First let me apologise because I tend to waffle 
Summary of questions asked at the bottom.
I’m getting bored with my computer, well not the computer, but bored with windows, I am still on XP but I don’t want to update, I don’t for one think that my computer could hack it (the processor could but I think it would take up too much of my hardrive space which is the oldest part of my computer, the rest having been updated last year in order to run Oblivion - which I never quite got round to buying in the end, and then my harddrive became full of music, and so it was pointless getting it, although I just moved all my music to various USB drives to solve that problem, except the stuff that’s on my itunes).
I recently got an iphone, which made me think about maybe getting a mac next time I buy a computer, but the more I looked into it, the more it sounded like a pretiffied toy but not really something that would sustain my interest (since I would be keeping my PC anyway, I don’t see why I would need another computer that did not interest me for long) - not to mention it will be a long time before I have the money for a mac - I am sure if I am ever really rich I will satisfy my curiosity about macs but until then there seems like so much more I could spend a grand on if I saved it up (which I probably won’t being a rather impulsive thing).
So then I thought “what about Linux, I’ve not tried that” - the only operating systems I have ever used are DOS and Windows.
So I want to try linux, see what it is like, and I need advice, first of all, there seems to be a lot of versions about. What would be good for a beginner? What has good aesthetics? Besides that, what are the advantages and disadvantages of duel booting it? I guess for me the main advantage would be that I could try it now instead of saving up for a new computer first before I get to try it (because from what I can tell from a cursory google search it is not exactly going to play nice with my iphone, and I don’t really want to jailbreak it and I want to download new apps for it - also I think I just made enough space to finally get Oblivion). Apart from the iphone thing I have no real attachment to most of the programs on my windows. I mean, I like the capabilities of MS office, but again, a cursory google search tells me there are alternatives for that (and to be honest I mostly use it to make joke powerpoint presentations for imaginary companies with names like “Dethcorp - making life simpler”). My main use of the computer is the internet, frankly ANY operating system would do, as I said, I’m mostly just bored and curious and wanderlusty. I am attached to my firefox, but that works in linux right (and I assume I can transfer over all my settings as is with reasonable ease?). I also quite like trillian for instant messaging, but I am willing to change if I absolutely must.
Actually if I were completely honest I tried to instal Linux Red Hat (I think) from the disk on the front of a magazine once when I was 14 or so on a partition of a computer which had a broken fan (which I did not know at the time) and never ended up working (so I took it apart and bits of it are still around the room… lol - I don’t actually know how to do stuff with the insides of computers, I just like taking things apart, it would be good of course to know how to put them back together again but alas so far I’ve not gotten round to learning - so many distractions).
I don’t really know anything about programming (did a little Pascal in school, and played around with Fortran at home but really only in the sense of using it as a glorified calculator) I don’t know how important that is, but it seems that a lot of people who use linux are programmers, which I am not (unless you really want a glorified calculator built in Fortran…).
When it comes to hardware and stuff, does plug and play work the same with linux or does everything need to be done manually? Will the drivers for my computer be availible on linux, will this end of things be likely to prove problematic at all? Obviously that’s going to depend what my hardware is (which I ceirtainly could find out but do not right this second have to hand and I am asking enough questions to begin with that can be dealt with before getting into that).
I’m currently at university, so all the stuff about compatibility with the university network is obvious (although I am at my own place so I connect to the university using a VPN - would that work any differently in Linux than windows? I figure the only difference would be in how to set it up…). Speaking of networks actually, my computer connects to the internet through my dad’s computer which is running win XP (it also runs win 98 on a partition but no-one ever uses that part of it anymore). Will that be a problem at all?
(On this issue, that computer is getting extremely old and trojany, no-one cares about it, they just protect their individual computers (well some of them do) and let that one fill up with all manner of crap, it runs so slowly, I am half tempted to buy a new server to replace it - again after saving up, leaving the old computer there so people don’t realise what I have done, I bet no-one would even notice - at least not till the first time the “internet breaks” and even then they’ll probably just ask me to fix it, mwahahahaha - when I am bored trying to manually completely delete viruses on that old computer has proved entertaining).
One last thing, although you wouldn’t think it from what I have written, I do not like change very much. I get very agravated everytime they bring out a new windows. I just wish they’d leave things the same. I don’t mind change that I instigate, I even like it, but when other people try and impose changes on me it irritates me (this is why I kept my old hard drive when I updated my computer, because I was told that a new computer would automatically come with new windows). If I have any major discontent with windows (apart from shallow cosmetic concerns) its this constant bringing out of new operating systems and updates and things that society then seems to expect me to adopt even though my computer was doing fine without. I’d probably still be using win 95 otherwise.
I’m looking forward to the day I can say to my mum “no I DON’T know how to fix your computer I’ve never even USED windows 3000 (or whatever it is by then), I don’t know how it works” 
Question Summary:
What versions of Linux are good for a beginner (I ceirtainly want a GUI - even though even in windows I like playing in CMD)?
What are the most aesthetic versions of Linux/what themes are avalible for what versions of Linux?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of duel booting?
How small a partition is too small (my computer only has 50Gb Hardrive)?
Or do you think I’d be better off saving for a new computer to run it on?
Confirm or Deny: alternatives for MS Office are readily availible on Linux?
Confim or Deny: I can reasonably easily transfer my firefox settings and bookmarks from windows to Linux?
What sort of hardware issues are likely to be a dealbreaker?
How easy is it to install drivers on Linux?
Confirm or Deny: my university VPN should be accessable over Linux? (I am in the process of contacting the University Information Services with this same question as they may be more able to answer it than yourselves).
Will I be able to connect to the internet through my home server which is running XP?
Do you think anyone in my family would notice if I replaced the server (LOL) and if so what is the minimum build I would need for it?
I think that covers it.
probably keep my pictures on the windows side, easiest way to get around it 