Ian from Colorado asks: I'm thinking about removing myself from the Microsoft teat once and for all and running Ubuntu on my next system. How easy will it be for me to make the transition from Windows to a Linux-based system?

Allie's Note: Occasionally, Allie will receive a question that even a large amount of crack research will not be able to help her answer in a timely or compelling manner. Some subjects require years of experience and interest in order to develop even a passing level of expertise. When it comes to things like operating systems, Allie is a veritable idiot and has no real reason or desire to improve upon that. But as it happens, she married a nerdy fella who is more than qualified to answer this question! So here is Kenny, from the What the Heck is Happening Here universe, to wax geeky with you all. Thanks Kenny!

So you want to see what it would be like to jump into Linux?  You are in luck, and the longer you wait, the easier it will be.  Many people before you have been asking the same question, and have gotten a lot of the hard stuff out of the way to make your Linux audition as painless as possible.

Let me first say that I'm no Linux expert, but I work with some.  While I'm no Windows expert either, I am pretty dangerous with it, and am generally good at bending it to my will.  My experience with Linux has mostly been in two applications: Running Mythbuntu on our HTPC (that would be Home Theater PC for those not knowing), and Knoppix via Live CD on my desktop system.

While the number of downloadable Linux distributions is really hard to count, there are a number of them that 'lead the pack' for simplicity and ease of use.  While I'm sure there are some that would disagree, many would still say that Knoppix and Ubuntu are among the easiest to jump into.  Knoppix has a lot of fans because it is ideally suited for use without actually installing it on your hard drive.  You can try out all the software from the CD.  Ubuntu can be had with similar features, but is generally geared more toward people looking for ease of use.  Many developers use Ubuntu to build customized versions to suit specific purposes.  Mythbuntu is a distribution of Ubuntu that integrates MythTV, a set of client & server software for recording and playback of TV and other media.

Anyone having an established a suite of software they prefer to use with a machine running Windows would be curious if they could run the same (or similar) software under Linux.  The answer is that you probably can.  These days, many types of software are written for both Windows and Linux, and if they aren't, the probability is high that the software can be installed and run by WINE, a software application that allows software written for Windows-based systems to run on Linux.  There are people working every day to make WINE compatible with the latest and greatest software.  To make it better, there are MANY knock-off programs tailored to look like your favorite applications that offer the same or better functionality.  As a 'last resort,' you can also boot and run Windows as a virtual machine for the most difficult of applications.

The next big question would be, 'Will my iPod/Sansa/MP3 player work with Linux?'  That can get a little tricky, and for some people this can be a good reason to have a machine that can still boot and run Windows natively (rather than virtually).  Most players that don't require extra software to manage tracks will connect to a Linux system with no problem.  iPods can be a different issue, due to hardware & software problems using the latest version of  iTunes  in WINE or virtualized Windows.  This is really only a problem if you are a big fan of shopping for DRM protected music from the iTunes store.  If you are feeling adventurous, you can set up your iPod as a dual-boot device, where it will boot to linux and play nice with your Linux system.

Do you have other hardware, like scanners, printers, digital camcorders, or modems?  They'll most likely work just fine as well.

The best part about auditioning Linux is that you have control of how it is done.  You can run it from a CD, DVD, flash drive, or your hard disk, and you don't have to impact any OS you might already have installed on your system.  Download an image and try it yourself, or ask where to find a Linux system at your local computer retailer.  Chances are, they have at least one.