This is the first year I've installed a Linux distribution that just worked on my laptop (a Dell Inspiron).

Graphics, sound, built-in wireless, usb 3G modem, built-in webcam ... all of them worked out of the box.

The experience is great, although I'm still not recommending it to non-technical users ... once the Linux desktop is good enough, you still have the problem of apps running on top, and unfortunately the environment is not really friendly to proprietary software.