[Zxian]

I think that the best idea for you would be to spend some time setting up Linux on a spare computer so that you don't loose any productivity while you're testing/setting up.

I've used Mandrake on my home computer, and I'm currently managing a web server that's running Debian. The nice thing about Debian is that access to programs is unbelivably easy with a program called dselect. This will list all the possible programs that you can install (trust me... there are a lot) and then automatically download and install them for you. Very very handy.

I've also heard good reviews about Ubuntu, but I haven't tried it out myself. I'll probably do that in a month or so when exams are over.

Your best bet is to ask around, try different distros, and see which one works best for you. That's one of the advantages of Linux is that the distros are tailored to many different needs.