Recs.
Updated
This distro, based on the Ubuntu LTS with a custom desktop environment called Pantheon, is a turnkey OS with a focus on user experience design.
SpecsUpdate
Pros
Pro Minimalist macOS-style look and feel with custom Pantheon desktop environment
Pro Consistent development practices
All Elementary apps are written in Vala and hosted on Launchpad, and there are standard APIs such as contractor for applications to interact with one another. This is different from most distros, in which apps are written in a variety of languages. This design decision makes it easy to get started developing for Elementary and to understand how the various pieces fit together.
Cons
Con Very slow development cycle
elementary does not offer any release date for their stable releases going more with a "it's done when it's done" attitude. Making depending on newer apps a difficulty as well as a poor choice for those that need consistent release schedules for their OS.
Con Missing major functionality out of the box
Elementary opts for reskins of applications that excludes expected app features, e.g., changing spell check language. Minimal programs should be theoretically nicer for light users, but anyone other than a light user has a much harder time getting up and going.
Con Major bugs in Loki remain months after release
Con Tech support is a runaround
Elementary sends users to its dedicated Stack Exchange for help (no web forum), but the site is understaffed and most questions go unanswered or are closed as bug reports (which should be reported on Launchpad). Those bug reports go unanswered at Launchpad too until someone posts a bounty or more than several users express the issue as urgent. A singular user gets the runaround from site to site without having the issue addressed.
Con Defaults to Nouveau drivers, which can cause graphical issues
Rather than giving the option of non-free drivers. http://elementaryos.stackexchange.com/questions/7472/install-nvidia-dual-graphics-driver-on-loki/7548#7548
Recommendations
Comments
Flagged Pros + Cons
Pro Lightweight & fast
Runs well on limited-resources hardware, including netbooks or chromebooks.
Pro With new tweak tools customisation is not a problem
Now the OS is amazingly customisable
Pro Simplicity, limited configurability
Sane defaults with less confusion for new users.