installing, using Open Office, etc - hard for newbie?

(with debian already installed)

[Trisha]

I'm seriously considering getting a laptop preinstalled from this place: linuxcertified.com/linux-laptop-lc2430. htm . I'm a little nervous about it though, because I don't know anything about them.

If I get linux already installed, how hard would it really be for someone new to linux to install Open Office, Mozilla, and maybe a ftp program? I ask because I'm now thinking about skipping the dual boot part. I thought I would need it to transition slowly to linux, but I'm thinking about jumping right in. And I think anything I would need to do with windows I could do with either Wine or Win4Lin anyway.

The linux options this place gives includes Red Hat and Debian. I'm leaning toward debian. If I can get started right away with Open Office and Mozilla, I can then take my time a little bit and get Win4Lin installed later for the windows stuff I need as well as other linux software.

[SeanW]

Easy easy easy ;)

Sean

[Trisha]

Great! Then I don't see the point of dual booting. Anyone else t hink it is necessary?

[danny]

Any pre-installed Linux box should come with Mozilla and Open Office already installed!

Unlike Windows, where you have to do extra work to get word processing software, compilers, etc. most Linux distributions will come with six different web browsers, ten mail clients, assorted editors, etc. The problem is usually working out which one you want to use.

I've never dual-booted, but then I started running Linux in 1993 and have never used Windows at all (on my own machines, I've used other people's).