While I don’t run Linux all the time, I’ve installed it a hundred times over the years, and Ubuntu has generally been the easiest to get up and running, and fully patched.
If you have time to spend then for free it's cool but I'm too busy for that crap.
By far the easiest U*nix to use is Mac OS X
pingarooski!
Everytime I try linux for the desktop it never makes it up to the hype is is overly difficult for what I want it to do.
I haven’t heard about this lime thing though. Maybe that will be the ticket. Ubuntu was getting closer to being a near complete desktop OS but it still left me saying meh.
I installed Fedora 13 and have been stunned at how well it deals with M$ machines and with wireless - other versions of *NIX were a struggle but this has been a pleasure.
As a newbie+ myself, but who has tried just about every popular Linux distro there is and there are a LOT of flavors (see http://distrowatch.com) - I think the PCLinuxOS and Linux Mint are the best, better than the more ubiquitous Unbuntu. Actually, i would pick Knoppix as the best. but you are not supposed to install it. And in fact, most Linux distro are most likely illegal in the US (this should get some responses) or soon become so, due to their coming with or downloading codecs and sometimes other coding which are under patents, and which you can use under Windows because MS pays for the license to use them, or have authored them itself.
Some Linux distros do not come with them, but will let you download them, which you will need to play certain formats (like WMV). For this case, i use do not knowingly install these codecs, and try to use versions of distros that do not include them, like the Linux Mint universal installer, or LCLinux OS Minime version, while using Windows XP for my major work.
You also have to aware there is a substantial learning curve in using Linux. While many Linux advocates minimize this learning curve, ,all one has to do is look in the forums at what users must do for many basic issues. You have will have to get used to using what is called a terminal, and running commands that begin with terms like sudo, chown, etc. Trying to gain full permissions to read and write to a second Windows NTFS drive can be particularly difficult depending upon the distro.
Also, while Linux has made great improvements, yet due to many manufacturers not providing drivers, getting some hardware to work can sometimes take more doing than is typical under Windows. You also do not have as great a variety, of the same quality, of freeware as for Windows, not matter what some Linux advocates say, nor is getting and installing it as easy as under Windows.
For customization, i find the KDE desktop to be the best.
If you still want to keep Windows, you choose to dual boot, bu what i do is unplug the Windows drive (my case is open) and install Linux on a second drive, and then with both plugged in i choose which to boot from by tapping the F8 key (with some BIOS it is different) on boot up. But i do not use Linux much.
Knoppix.
Download the ISO, burn it to CD, then boot it.
After it boots, hit ctrl-alt-f1 and type in KNOPPIX-INSTALLER
I gotta give Mint a bump. I have installed it on three boxes, two of which were for couples in their 60’s with no Linux knowledge at all. It has been several months and no problems.
Switching to Linux was so much easier than I thiught, wish we had done it years ago...
It’s ok but there’s a really weird purplish boot screen on the latest release (10.4) which seems vaguely like some tele-tubbies symbol for some reason.
And they removed the Admin option on this version to choose your boot screen image.
Oh and GIMP (a sort of Linux photoshop) has been removed from the install version - though it’s available as a download.
A comparsion what comes on Windows XP and higher as std equipment and what the Linux/Unix systems (Ubuntu Mint) have as a direct replacement.
My fear is that once I make the switch I would be forever looking for free-bee or purchased add ons to get the entire sweet.
Given what a liberal weenie Bill Gates is, I am so tempted to make the switch...