Most of Linux growth is in small appliances and servers but not particularly desktops. That I think is a big shame but no killer desktop application has been devised for Linux that would make it a must have.
It is incredibly easy to install a modern Linux like Ubuntu or Suse. Keeping them updated is equally easy and there are an incredible number of useful tools. But I'm not so keen on developing on a Linux box. My Windows PC has two monitors and I suppose I'm comfy with it. Sadly I haven't got the desk or office area to support a 2nd set of twin monitors though a KVM (Keyboard, Video Mouse) arrangement would probably help.
Kylix, a Delphi for Linux was pretty well designed but sadly it never took off. It was a bit bleeding edge plus of course Pascal not C/C++. An interesting spin on the Mono development though is Mono tools for Visual Studio which will be forthcoming soon.
In Visual Studio (plus the Mono plugin) you scan your application for Mono compatibility using the Mono Migration Analyzer and resolve any issues. Next you install Mono for Windows and test your application on it on that then use the Mono tools to run it on your networked Linux box. That is running a server that copies the code over). You can also debug it remotely as well. It sounds great but isn't quite ready yet. If you want to know more, sign up and wait for an invitation.