If you upgrade to a pro account I think they give you POP3 access. Or maybe they do that already? I know GMail does.

Yeah I'm also a thunderbird user. It's a great little app.

if you're looking to just give linux a try, would recommend downloading and burning a ubuntu cd (or ordering one) and trying it out.

Originally Posted by capitalist_junkie

Also, how can I install linux on my computer? How does it work? How can I keep it from clashing with the Windows OS that is already installed on my computer?

One tip that I didn't see elsewhere in this thread is to create a FAT32 partition for data. You should be able to read the contents of that partition from both Linux and Windows, so you can share data between the two OSes. I know they're working on read/write access to NTFS from linux, but last I heard it wasn't finished yet.

Originally Posted by capitalist_junkie

And despite the fact that I hate most Mac products, I use iTunes (in conjunction with my iPod). Will iTunes work in Linux, or is that a hopeless case? Will I have to back-up and reinstall all my various files and such if I install Linux?

You can use gtkpod to manage your ipod from linux.

Originally Posted by capitalist_junkie

Sorry for all the questions. I'm just a bit of a confused case and looking for a crash course, if possible.

I'd highly recommend the following 2 books (both from No Starch Press) for anyone serious about getting started w/ Linux.

The Linux Cookbook, Second Edition.
How Linux Works.

The Cookbook is mostly about command line stuff, and how linux works is about the nuts and bolts of linux systems. If you get a firm grip on these, you'll be much more able to read and understand resources about Linux from the internet.

I have no troubles reading and writing to my Windows NTFS partitions

Originally Posted by nick89

I have no troubles reading and writing to my Windows NTFS partitions

I have no need to write to Windows NTFS partitions

www.linux-ntfs.org - Home

Seems like NTFS support has improved greatly When I was using Slackware full time, NTFS writing was experimental and not recommended.

Excellent.

I hadn't checked up on the NTFS issue in a while. I used to keep a copy of windows around on a dual boot machine, but finally got to a point where I never used it anymore, so now I'm running 100% Mac/Linux, and just hadn't had any need for read/write NTFS from linux.

Still, it's cool to know it's there, in case the issue ever comes up again. I'm sure some users in my local LUG may like to know about it.

NTFS reading was enough for me simply because I had gigs upon gigs of music on my Windows partition. Never needed to write though.