>>Perhaps one bit of confusion for folks is that there are a mind-boggling number of distros available.

That's true, but it doesn't really matter which distro you choose IMHO. The big ones are immediately obvious to any Windows user and it usually comes with heaps of apps. But the other issue is hardware compatibility especially on PCs that came with Windows 8 with locked down features. Most of the Linux offerings have a live CD or USB version so you can make sure everything works on the PC before you commit.

Despite increased interest in Linux, some prophets predict pure Linux stagnation with focus shifting to Chrome OS or its anticipated merge/morph with Android. Chrome OS is Linux-based of course. Certainly Chromebooks are cheap enough and Chrome OS is carving a market niche with units apparently pouring out the door...