Can we use some old stuff laying around?
What are the spec's on the "old stuff " ? there's versions of Linux that run on some pretty old systems.

Puppy Linux and TinyMe Linux are real good on lower powered systems, they scream on higher powered one's.

IMHO, pick the right Distro and Linux is easy to learn, the hardest part is learning the new names of programs and how the file system is laid out. The easy Distro's keep you in the game (GUI oriented) longer so you can learn at your leisure.

Go Here and download the various versions that offer LiveCD's and give them a try.