Miserlou,
$50 is not much, and if it gives you what you want / need (including confidence!), then why not go for it.
Bear in mind that it is basically Ubuntu with a wrapper - some of which is open source, some proprietary - so you could try Ubuntu or KUbuntu for nothing and see if you really need the Linspire add-ons.
I have not personal experience of it myself, but I would encourage anyone to explore non-MS as a matter of principle!
SD