Time for the swtich has come.

[Mike Hoy]

>I'd keep Windows around. First, if something goes awry with your Linux 
>installation, you won't be dead in the water. Second, you can bet that the 
>day after you kill Windows some professor will mandate that you use some 
>piece of Windows-only software.
>
i agree. i was just about to nuke the winXP partition off of this laptop 
when I got a new client. his website requires you to run IE. anyway life 
is easier sometimes with windows around. Dual boot is the only way to go 
if you just have one computer.
But I would make sure that you allow your Linux partition to be the 
default boot in grub/lilo.

In fact since you're new to Linux I would say this is mandatory.

Unless you are really really really sure you NEVER want to do anything 
with windows again and your absolutely sure that if sometime in your 
life a boss/teacher/friend wants you to run a windows only application 
that you are willing to lose that job/grade/whatever to keep your 
promise that windows is never to be used.

that is a radical almost fundamentalist mentality. I'd like to be able 
to never even hear the word windows again, but in reality i'm going to 
have to deal with it and keep my XP partition around just in case. I 
think the main point is that you don't browse the web and check email in 
windows at first. then later you will find even more compelling reasons 
to use Linux: programming is one that comes to mind.

i'm done rambling.