Alrighty then!

I'm sorry, I didn't know that I'd essentially sparked a religious
discussion.  But here are the things that I've decided based on the input
that I've gotten back (It was far too much to reply to individually).

I've got a list of people who will help me.  THANK YOU!
I'll be devoting a box to my discovery process.  No dual-booting.
I'll be installing Mandrake first (it was given to me by a friend)
I will be trying Redhat and Debian, and possibly SuSE.
I'll be getting the O'Riley "Running Linux" book (as hopefully it will help
with all distributions)
I'll be using a Win2k server as an IP gateway as I'm not up to installing my
Ricochet modem on a Linux system yet.

*sigh*
Thank you all for your input.  You have all contributed significantly to
both my knowledge and my motivation to learn Linux.  I hope to be able to
understand what a GNOME and a RPM is after this weekend...

Ron Russell - MCSE, CCNA, CNE
480-6-Buddha
Silicon Buddha LLC
Enlightened Network Services
www.siliconbuddha.com
Offering Free Vulnerability Assessments from the deserts of Phoenix Arizona