LOL, step one, don't compile anything

learn to compile if and when you want to, never assume there is a need, or use anything that requires you to.

step two, never use linux if you don't have high speed. you'll waste years otherwise. try one ppp dialer for one distro, then give up on that. it works on windows, and on dos, it should on linux. oh and use a serial external modem, if you have a serial port, not usb.

don't try to get wireless working first. it's easier to get eth working on a networking cable. if you use pcmcia or cardbus (those little things that look like a 1/4 pack of cards that you put in a laptop) then look up the model on a website for your distro.

and despite all that dual boot, livecd, emulation, and so on, sometimes it's just easier to get linux working if you have a system you can dedicate to it.

do you want to learn more, or do you want to just use it? if you want to learn more, you can put yourself through years of frustration trying to get it to work under special circumstances. different distros have different strengths. they're all different, and they're all the same. but it takes years to see the similarities. people that don't care will have an easier time, they'll find the easiest ways, but people that do care will learn more before they're happy. i don't know if it helps if you are sick of microsoft. probably. but if you can find the best in vista, you can probably find the best in ubuntu. you can always learn how to compile later if you want.