Hi Clark,
From what I heard it is not simple to replace the screen yourself as the Macs seem to use many different kinds of screws and you then need to remember the correct placement of each.
The simplest thing seems to go the PC route and you can buy a reasonably good Laptop PC for about 500-600 dollars. It won't be the strongest or lightest pc but you can still get a nice compromise in that price range.

My 13" MacBook screen was cracked when it slipped off a table at airport security (thanks, TSA).  It still functions.  Apple wants $750 to replace the screen, which is 1/2 the price of a new computer.  Apple desktop monitors are about the same price as fixing the laptop.  I have an engineering degree and work in electronics, but I would not try to replace this screen myself without good elex tools (static straps, good lights, proper hand tools).  I am doing nothing for now.

Clark,

Some time has passed, so you have probably solved the problem. In case you haven't, or for anyone else with a similar problem, here's my recommendation:

Go here < http://tuxmobil.org/laptop_manufacturer.html > and/or here < http://www.linux-laptop.net/ > and find some computers that rate well with Linux. You'll find quite a range of manufacturers and models; jot down some that look like they could be in your price/age range. I've had very good luck with Thinkpads, but other brands can work well, too.

Go on eBay or Craigslist and pick up one of those models for a good price - depending on what you want, you might get by for a couple hundred bucks and have a very usable machine. Remember, Linux will run a lot better on most hardware than Windows does, so a somewhat doggy Windows box will often make a quite brisk Linux machine. I have a eight-year-old Thinkpad that runs Ubuntu very acceptably for web surfing, writing, etc. - 1 Mhz PIII-M and 512MB RAM! I'd look for something a little stronger than that, but don't feel you have to spend much money.

Install the latest version of your chosen Linux distro. If for some reason you encounter an installation problem that wasn't covered in the first two sites, just try another distro - very likely that will solve the problem. All distros  have active, helpful forums to help you overcome most problems, sometimes in minutes. I'm currently a Ubuntu/Mint fan myself, and both have excellent forums; but I've also had great  luck with PCLinuxOS and Xandros.

Just don't be afraid - it's much easier than it looks (in most cases, installing Linux is much easier and faster than installing any version of Windows - I could italicize and capitalize that "much" and it would still be an understatement!)

Enjoy! In return for a small learning curve - for most folks, less steep than transitioning from XP to Windows 7 - you'll join the ranks of the growing minority who've become aware that computing is faster, better, safer, simpler, sweeter and way cheaper in the Linux camp.

Good luck! Please post back to let us know how your Linux experience worked out.