Linux doesn’t make anything. Simply speaking it is an operating system.
What you are probably referring to are the assorted ‘distros’ that are Linux based and are generally packaged as a desktop system.
Most of these packages consist of Free and Open Sourced Software that is indeed free, being the product of communities of like minded people.
I use the same OS as you are experimenting with and find that I am more productive than I was ever able to be with any windows system I have ever used.
Same here... And in almost a year now I have had not one negative experience. It has just plain worked and is very resource friendly. I just yesterday installed mint 18.3 on a 2001 32 bit HP laptop that had an EXTREME known overheating problem and it now screams and runs cool. Windows resource overtaxing was the problem from the factory. The fact that Linux allows you to recycle and use an up to date OS on an old machine like this speaks for it’s self. “Does not meet minimum requirements” and need to buy a new machine is almost unheard of with linux. It can even be installed on a Raspberry Pi or smartphone.
I know one thing, there is a very good reason why all the largest and most powerful organizations and institutions in the world are now switching to Linux...
So I'm going to have to access programs like this:
1. via a virtual desktop (which I am experimenting with via VirtualBox 6.0), or
2. by continuing to use Windows 7 via another hard drive (I have a removable hard drive tray in my tower).
The thing about virtual software is figuring out if you can print from that software, which right now I cannot, especially since my current printer is not supported by any Linux distros, if audio works, video capability (those last two I have figured out), stuff like that.
There's a lot more hoops to jump through to get Linux to work for people than there is for Windows, and it takes a lot more digging and experimentation to get to a viable working state.