Like it says above, I am thinking of switching to this from XP. I have almost no programing knowledge (ok, I have a little, but it is very minimal). Is there any advantage in using this over XP?

The answer really depends on what you want to do. If you want to run Office, then almost certainly not. If you just want to surf, do email, etc, then maybe. If you want to run a server, very likely, etc. etc.

Question though - if you are already running Windows and are happy with it, do you want to learn your way around a new system? The answer may be yes for the challenge ort otherwise, but think about it.

You don't need to be a programmer to use linux (and I'll bet a lot if not most users aren't)

I have begun using Kubuntu after using SuSE for many years. I would say that trying Ubuntu might not be your cup of tea if you really like the *dows interface; however if you want to use opensource, get a taste of what free interchange is about, please do so. You could do worse than these. I find Kubuntu refreshing and easy to use. I can do all the things I used to do w/windows including running a business and database work. Bidding construction jobs( yes big ones) and teaching as well. I would reccomend linux to anyone. Hope this helps!

fogcat

The advantage is that you will not have to worry about viruses, worms, malware, spyware, any type of sneakware since these don't exist for Linux. As billy said, a lot depends what you do; when you talk about programming experience, I think you are asking of you need to have any programming experience to run Linux and the answer is No you don't need to know any. But you will need to learn some basic UNUX commands.

Decide for yourself. Read this:
Is Ubuntu for You?

Dual boot, if you have the space.

Very true. Personally, I only tried the Live CD for a couple of days before removing Windows from my PC and installing Ubuntu. Although I'm not a "power user" or gamer, Ubuntu suits my needs perfectly. For those who have to ask, I recommend running the Live CD to ensure that it works with your system, and to familiarize yourself with the differences. When you're ready to actually use Ubuntu (or any other distro), you might want to set up a dual-boot just to keep Windows at your disposal until you've learned how to do everything with Linux.

Good luck!
Bill

Than you to everyone who replied to this. At this moment, I am downloading the live CD and am going to test it out. Again, thanks.