I'm getting a new computer either this winter or early next year. I hate Vista however and will -eventually- need DirectX10 for some games. Should I just get a PC with XP, or should I try out Linux/Ubuntu? I like custom interfaces and making my computer look nice, but I like being able to play like every game without having to do stupid shit so I'm not getting a Mac.

This article on DirectX 10 feasibility is worth a read, first off.

Starting off with the assumption that you're not planning on using Ubuntu itself as a gaming setup (as this is one of the few areas where it currently lags Windows), it's certainly worth a try. Some time back in May it replaced Microsoft's last bastion in my setup by becoming my desktop OS; I haven't looked back. YMMV, of course, but as long as you're a little careful in your hardware selection*, you shouldn't have any problems with it at this point. Can't hurt to boot the liveCD and give it a spin, at least.

* Regarding hardware, D. J. Bernstein has an excellent and not-too-outdated shopping list and guide for a F/OSS-friendly workstation. Prices have fallen a bit since he made it; you can probably get a setup like that for under $300 these days.

Ya, gonna be doing gaming. Also, gotta keep in ming I know computers, but no languages/code or anything, nor weird DOS commands or whatever.

Ubuntu makes it trivial to set up a dual-boot environment; you might try that, keeping a little Windows partition around for gaming. Another option is to look at things like VMWare to prevent having to reboot--it might not be wise to try to run $game_with_ridiculous_graphics on it, but on modern hardware things like UT2k4 and CS should be no big deal (though it occurs to me that those also have native Linux versions....)

As regards languages, you ought to on the sheer merit that everyone ought to--learning to program is a lot like taking up an instrument (in particular, in that it's harder than it sounds, everyone should do it, and it's well worth the effort). You won't, however, be required to know anything whatsoever beyond pointing, clicking, and occasionally typing your password to use Ubuntu. Put simply, I find that I have to drop to command line more often in Windows than I do in Ubuntu; if I (and others) use it more often in Ubuntu, it's at this point more an indication of its power and convenience than of any shortcoming in the graphical tools.

For a casual nerd who uses the internet, music, and lots of games on his computer all at the same time, would Linux or Ubuntu be better?

Ubuntu is a distribution of Linux. That is as much advice as I can offer on this.

There's like 500 different versions of Linux and Ubuntu is the newest most popular one, right?

Well, I love (LOVE) customizing my interface for stuff, including my desktop. If I can do that with Ubuntu or some other Linux distro without learning anything more than I already do, sweet. I am quite computer literate (can build my own for the most part, know parts, what's good/bad), just that Linux at first seemed like it would limit gaming without dual booting.

A word on hardware--there's slightly more to it, unfortunately, when it comes to Linux. As a rule, if vendors provide documentation for their hardware, then Linux will be able to use said hardware mostly without issue. Not all vendors, though, do--for instance, Broadcom (who make a good portion of the onboard LAN chipsets you find in motherboards), ATI, and nVidia are fairly tight-lipped about specs. This doesn't mean you won't be able to use that hardware at all, but it does mean that you may be in for a bit more hassle than you otherwise would.

As Morm said, Ubuntu is a distribution of Linux. Linux itself is a kernel--the core of the operating system and the part responsible for talking to hardware and running everything else. Distributions take the Linux kernel plus a userland environment (which these days is almost exclusively GNU) and bundle it all together in some way. Ubuntu is probably your best bet right now if you just want a customizable interface and don't care about what's under the hood.

You might consider signing up at the Ubuntu forums; there are lots of people over there who really seem to enjoy helping out and otherwise talking about Linux.

I may be a little late on this topic, but Ubuntu is by far the easiest linux distro to use.

Theres also two different interfaces for linux: Gnome, and KDE. Ubuntu uses the Gnome interface and that could be a little weird for someone used to Windows as the menu and such are on the top of the screen. If you're used to windows and like the bar on the bottom, you could use Kubuntu instead, which is a KDE interface identical to Ubuntu in terms of using.

Personally i have only used Ubuntu but im going to install kubuntu on a second pc tomorrow.

Also: linux is pretty much completely customizable but at first you'll most likely get frustrated with using it.

As Zero said, the Ubuntu forums themselves are a GREAT place to get help. You can get responses for questions within minutes. Plus, they have beginner guides for most problems you will run into!

Linux distro's are downloadable on the site, but some distros have a free live-cd/installer that they will mail you. Ubuntu and Kubuntu both do (i have gotten actual discs from them both)

I dont know if Zero had mentioned this or not (only skimmed through briefly) but most programs you will run (which work on windows as they are made for that OS) will need to be emulated with either WINE or CEDEGA.

(Text Wall.)

If theres any more questions you have, ask them! And ill try to help but it seems Zero has this topic completely covered hah. (Not to mention he knows more linux than i do i bet, im still pretty new to it compared to most)