Call it “taking the plunge.” After very publicly disparaging Ubuntu (and by doing so, exposing the dark underbelly of the Linux community), I've decided the time is right to play “devil's advocate” and see what it's really like to quit Windows “cold turkey.” Of course, this is not my first time down Ubuntu road. I've dabbled with virtually every release since “Dapper,” however, I've never really jumped in with b Call it “taking the plunge.” After very publicly disparaging Ubuntu (and by doing so, exposing the dark underbelly of the Linux community), I’ve decided the time is right to play “devil’s advocate” and see what it’s really like to quit Windows “cold turkey.”Of course, this is not my first time down Ubuntu road. I’ve dabbled with virtually every release since “Dapper,” however, I’ve never really jumped in with both feet, so to speak. This time, it’s bare iron or nothing. No cheating by running the LiveCD or installing to a VMware session. I will live in Ubuntu for the next 30 days (longer if I end up liking my new digs).It’s also important to note that I’m not your average Windows user. As a commercial software developer (I write performance analysis tools for the financial services sector), my needs are specific and non-negotiable. I need to be able to function on Ubuntu without disrupting the ongoing development of a very Windows-centric management framework. This includes updating and testing new builds of a metrics data collection agent (DMS Clarity Tracker) that runs as a service under Windows. It also includes maintaining a complex ASP.NET 2.0 web portal application (the back-end that the agent uploads to) that runs atop SQL Server 2005 and Windows Server 2003. My plan is to make copious use of virtualization – both at the application level (WINE) and machine level (VirtualBox) – to recreate a functional Windows testing and development environment. This includes creating VMs to run Windows Server 2003 (w/ASP.NET 2.0) and Windows XP/Vista with Visual Studio 2005. It also means that, outside of my core development tools, I’ll be relying on Ubuntu’s bundled applications – plus whatever I can scrounge from the various Synaptic repositories – to meet my day to day productivity and communications needs (hint: I’m writing this from within OpenOffice Writer).Some additional details on my configuration:1.I’ll be testing the 64-bit version of Ubuntu 7.10. I normally run the 64-bit version of Windows Vista, so this seems like the natural choice for a horizontal move. 2.All testing will be conducted on my Dell XPS M1710 which has a Core 2 Duo T7200 (2.0GHz) CPU, 4GB of RAM and an nVidia GeForce 7900GS video card.3.In order to preserve my existing Vista installation – which is hosted on the notebook’s 80GB internal hard disk – I’ve installed “Gutsy” to an external 7200RPM, 500GB WD drive.4.The drive is connected via USB 2.0 – I simply select it as a boot option during POST. 5.The arrangement has the added benefit of allowing me to dual-boot back to Vista in an emergency while keeping Ubuntu’s “GRUB-y” hands of my primary disk (I disconnected the primary during “Gutsy” install to avoid any GRUB placement confusion).Note: As a nearly 20 year user of Windows NT (and its derivatives), I’ve become quite adept at wringing the most out of my runtime environment. I’m hoping to achieve this same level of customization and tuning under Ubuntu (I’ve already managed to get the “Polymer” theme running so that my Qt apps, like VirtualBox, look half-decent).Bottom Line: If a dyed-in-the-wool Windows user like me can make the switch, anyone can. Next-up: My first full day with Ubuntu “Gutsy Gibbon” 64-bit. Software DevelopmentSmall and Medium Business