Linux.com

If you have access to broadband download a few live cd's and see which ones work well with your hardware, then pick the one you like the feel of. examples: http://live.debian.net/cdimage/lenny-builds/20081220/i386/iso-cd/ http://www.fedoraproject.org http://www.ubuntu.com http://www.opensuse.org since you are are studying computer engineering perhaps you could install one of these "hardcore" distros in a vm just to test. http://www.slackware.org http://www.gentoo.org All distributions have programming tools, they are all developed by developers ;-) http://www.distrowatch.com has info about lots of distros including a kind of popularity contest in the right hand navbar. In addition surf around their websites to see which community you like the best. Changing your mind later costs very little... so just pick one.

Linux runs just fine on most motherboards, but you might want to check on the manufacturers' web site to find out if there are any issues, such as specific BIOS settings you might need, firmware/BIOS updates required, etc.

Sometimes real fast is almost as good as real time. Remember, Google is your friend!