My laptop's battery lasts 4hs on Linux (Ubuntu) and about 3hs on Windows (Vista). There are so many reasons to recommend Linux, I would have to bore you to death with a list thousands of KBytes long (plain text), I would start by explaining that Linux makes a much better use of your computer's resources, battery life span is an example, the battery is obviously the same yet Windows sucks out all the power in less time than Linux. I admit that Linux can be a little bit tricky to install and configure but once sorted it will never fail you, no crashes, no blue-death screens, no annoying update pop-ups, and a very long etc. Distributions such as Ubuntu have greatly improved the user interface and simplified install and upgrade processes to a point that have become very close to friendly, this includes the option of having a dual boot -that is, both Windows and Linux x, which means you can have both systems on the same computer and choose which one you want to use seconds after turning the computer on.

But there is more. Linux is so far the biggest Open Source project, the result of years of collaboration of an international community of developers. And it is free, Linux is a non-commercial software that you can download for free any time. (...)

Dear Reader,
"You are responsible for how others perceive you"
- Jim Turner

Tim Turner was an accountant for my parents right after I got married and was working for them. I'd like to say that Jim was one of the wise old ones but honestly, he was a working guy like you and me. However, the wisdom quoted above is the one thing that he taught me that has stuck with me. How others perceive me is my problem, not theirs.

This is particularly important to telecommuting developers. In my recent talk, Open Teams one of the slides talks about this very topic.

This is a very important concept that a lot of remote workers don't take into consideration. It's not enough to take the privilege seriously, you have to let others know that you take it seriously. In my talk, I illustrate this with this example. Don't tell your boss you need to shut off all distractions and focus on the problem, only to upload pix of you and your friends at the water park a couple of hours later.

I've been telecommuting for the past 5 years, sometimes successfully and some other times not. Telecommuting has pros and cons, the key to minimising the disadvantages is a good, fluid communication, something that can be achieved if we change our mindset and "switch" to telecommute mode.

Telecommuting is marking a slow but clear tendency, if you haven't yet then best getting on this wave now =) Two excellent articles, "Telecommuting is the next black" and "Remote Developers", the first citing the second. You are advised to read them if you are considering telecommuting seriously.