Dows - > Ubuntu

I've been a Windows user for a while, but now that Ubuntu came out, I decided to try and make the switch to 'nix.

Is Ubuntu all that it's cracked up to be? And will I be able to learn the nix commands so I can eventually switch over to something along the lines of slackware?

i'm not the op, but can anyone here elaborate pros/cons of ubuntu and gentoo? i can't decide between those two (yes, i know there's probably better stuff, but it will get me started).