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So what now? Reinstall linux? try and install it manually? My first experience of Linux was Redhat 9. I set myself the task of setting up a mail server, with web access using the guide on qmailrocks.com (it does indeed rock, if you were wondering) I must have installed red hat at least 30 times by the time I got it right, with all of the things needed for qmail to run. That combined with if at any stage the qmail installation didnt go according to the guide, or an error message i didnt understand, usually (more for my peace of mind) resulted in me wiping the HD clean and starting again! ... Of course Im not saying that the "Niche" nature of Linux meant I had to do that. If I'd known what I was doing, it would have taken half the time!

But lets move the analogy over to Windows. OK the only show in town is Exchange, but If at any stage the setup wasnt going well... i could have quit out, the installation would have rolled by machine back to its previous state (more or less) and I could have had another attempt.

"So, enough of the Linux/Windows trade offs! I want to set me up a super dooper linux based flange server! Where do I start?"

Im by no means a linux expert, But I feel Im nearing the end of the fairly long "getting used to linux" road, so here’s my advice for anyone thinking of taking the plunge:

1. Before you attempt to setup something mission critical on linux, install your chosen distribution on a spare pc, and dedicate some time to getting to know how it feels and works. As an initail installation Id recommend Fedora, Debian or Ubuntu, all three have been tweaked to make using it as easy as the linux world can make it, and similar to what you're used to in windows. And when I say "some time" I mean weeks, not hours, or days.
2. Try installing some of the more popular packages that you may not need, but add functionality to your linux box, and give you an idea of the different methods of installing programs. Webmin can be installed via rpm or by copying files to certain locations. MySQL can also be installed using RPMs and you can get yourself a fully working database server within 30 mins.
3. Try and find a How - To on installing whatever it is you want to finally install. (I found qmailrocks.com for example) Read it through, try to clarify any points you don’t understand before you start... but be aware that you wont get a good idea of the problems until you actually attempt the installation.
4. Be prepared to install linux a few times before getting it right. I find a clean slate always helps eliminate any doubt as to whether or not the operation you performed two weeks ago, is causing the error you are seeing.
5. In my experience, reboots generally don’t solve problems on linux. Linux is very very stable (far more so than windows) but 9 times out of 10, if whatever you are trying now doesn’t work, the chances are it still wont work after a reboot.
6. Be prepared to take time over setting up your linux box. If you're used to Windows, then you might think: "Ill set up a mail server this afternoon, and have it online and running before the end of the day" Forget it. It just wont happen. You'll need to get the installation correct, and to your liking, and then you'll want to run the mail server and test its ok for at least a week, before letting your users loose on it.

7. Finally, and this is the golden rule in my opinion: DONT GIVE UP! Linux can do what you want it to do. But as with all things that give you a lot of power and flexibility, you have to put the time in to understand how it works. To get to the level of knowledge I have now (where I feel confident I could do anything on Linux, that I can on Windows) Has taken me around 8 years. Granted, Ive not sat at a linux box for every day of that, and I dont consider myself to be especially quick on the uptake, so you might pick it up quicker, on the other hand, you might take longer, its a very personal thing. But as the old saying goes, dont try to run before you can walk. In Windows, the crawling - walking - running cycle takes very little time, with linux, it takes longer. But as your knowledege builds it will become easier and easier to get things up and running, and before long, you will be able to setup an IPSEC VPN in ten minutes, and end up with something a lot more reliable and secure than anything you could do on Windows. Then, and only then, a Linux Jedi Will you be.