My latest set of articles is a how-to guide for newbies interested in switching from Windows to Linux. In a few short pieces I walk you through the process of installing a dual-boot system, talk about how to get multimedia and some of the cooler graphic effects working, and point out some of the major applications.For the purposes of the article, I assumed you’ll be using the latest version of Ubuntu, nicknamed “Gutsy Gibbon.” Ubuntu really is a good choice for desktop Linux users — it’s easy to use and takes care of most of the difficult tasks for you. (If you prefer a different distribution, then more power to you. I actually cover some of the other options in one of the articles.)

As for myself, I switched over to the previous version of Ubuntu, “Feisty Fawn,” a few weeks ago. That is, I’ve been using Linux much longer than that, but now I’ve finally begun spending more time in Ubuntu than I do in Linux. I even typed all of the articles in the switcher’s guide using OpenOffice.org. I actually find that, in many ways, I’m more productive in this OS than in Windows Vista (which is what’s on my dual-boot partition).

I’m interested to hear from anyone who has a desktop Linux experience of their own to share. More importantly, what sort of articles or documentation are you interested in seeing that could help you get through the switch on your own? There are a ton of resources out there already, but is there anything that you’d like to see that you haven’t seen so far? Let me know.

Update: The same articles have now made the front page of PC World. Cool beans! But if you ask me, I say you should give your clicks to my hardworking former colleagues at InfoWorld — they footed the bill, after all.