It's really not bad an there is plenty of help over on the LinuxCNC forum. There are folks that frequent this board and Linux.org Once you have it installed you really don't spend much time using Linux. You spend your time using LinuxCNC which is the machine control app that is running on the Linux operating system. There is a graphical text file editor like notepad to edit files. And its free. What have you got to loose. You can even try out the program in a simulation mode without even installing it on your computer. Be sure to check out the Mesa cards They are fantastic.
John