help decide laptop reformat
 

I have a 1.5Ghz laptop from compaq I am going to be reformatting soon... I have windows XP on it right now...

I have a class in linux next term and I have been thinking about installing a dual-boot. I'd have windows xp and red hat 9.

I already have windows xp/red hat 9 dual boot at home.

Is it worth going through all of the partitioning and installing on a laptop?

would you recommend sticking with a simple windows reformat... or going full-blown with both systems?

Well I think it depends on if you would do most of your linux work at home or on your laptop?

where ever the linux is - is where I
'd do the work... It won't matter to me.

do you game?
do you really want to get intimate with Linux?

I've never used Linux personally, but is it really all that much better than XP to make it so you would use it instead of XP? What are the advantages/disadvantages, I guess I just don't really understand :-/

if you don't know why you want linux, then you probably don't need it , get knoppix first then you won't have to reinstall/repartition, or just use partition magic or such to redo it.

knoppix should be more than enough for a linux class.