In the past I've used different Linux distributions but never found one that I could use in place of Windows for various reasons, drivers or whatever. However, over the last year the new distributions are much more friendly to us lazy Windows users. There's still a big learning curve but if you're willing to put a little time into it at first it will get much easier in the long term. When my Windows 7 Beta expired I decided to take the plunge to Ubuntu instead of paying for Windows (because I'm a cheap ass and don't like to spend money) and it's been several months now and I've been very happy so far. If you're new to Linux like me I suggest using Ubuntu because right now it appears to be the most popular and therefore you're more likely to find answers to your questions when you start searching Google.
If you're thinking about switching you may want to consider a few things first.
Who it's for:
Those who want to upgrade their operating system without spending any money.
You mostly use your computer to browse the Internet, listen to music, watch movies, or work with documents.
You really like to customize your desktop
You're willing to spend a little time learning a new OS
Who it's not for:
Serious gamers. Now that is not to say that you can't get your games to run on Linux it's just most games are written for Windows only and you'll have to use a program like Wine to get them to run. It takes some tweaking and playing around with the Wine configuration as well to get them to work. Even after that there's is no guarantee that it won't crash. I will say that I have World of Warcraft running on mine with few issues.
Those who have several programs that they work with such as audio recording software like Cakewalk or graphics programs like Photoshop. However, there are many open source programs written for Linux do that work perfectly well for most people. Gimp which is included with Ubuntu is a very popular open source alternative to Photoshop.
Corporate work environments. Though Open Office works well with Microsoft Office with respect to compatibility; it does not include an email client which works with Exchange. The only program that I have been able to find that works with Exchange server is Evolution and it's very buggy. Ubuntu does however have samba installed by default which enables Linux to access Windows network shares. So if you have a home server with all of your music and movies stored on it you'll be able to access your files with no problem.
Moving on to the install:
If you're thinking about switching you may want to consider a few things first.
Who it's for:
Those who want to upgrade their operating system without spending any money.
You mostly use your computer to browse the Internet, listen to music, watch movies, or work with documents.
You really like to customize your desktop
You're willing to spend a little time learning a new OS
Who it's not for:
Serious gamers. Now that is not to say that you can't get your games to run on Linux it's just most games are written for Windows only and you'll have to use a program like Wine to get them to run. It takes some tweaking and playing around with the Wine configuration as well to get them to work. Even after that there's is no guarantee that it won't crash. I will say that I have World of Warcraft running on mine with few issues.
Those who have several programs that they work with such as audio recording software like Cakewalk or graphics programs like Photoshop. However, there are many open source programs written for Linux do that work perfectly well for most people. Gimp which is included with Ubuntu is a very popular open source alternative to Photoshop.
Corporate work environments. Though Open Office works well with Microsoft Office with respect to compatibility; it does not include an email client which works with Exchange. The only program that I have been able to find that works with Exchange server is Evolution and it's very buggy. Ubuntu does however have samba installed by default which enables Linux to access Windows network shares. So if you have a home server with all of your music and movies stored on it you'll be able to access your files with no problem.
Moving on to the install:
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