I personally like the new and upcoming Fluxbuntu because it combines the nice, easy Ubuntu and the lightness of Fluxbox.

Xubuntu's cool too.

On the topic of paying for software:

I have payed for:

100% of the software currently on my Windows gaming box

0% of the software that's currently on my Linux boxen

and 10% of the software that's on my Mac OSX boxen.

And yet I haven't pirated one piece.

FOSS, ain't it grand?

I have made donations to several notable OSS projects that I like though.