Digital BW, The Print

I recently set up SuSE Linux on a PC at home, mainly to experiment 
with server-side programming on Apache.   All my other PC's are 
Windows.   But it did make me wonder whether Linux would be feasible 
for any photo-related work.     I know GIMP isn't in the same league 
as Photoshop but what's the stoy on these other topics:

1.  Nikon RAW (.nef) files.   Can I upoad RAW files from my D100 via 
USB?   What if I put them on a CF card first?     What can I use to 
convert them to 16-bit TIFF'?

2.  Printer drivers - what is the quality and stability of printer 
drivers - especially for the 2200?   Is there a complete set of 
functionality for profiles, head-cleaning, ink-supply monitoring, etc?

3.  Scanner drivers - espcially Nikon Coolscan V - quality, 
reliability?