Hi Harold
Other things to determine include features like being able to download podcasts (does Itunes run on Linux?),
You don't need iTunes to download podcasts. Most Linux media players can download podcasts. And podcasts are just media files attached to an RSS feed, so any RSS reader can download podcasts. Personally, I use the RSS feature in the Opera browser.
The real question is about media files you have purchased from the iTunes store. Apple are working very hard to lock you into using iTunes and iPods to listen to their music. This is concerning. However, if you want to go on buying music from the iTunes store, it is possible to get the Windows verions of iTunes working under Linux, and there is also a Linux program that allows you to buy software from the iTunes store.
If you are concerned about being able to transfer music to your iPod, most Linux media players are able to do this, and there are also standalone programs written specifically for that purpose. There is even a "plugin" available for the normal file manager to allow you to transfer music to and from the iPod.
listen to CDs,
Easy and automatic.
watch DVDs,
Requires the installation of one file.
record CDs/DVDs and other multi-media gadgets.
If you mean recording to CD/DVD (burning), there are excellent burning programs. If you mean recording from CD/DVD (ripping), then it is also quite possible. There are many easy and effective ways of ripping from CD, and also programs that can convert DVD movies to different formats.
Image manipulation, for example, is another area to consider.
Many excellent tools and programs to do this. Do you have any specific concerns?
If you are looking for powerful photo editing programs, then have a look at Gimp (www.gimp.org) and Krita (www.koffice.org/krita). If you'd like to play with them, Gimp is available for Windows, and Krita probably will be next year.
My newish digital camera came with software for Windows and MAC but not for Linux although there might well be something out there (I haven't looked).
Probably most of the software that came with your camera were basic photo editing programs. That's been my experience when buying cameras and scanners. And I never used any of them!
Linux photo management programs (like digiKam www.digikam.org) automatically recognise a wide range of cameras and scanners. It is also normally possible to transfer photos by mounting the camera as a usb drive, or by using a compact flash or SD card reader. I've never had a problem transferring photos.
I think most if not all of this is available under Linux but I believe require more work than under Windows. Somebody please tell me I'm wrong.
There are many different Linux versions. Some are designed to be very configurable, which means more work by default. Others are designed for new users, and require very little work. It is difficult to answer "ease of use" questions about Linux, because it varies from distro to distro, and people mean different things by the term.
It is a bit of an art choosing a suitable distribution. Ask questions if you are interested. As has been mentioned, Ubuntu is quite a good distribution, but others like PCLinuxOS and Freespire require less fiddling for a beginner. It's probably better to start with a distro that is too easy rather than too hard. With many good options, I'm sure you will be offered lots of varying opinions. Listen to all of them.
Hope this helps. If you'd like more details on anything I've touched on, please ask!
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