I think Evolution (Ubuntu) can talk to Exchange, but I'm not sure about the latest versions.
Yip Evo can't connect to exch7.
I use Thunderbird on Ubuntu 9.10 and connect using IMAP. I get all my mail just fine but I do say I miss the calendar in Outlook. I've switched over to Google calendar though and I have to say it's almost better than Outlook's since its available everywhere and nowadays it's very easy to sync your mobile devices with Google Calendar.
As for the whole Linux vs Windows thing...in most cases they shouldn't even be compared in the same sentence.
Windows has a few things that IMHO are top notch and you'll probably never beat on the Linux side. A few things that spring to mind are:
*Windows Explorer - The layout just makes more sense and Microsoft themselves are finding it hard to improve on an already perfect interface
*Games - nuff said on the subject so far
*Drivers - MS has the upper hand because of partnerships with most of the big names. 99% of devices work out of the box on Windows. The same can definately not be said for Windows
*KISS - Keep it safe and simple - Most tasks on Windows is dead easy.
Linux has a far larger list of reasons that it's better:
*Linux is not KISS, nor do I think it's meant to be, but you the plethora of utilities and little command line utilities make it a dream to use for someone in my line of work (Network Engineer - lot's of problem solving)
*As a server, I doubt you'll really beat Linux when it comes to scalability, stability and performance. Look at LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP) for instance. It's as simple as doing a
sudo tasksel (ubuntu), selecting LAMP and voila, after literally a few short minutes it just works.
*Desktop wise - I fail to understand how a software powerhouse with unlimited funding capabilities (M$ in this case) cannot even develop a nice 3D capable UI. Face it, Aero sucks balls. Ubuntu (and most other Linux OS's) has a highly configurable and versatile compiz suite available with mind blowing effects...all available for free. Sorry MS, but here you disappoint.
You'll always have your fanboys on both sides of the fence. I for one need both OS's. Microsoft Office is an integral part of our reporting and our inhouse product was developed for Windows. Otherwise, I would've been a die hard linux user. Games don't bother me that much. I play the odd game once in a blue moon, so having to do a bit of WINEing doesn't bother me, since some of my Windows games actually run better in WINE than on Windows itself. Weird!