"I tell these people there is no magic pill. Switching is a way
of shifting the cost profile, which includes time and money. When
you start having more time than money, Linux starts to look a lot
better. If you aren't willing to invest that time up front, you
can't get past the hump of migration. If you can put some effort
into it, you can afford to relax a lot more on the other side.
Naturally this calls for a Linux which doesn't require constant
attention, and there's precious few projects which consider this at
all important, as noted in the past. There are two paths I
recommend to folks considering migration: Ubuntu and CentOS.
"Try Ubuntu first. There are multiple versions offered at any
one time, but for those seeking stability, look for the "LTS"
label. Never allow yourself to be tricked into using the most
current just because it's the latest and greatest. Six months from
now you'll have to update, and it will surely break things. If you
don't consider your computer a hobby, stick with the LTS releases,
because they are good for a couple of years. Next, join the Ubuntu
forums; it's the best and cheapest support system you'll ever find
for installation and initial setup. Be prepared to explain every
time you aren't a hobbyist and LTS is essential to your purpose.
Don't be drawn into discussions which revolve around why "you just
gotta run the latest". Those who actually can help you the most
will understand."
