Hi KB5ZXM,good luck with Linux,I use it and really enjoy using Linux instead of Micro$hift WindOze. This site,
http://radio.linux.org.au/?sectpat=All&ordpat=title has a lot of the ham radio software available for Linux. Ubuntu is supposed to be a good choice of Linux to start off with. I use Debian and like it quite a bit. Choosing a Linux distro is like going to an ice cream parlor,lots of decisions,,:) The newer distros are mostly GUI,but you sometimes still need to break out terminal window.
There is a live CD with Knoppix and ham radio programs that you can download and burn and run from your CD. It is on the radio.linux site above.
There are a lot of support sites,IRQ channels,and forums for Linux,you just have to Google to search them out. Good luck with your Linux experiment!