I use OpenSuse 10, and have a mandriva install on a spare HD that I'm playing with. (Mainly OpenSuse as work have a corporate Suse deal - so it makes sense for me to use this as a prime distro)

Blender under Suse is great, much faster then in windoze, installation is a breeze as YAST (the suse installer) takes RPM installation files. So simply open YAST ask it to install a new package locate the blender rpm that you downloaded and it's done....

Suse has python and gimp already in the distro and YAST will auto update to the latest versions if you ask it to.

I installed from a cover-mounted DVD from a magazine then did a net update - it's all pretty seamless and not at all painful. Friends tell me that Ubunto is just as well setup

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Toolset: Blender, GIMP, Indigo Render, LuxRender, TopMod, Knotplot, Ivy Gen, Plant Studio.