One way to go about it (certainly not the best or only way) is to pick one of the default spiffy installs like workstation or something. This will get you just about all the stuff you need to do whatever you do in windows. One of the things about Linux apps is that in many cases there are like 12 or more things that do the same thing ( and all 12 may come with your Distro) this is where some real experimentation comes into play.

I think after using Linux for about a year you will be able to chuck an install disk into your drive and know exactly what you want/need and what you don't. This is such a personal choice, so have fun and read the docs on your apps so you understand *what* they can do.

example: vi or Emacs? this qustion is like Pepsi or Coke in the *nix world and you won't really know until you learn how to use both.

have fun, need any help just ask

P.S. I am a vi man myself