[SFR-LiquidFX]

KDE is just "window manager". Nothing more nothing less. If you would like to try linux before you go about installing it, get a copy of Knoppix. It's a cd based distro that runs from cd and you don't have to install anything. Just pop the cd in and boot your system from it and it will do the rest. This will let you play around with it and get a feel for it before you actually have to go through the process of installing it.