depends on what you want to do. Linux doesnt suit some people, for some people it is great

what are your requirements?

Windows can play games, Linux really can't (for the most part).

There are free and open source alternatives to most of your Windows applications, and if you're dead set on a Windows application, you can use a nice Linux application called Wine to run it.

As jbennet said, Linux isn't for some people. If you like free stuff, go with it. But if you need a specific application, or hardware support, like MIDI controllers, media devices, etc. etc., Linux isn't the greatest there. However, if you're really against the whole Vista thing (like I am), go with it. It has a bundle of themes and window managers (different graphical environments, so basically very many different looks for your Linux environment) for you to choose between.

Linux is fast, and has daily updates. It is community driven, and bugs are almost always patched immediately after being reported.

If you do go the Linux route, I suggest you go with Ubuntu Linux to start. It's the most like Windows and can give you an easy slope to switch between Windows and Linux.

Linux is very good for most programming, so long as you arent using the microsoft technologies.

And not forget that Linux is only kernel. :-P

You can use some Microsoft technologies if you use Mono, as long as you don't rely on the Forms API of Windows.

which is basically the best thing about visual studio...

Heh, yeah. The "best" thing.

Vs is awesome for RAD of GUI apps. Just last week i whipped up an awesome VB.NET app for a shop (EpoS system covering everything apart from cash drawers/credit cards) in under 2 hours.

Yeah, but what more can you do besides basic graphical Windows applications? It doesn't even make a native EXE. You need to install the .NET Framework for VB.NET.

I really dislike the whole .NET thing in entirety. I used to like Visual Basic 6 a whole lot, but I left that "language" for Python a while ago.