Yeah maybe i should switch to another distro. I think I should find a way to determine which has the best (most helpful) online community. I think I could get over the initial hump in the learning curve if I could just have somebody who is actually willing to help me with it, and doesn't give up when it gets hard.
I switched from WinXP to Mepis linux about 2 years ago - I couldn't stand Vista (and I still can't, although I only see it when I sort friend's machines). Have a look at forum.mepiscommunity.org - I doubt you'll find a more helpful linux forum. Mepis is KDE-based, although I use a few Gnome apps.
I've never needed to compile and make packages - the Mepis Community Package team do that on request. If you want to try Mepis, it runs well from a live CD or USB stick. Use version 8.5 - Mepis 11 will be out in a few months, but the current version is a beta with a couple of problems for the newcomer.