So what's next

My main Windows computer crashed so hard that Windows would not install of the installation disk. Mint installed just fine, so now it is screaming fast (Intel i7 chip with 16 GB Ram).

I have done most of these courses on a Windows computer. You need the console information for some of the stuff you will do in the future because it is done in the Windows console. Go to the windows menu and type cmd in the program search box.

Ok. You can install Linux as a dual boot on your computer and boot back and forth between them. That is how the computer I am working on is set up. After much research I picked Linux Mint. Then you get a menu to select the OS when you boot the computer.

I think my question is not that clear, well this is my question "what linux will benefit me as a programmer " ? thanks Ted!

I don't know enough about the Linux flavors to give you a comprehensive answer. In my research, I found that Umbunto and Mint were the final two choices for me, with Mint winning.

It basically came down to not wanting to have too steep a learning curve to get the computer running right on top of learning everything here. Mint was the best choice for me. It is also the top downloaded flavor right now so there is good support.

I started with Ubuntu and would recommend it. It has lots of support and getting used to the environment allowed me to easier learn and go through the processes of setting up an ubuntu server.

Good luck!

Mint is a fork from Ubuntu. I did a bunch of research and my impression is that more people like Mint. It runs everything Ubuntu does as it is based on that kernel.

I think you can install git bash on your windows machine and it will serve the same purpose as terminal to mac os x. I think git bash mimics a linux or unix environment. I hope this answers your question.