I ran Ubuntu 8.04 for about 6 months, not 100% window free because of my Zune. I had a Virtual Box install with a 20gig XP Virtualized OS for the Zune Software to sync my music. Other than that it was reliable, fast and great to be 90% windows free.
After 6 months, I installed the Windows 7 64-bit RTM and ran that for some time. Couple days I go, I wiped the laptop again and installed Linux Mint Gloria and installed Windows 7 via Virtual Box for the Zune again. A few quirks for the Virtual Box setup but smooth now. Working out a few more bugs(if you shutdown the laptop it doesn't shutdown, goes to a blank white screen).
All in all yes Windows 7 is a bit easier to use, as most Windows versions are, but its nice to mix it up once in awhile. Linux has been getting better and better and is a nice alternative to the pay for stuff Mac OS X and Windows variants.