Re: Linux
I've used the Zorin OS and it is a great distribution if you would like something that as closely matches windows 7 in look / feel as is just about possible in Linux. If you spring for the "Ultimate" edition (basically giving them $12 for a donation / support), it comes packaged with just about everything you could want to get up & running & they do respond relatively promptly to tech support questions.
That being said, I currently prefer Mint 17.2 Cinnamon as it's a bit easier to do upgrades, has better driver support & a more active support community.
The down side for the 17.2 is it is fiendishly difficult to upgrade the included LibreOffice to the latest version as they pinned it into the release in such a way it's not easily upgraded. You can upgrade it, but just be prepared to do lots of typing. I think the soon to come 17.3 which should be an inplace upgrade should work very well.
Puppy Linux is great if you have older hardware and want something super light weight that can boot off a USB key & run in memory, however it does not have drivers for all the latest & greatest wireless and video devices.
A great resource is: http://distrowatch.com/
They keep up with all the latest updates and have a pretty comprehensive list of distros & what does what.
If you want to really go rebel whitebeard and want init freedom then head over to https://devuan.org
and learn to love the command line as you build what you want from scratch.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
