Linux + Laptop + Other things?

[Akottix]

Yeah... I'm a Linux noob. I've read about it, and thought it about it, and it seems pretty flipping sweet. Sooner or later within a year, i'm going to be buying a laptop for college, and I'm gonna need a laptop for my needs.

And since I desire linux, and a laptop, and considering it.
I just have a few questions.

1. Is linux good on a laptop?

2. Will it be able to run musical applications like itunes?

3. Is it easy enough to install that it'll be worth it?

4. Which Linux distro is right for me, and what are the differences?

5. Is it worth it?

[rabbitnightmare]

yes yes yes ubuntu yes

differences too many to post

dont expect it to act like a mac or windows it isnt windows-user friendly there is alot to learn what is your major

[bigtomrodney]

1. Is linux good on a laptop?

Yes I find it is great. There have been some problems in the past but recently there have been some serious improvements. I currently get about 4-5 hours of battery life(it's a 9 cell battery) whereas a year or two back life was shortened slightly in Linux.

2. Will it be able to run musical applications like itunes?

Not iTunes specifically but there are many great music and music library applications for Linux. There are some iTunes clones but I prefer Amarok which is an extremely well featured and original library application.

3. Is it easy enough to install that it'll be worth it?

It depends which flavour you choose. Ubuntu was mentioned above. This would always be my first recommendation. Installation is simple and takes about 20-30 minutes. It has excellent hardware support and you get to try the system before you install it. In fact you can be using the system while it is installing.

4. Which Linux distro is right for me, and what are the differences?

That question has been asked many times already. There is a thread on it here. With that said generally the most recommended first distro for current hardware is Ubuntu, with Fedora and openSUSE following.

5. Is it worth it?

It depends on what you want out of the switch. I will never switch back to Windows. I have a great collection of software, a steady stream of updates, stability, security, cutting edge software, the power of Unix.....I'm very happy. If you are a gamer however it might be a bit more effort than it is worth. There are games for Linux, and native ports of some big titles such as Quake but trying to run Windows games is a pain.

[Akottix]

I'm going to leave gaming to desktops,

for my laptop i'm really only going to use it for internet, music, and document writing

as for my major... probably business.

thanks for the replys tom and rabbit, it helps alot