I just installed Ubuntu today...
It's running as the only OS on this PC, but if all goes well, I might end-up dual booting with Win XP Pro on my other PC (I got it free, I'm no where near loaded).
It seems cool. It also seems to respond quicker than XP...maybe better use of system resources?
Anyways, go for it. You'll learn a lot more having a play around than you will from a book.