I don't see that AutoCAD runs on Linux, it says Windoze and Macs.

It appears that some people do get AutoCAD to run on Linux using WINE, a Windoze emulator, but that looks like a messy business, so I'd look into it carefully before spending money. It does appear that older versions of AutoCad like you have work fine, from what I read, but I'd want to be sure for the specific configuration I intend to buy and install.

Dual boot with Linux is not tricky, just install Windoze first, then install Ubuntu and it can re-partition your disk, install Linux, and set up the dual boot for you. Then you edit the Windoze boot list so it asks you if you want Linux or Windoze when you boot, and when Windoze clobbers the boot record with it's own stuff, you can still get into Linux easily. I can tell you how to do all that, in as much detail as you care to put up with.

Whether or not you can run Linux is entirely a matter of hardware support, so unless your machine has obscure or fancy bleeding edge hardware, everything should work fine, except printing which sometimes lacks functionality available on Windoze and is slower. Of course, as with any new operating system, some learning is required, but Ubuntu works hard to be easy.

My advice would be to do one of these:

1.) Stick with Windoze.
2.) Dual boot, getting a bit of help if you need it.
3.) Find somebody that runs AutoCAD on Linux (there are forums, etc.) and get help in setting up AutoCAD under WINE on Ubuntu.

I'd do #2 or #1. I would not blame you a bit in the circumstances for sticking with Windoze.

what I wonder is if whatever I buy if Ubuntu will have all the drivers for it.
I figured out how to run autocad2000 on ubuntu 10.10 using wine and it works as good as it does running on XP. Autocad2000 was written for windows 95/98 to begin with so it doesn't run native in anything except 95/98 and I sure ain't going back to either of those so I have to run it in compatible mode in xp or windows7 so why not just use wine

I know no other software as locked down as autodesk. My company owns totally legal seats. One of our employees installed her seat under her own name, not the company name. When we tried to move her seat to a new computer, auto desk, acknowledging that our company bought and paid for the seat would not allow us to move it.

It will not run under wine, so far as we could determine.

It installs if you use the minimum option, I have it on my computer now using wine. a couple tweaks and it works as good as in windows. You just can't go on line with a wine install. Something I can get by with out too much hassle

If you want I can dig up the instructions and post them for you.

I have it on my MacBookPro too, but it isn't nearly as snappy as on the big machine.

My father has a copy of AutoCad 97, but that won't run under Vista or 7 due to certain 16-bit components being stripped out. We had to run it inside a Virtual PC session (called XP mode now) and that seems to work well.

Generally when it comes to Linux on laptops/desktops, my rule of thunk is to not get anything that hasn't been in existence for 6 months-1 year at least. If you can get some different models and see what they use (such as graphics and wireless), then you can determine their compatibility.