I'm looking to install Linux on my Macbook Pro in a Dual Boot config. I've previously asked this question in a different fashion here: Dual Boot Fedora 16 with OS X rEFIt.
However, it didn't really get much attention and seems to have fallen of the radar. I'd like to ask the question again, but in a different scope.
I'd like to start learning how to operate Linux and I think the best way to get this going would be having it as a boot option on my Macbook, rather than running in a VM. I've tried Ubuntu, and it was pretty but I felt like I wanted something a little bit less hand holdy.
The question I'd like to ask is such:
What distro would you recommend as a good starting point that is both simple to use (not necessarily simple like Ubuntu), compatible (or can be made compatible) with rEFIt, and compatible with dual booting on a Macbook Pro 7,1 model?