For me to give linux a go I'd first like to know what software I'd use for my different needs, that are stable & provide a similar featureset.

So I'll pretty much just put what I use, and since their quite common needs, from the ton of replies this post gets I can narrow things down pretty well before I start.

(Oh, btw, jik software is distro specific I might be more ubuntu, opensuse, debian or fedora, thanks)


So heres what I use:

software:

firewall = comodo
anti-malware = boclean
av = avast
image mount & burn = alcohol120%
media player = vlc, wmp (k-lite, realalt & qtalt codec packs)
ppcsync = activesync
image capture = snagit
notebook = MS onenote

hw:
BT logitech wireless KB & mouse, BT motoroka s9-hd headset
hauppauge tv tuner, esata, usb dvdrw


In terms of vnc, vpn and other things I allready know but pretty much once I square away how I will resolve those needs I'll be putting my Vista on a VM and hosting it on a linux distro.

Firewall= built in
Anti-male= not need due to linux design
image mount= built in mount command
image burn= several options including built in, but k3b is probably the best
media player= Vlc, Mplayer, Xine, others
ppcsync=not my area
image capture=built in
notebook= not may area

To get any more specific you will have to figure out which distro you are going to use. Much of this, particularly the details, is very distro dependent.