Apologies as I'm a bit of a Linux noob, but have set up a few servers etc. My 2 cents is that I prefer OpenSuSE 10.2 for desktop applications and Ubuntu for servers. They're both a bit unwieldy for onboard wireless apps, but using ndiswrapper which works with Windows.inf files(along with a lot of patience) seems to work. With SuSE remember to add the wireless device with yast. For the desktop machines I've been using cheapie Airlink USB 802.11G sticks which work out of the box with Ubuntu. Good luck!