Well... I know that's the question arising all over the Internet, but I couldn't find an answer to suit me after googling for quite some time.

I'd like to get a Linux distribution, and start learning using the CLI. I'm looking for a distribution already having GNOME installed, as I'll be using Linux-Command.org as my learning resource, and I'm not very familiar with CLI-based web browsers. I'd mainly like to get to know my way around a UNIX-based system, and then I think I'd like to pick up a CLI-only distribution, and start doing more complex stuff.

I've tried Ubuntu, Fedora Core, OpenSolaris and FreeBSD (the last two aren't linux distros, I know). Ubuntu and FC are fine, they do come with Firefox, but I'm not really sure they're meant for learning purposes. OpenSolaris was OK as well, but I haven't got to play with it enough. FreeBSD 7.2 did not want to install itself on my 13" MacBook Pro, it generated a kernel panic everytime while copying the files to the disk.

So to sum this up, I'm trying to learn Linux, and I'm willing to invest time into this (that is, not giving up when the first problems arise). I also have intermediate knowledge of C++, if it helps, and I'm also using the CLI-vim to write small C++ CLI-based programs, so text editing should be any problem.

And... speaking of Macs, how am I going to be limited if I try to learn how to use UNIX-based systems using the OS X Terminal? It uses bash 3.2, isn't this the same shell as the one found on most of the Linux machines? How does the fact that OS X is based on FreeBSD 4.4, if I'm not mistaking, affect this?

Thanks in advance, and hopefully, I'll have a starting point ASAP.