The best distro of linux to learn programing and networking on

What is the best distro of linux to learn programing and networking on?

They are all going to have basically the same tools available so my reccomendation is going with the one that you're most comfortable with or that you will best be able to get support for. If you have a good friend that uses Linux then use what [s]he uses. Find a local Linux users group and try to find out what most of them use, or at least what the friendly members of the group use.
Personally I love Ubuntu for the desktop, but I've heard some good things about Open SuSe. Both should be pretty easy to setup with a default graphical interface and ways to install new packages.