Steve, i have to admit to ignorance on running a linux os on the mac hardware, I have never loooked into it before - (although i knew of ppl installing and booting up from XP on a G5 for a laugh an it worked 'ok') - but now having read up a tiny bit on the net on the subject - you are right - linux isnt as demanding an os as X is on the puter apparently - so yeah sounds like like an ok idea to go with
pity it can only handle one HD - otherwise you could always have another harddrive loaded with X to boot up off if you want to use a real os
