I have my harddrive partitioned... Linux for most everything, but WindowsME to do the few things I haven't figured out how to do with Linux (for instance, getting my TV to work as a second monitor so I can watch DVDs).

GIMP does have the ability to make animated gifs, but it's a bit on the esoteric side, so still figuring it out. If I can figure out where the heck I put my old copy of Image Ready, I'll be thrilled... you can do some really nifty animations with that.