[lug] new install

[John W. O'Brien]

Bob,

Firstly, you've given us your computer's specs, but haven't said 
anything about your reasons for "leaping," your expectations with regard 
to ease-of-use, application support, etc, or your comfort and 
familiarity with computer tinkering. You'll probably get better 
advice---and therefore have a better first experience with Linux---if we 
can discuss some of those things too.

Having said that, I will second some of the opinions offered so far. In 
particular, a live CD would be a really nice way to see what you're 
getting yourself into. I use Knoppix as a repair/rescue/tinkering tool, 
and happen to know that it does some clever things like optionally store 
your Linux-related preferences and personal files on a USB flash drive, 
which would help give a more complete picture of what to expect when you 
switch to a hard drive install.

Next, if you have a little extra desk space and a few extra dollars, you 
might think about poking around sites like Craig's List or eBay for a 
used desktop system (e.g. something in a similar performance range as 
your laptop might run you $150). Compare that to the peace of mind that 
you'll get by not having to endanger your working system. Whenever 
tinkering with something new, my preferred setup has two computers: the 
one I'm working on, and the one I'm working with (for when, not if, the 
other one breaks).

Good luck!

-John