro is for desktop it mostly means how good is distro for _novice_ user after _fresh_ install. Which does not apply to you (you already said you like debian) so you can safely ignore all the desktop advices.
Pretty much all the distros can be downloaded for free (sometime the paid for version has more, usually non-free, stuff) so don't hesitate to try few of them and see how you like them (just remember, installation is done only once (or at least not very often), maintenance is done all the time (=a lot more often))
erik