I have been doing this for 12 years. For the first 10 years I alternated between using Linux (which at times made it very difficult to interact with Windows clients) and using Windows, with all its attendant problems.

Here is what I have been doing for the past two years: A Ubuntu desktop system with multiple Windows virtual machines, using VirtualBox.

From the Linux system I can do most of my desktop work; PPTP VPN into customers and our other offices; RDP into Windows Servers; ssh into Linux systems; and LogMeIn into Windows desktops.

From the Windows VM I can run MS Outlook (when your organization runs Outlook you can make life VERY hard for yourself by using any other email client) and I use Cisco VPN and Cisco AnyConnect when necessary. I know there is a Cisco VPN client for Linux but I never got it working smoothly. As far as I know there is not an AnyConnect client.

When it comes to document compatibility, I can use MS Office in the Windows VM, or OOo in Linux -- they seem to interoperate very smoothly. But when needed I can run Visio or PowerPoint in MS Office.

The part I love best about this solution is the stability and restorability. I have multiple Windows VMs. One is my "real" work environment, so I back it up carefully (it's just a file!) and I don't install any suspect software. Another VM is a sandbox for when I need to load some software with a big footprint, or something I may not keep. I also have VMs for Windows Server, Windows development, etc. Limited only by the size of my disk.

Oh the other best part: many of those Cisco VPN connections force all of your network traffic through their tunnel. That can be fatal to productivity. So fire up a Windows VM and VPN from there. Your "real" desktop system is not affected -- you can still email, IM, surf porn, whatever.

I have two suggestions for mail.

1. I have no need to have mail picked up and delivered to my house 6, or even 5 days a week. I would be willing to drive to the post office a couple of times a week. Perhaps most people would. I am sure there are people for whom that isn't practical: they should pay a premium for home pickup/delivery.

2. Stamps should be RFID tags. Businesses who create large volumes of mail would associate the address information with the tag ID at the time the mail is created. For people who hand address envelopes, the address would be keyed & associated at the post office, once. From that point on the mail could be handled - sorted & routed - automatically.

Question...

I have been using VirtualBox for a long time, with Ubuntu as my host, and multiple Windows installations as clients. There is one problem I have not been able to overcome. If I use a USB device and there is no driver available for Ubuntu, then the Windows clients cannot access it either.
Is there a solution to this?

If not, would I be less likely to have this problem using ESXi?

I have the Baha device mentioned in the OP -- the titanium screw in my skull. It works great. It involved surgery, and that makes it expensive. But it also ensures excellent sound conduction. My left ear is good, so this device is mounted behind my right ear. It allows me to hear sounds from the right side.

These devices are aimed at two categories of people:
- Inner ear works, middle ear does not: it gets the sound (vibration) to the inner ear
- Single sided deafness: it gets the sound from the deaf side across to the working ear

Hearing aids worn in the ear cause some problems with the ear itself. I would imagine having a device in your mouth would also create some issues: it doesn't look like it would permit eating, and might even interfere with speech. So I would see this dental appliance as a bridge, an interim solution for something like the Baha, or a lower cost alternative.

There have been some terriffic points made on this thread but there is one thing that hasn't been discussed. Companies change -- often quickly and dramatically. It can happen as a result of change of ownership, change in upper management, competitive pressure, changes to the market, changes in the underlying technology, or changes to the economy. You read about it every day: ABC CORP has always provided lifetime employment to its employees... and suddenly lays off half its staff (the most highly paid) and outsources many functions. If the tech vs management decision is based on some assumption of job security, that is a very dangerous assumption. How portable will those N years of tech management be to a new job? If you succeed brilliantly at it, will you be able to convince other prospective employers?

Presumably their cost is about $100. Why not sell it to us 'wealthy' Western nations for $150 or so? We get a neat inexpensive laptop, they get $50 to fuel their production/distribution mechanism.