...and I responded, but thought the general crowd might be intererested.
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Moving from a Windows-only-experience to Linux will be a bit of a culture shock. That said, Ubuntu has the best rep for being the most user-friendly 'flavor' of Linux. Linux rocks for servers and network devices (file, web, firewalls, etc.), but the desktop is still maturing and there's still quite a lag on the general consumer market of applications which install (and run) with a few clicks.
My 'advice' would be to not bother. Unless you have a genuine hankering for learning about computer stuff and have plenty of time for reading and tinkering around with a linux-dedicated computer, (I think) you'll find more satisfaction in life with your practice and your family. ;-)
My earlier mantra of "keep it simple, do it yourself so you can fix it" ... well, unless you're a knowledgeable Linux person, jumping to linux won't ... uhem ... make things easier.
On the other hand, if you really want to try it, then here's what you'll probably need:
--a dedicated computer which will run this 'linux' thing all the time
--a user-friendly linux user's group, preferably local, but online will suffice for the dedicated soul
--get a linux book or two and read and do things
--this all takes time, brother... it's kinda like learning a new language. As you learn a little, you'll be able to do a little, but you won't be able to do much of anything very interesting until you learn more than a little :-)
ALSO: getting Ubuntu to do a lot of things probably won't be difficult, but making any linux thing work with your practice will be entirely a different matter ... unless your idea of using linux at work is limited to something like just a web browser.
The linux world is constantly changing, so I could be wrong about some of this. vinnymeyer seems to have a good handle on linux as it relates to AC and whatever else ya'll are doing.
Sorry about all the disclaimers and reversal statements! just trying to be accurate (re: it's a moving target) and thorough!
--michael
