I too switched entirely from XP to Linux (Ubuntu) about a year ago, both at home and at work. The amount of work involved was quite substantial, but definitively worth it in my experience. I feel much more productive and in control than a year ago, plus I enjoy it much more.
What helped me in my transition is that over the years I had been using more and more open source and cross platform applications. Also a number of internal tools at work are in Java.
At work, it is full stream Microsoft with Exchange (but with IMAP available), DFS, MS Office, Remote Desktop, etc... Yet, I managed to integrate nicely my box into it. No virtualisation needed, I just have wine for a single engineering application (a vhdl simulator) which is available for Linux but with a different license, so I had to stick to the same network license. I do hardware design. Xilinx software is fully available under Linux. I just remote desktop to a windows compilation machine every few months to change my global password (used for server access, mail, etc..) as otherwise I don't notice when it expires under and then I am kicked out, and have to tell the IT dep that I forgot to change my password... (they still do not officially know that I run Linux). I am the only Linux desktop around and it does not cause any problem. I ask to pass me the occasional Visio diagram exported in pdf, and I do mine with Dia: not perfect but good enough. For the Exchange specific stuff (calendar, etc) I use the web interface.
Why did I swtich to Linux? Ethical reasons. I care about freedom and future. I don't want to live in a corporation-centric private world.
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I too switched entirely from XP to Linux (Ubuntu) about a year ago, both at home and at work. The amount of work involved was quite substantial, but definitively worth it in my experience. I feel much more productive and in control than a year ago, plus I enjoy it much more.
What helped me in my transition is that over the years I had been using more and more open source and cross platform applications. Also a number of internal tools at work are in Java.
At work, it is full stream Microsoft with Exchange (but with IMAP available), DFS, MS Office, Remote Desktop, etc... Yet, I managed to integrate nicely my box into it. No virtualisation needed, I just have wine for a single engineering application (a vhdl simulator) which is available for Linux but with a different license, so I had to stick to the same network license. I do hardware design. Xilinx software is fully available under Linux. I just remote desktop to a windows compilation machine every few months to change my global password (used for server access, mail, etc..) as otherwise I don't notice when it expires under and then I am kicked out, and have to tell the IT dep that I forgot to change my password... (they still do not officially know that I run Linux). I am the only Linux desktop around and it does not cause any problem. I ask to pass me the occasional Visio diagram exported in pdf, and I do mine with Dia: not perfect but good enough. For the Exchange specific stuff (calendar, etc) I use the web interface.
Why did I swtich to Linux? Ethical reasons. I care about freedom and future. I don't want to live in a corporation-centric private world.