01-22-2010
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Last Activity: 28 March 2014, 8:35 AM EDT
Location: Vienna, Austria, Earth
Posts: 5,521
Thanks Given: 38
Thanked 335 Times in 308 Posts
Ad 1: 99.99% of all NICs out there are supported by current versions of Linux. Personally, for a home setup I'd get a cheap 3com, or something with a Realtek chip.
Ad 2: If you don't need Windows on a machine, don't buy it with the machine. Companies like Dell probably won't let you order a PC without an OS, but if you check with some of the smaller retailers in your area, I'm sure it won't be a problem, an will (most likely) shave a nice bit off the final price (here it's a difference of about €60 to €100, depending on the company).