If you are used to Ubuntu, but don't feel comfortable using it because it isn't old enough (IMHO, Ubuntu is old enough -- just use the LTS version), you can look into Debian. Ubuntu is based on Debian, so a lot of things should seem familiar, and it has been around longer than Red Hat. It is very stable (some would say too stable), and proven.
But don't use tasksel. Just use apt-get install.