I first got my introduction to Linux working in the IT Department of a Local Food Chain. My background was in Finance but I moved to the IT department to become part of the Business Intelligence Department. One of the DBA’s would talk about Linux during coffee breaks and so I decided to check it out.
The first Distro that I setup and installed on my 800 Mhz in 2000 was Red Hat Linux 6.1. Linux became more of a hobby than anything else. But over the years I have found the Linux is a great development environment. Sure you can run most open source software today in Windows like Apache and MySql but a client /server model is valuable when learning how to deploy and troubleshoot your solution.
Secondly, if you are developing for the internet or web applications most of today’s servers run on some distro of Linux. With today’s virtualization software like Virtual Box it is very easy to setup and install a Linux Virtual Machine
I recommend Ubuntu, especially the Ubuntu Server edition. It is lightweight, easy to configure and you can create a virtual machine in 10 to 15 minutes with the latest PC hardware. Although Ubuntu does provide a solid desktop environment comparable to Windows 7 and Mac, I am afraid it just does not have the software required for most end users (Microsoft Office, iTunes, Flash Builder). Sure if you are technically savvy or don’t mind taking a moment to read the Ubunutu online forms (excellent source of information) then Ubuntu is a great choice. In my opinion, I don’t think it comes down to picking one of the three operating systems (Microsoft, Apple, Linux). I run all three environments on my network and they all have their pro’s and con’s and different uses.
If you want to get started with Linux I recommend installing some Virtualization software like Virtual Box on your main computer (Windows, Mac):
A virtual Ubuntu Desktop will require at least 1 GHz processor , 512 MB RAM and 5 GB hard drive space. Whereas the Ubuntu Server can run on any Intel or AMD x86/AMD_64 processor with 192 MB of RAM and 1 GB of disk space. I currently run a small Ubuntu Server (no GUI) for my source control and it is configured to use 256 MB of RAM. I never have any performance issues.
If you don’t enjoy reading online documentation but are interested in setting up the Ubuntu Server, I recommend the following book:
Troy