Linux is not typically considered tops in an art/design class area, so turning a bunch of Mac boxes into Ubuntu machines for the sole purpose of teaching open source Linux apps to a class of art students is a gutsy move. Yet that's exactly what Gurdy Leete did, and supposedly it worked out just fine. In fact, Gurdy converted one Mac-based media lab into an Ubuntu-based media lab with apparently stellar results (not to mention much lower software costs). Granted, Gurdy sometimes had to fall back on OS X (for printing to their AppleTalk-based printers for instance), but for the most part the lab functioned the same as before. Some students really enjoyed being able to tweak their OSS tools, while others relied on the application repository and the teacher's expertise. Leete's experiences are worth a read to anyone considering a switch, and also serves as a good list of alternative apps. I hadn't heard of Scribus, but had been looking for just such a tool. Leete's next move is to replace Maya with Blender, and move away from Avid and Final Cut Pro to some OSS replacements. The only problem with all this is that in the "real" world, you're a lot less likely to find these tools being used. So if you're a student, be a little bit interested in learning Photoshop as well as GIMP.