OK, well I think I'm going to at least try ubuntu on my next build to see how well it works (I can always install Windows 7 later anyway). I'm planning on getting most of my parts on black friday in november, so before I start buying, are there any parts I should look out for? For example, someone earlier mentioned that ATI video cards had poor driver support. Is there anything else I should be wary of?
Creative. Avoid them.
ATI has gotten *much* better with Linux support, but they still aren't comparable to Nvidia, in my opinion.
And Creative just flat out sucks since they tend to give Linux the finger, but I honestly think it only hurts them in return with the poor reputation they've gained as a result. At least ATI tries.
Check out this site prior to buying your hardware.
Home Page - Ubuntu Linux Hardware Compatibility List
I personally have never checked any of my hardware with Ubuntu in the 4 years I've ran it. I've just always gotten lucky, plus Linux support has grown exponentially in the last few years. I don't recommend doing this, since it is kind of a gamble. I wasn't so lucky with Vista, where there weren't any 64 bit Vista drivers for my Turtle Beach sound card. It's something that can (unfortunately) happen with any piece of hardware with any operating system.
However, you still have to do your homework before you make your purchases.
Just to add, Ubuntu tends to be very friendly with computers of lesser specs as opposed to Windows. So if you have a spare rig sitting around that is kind of blah in terms of its performance, you could always try running Ubuntu on that first to see how you like it before you toss it on your main rig. And if that's not an option but you still want to try it, you could install VirtualBox and play around with Ubuntu virtually.
Just trying to throw out a few ideas for ya.
