This is a great scenario for web services. You could set up a service (using WCF, JAX-WS, etc.) on the Windows side, and a client in whatever the language the Linux side will be using. That's the beauty of web services: interoperability.
Depending on what language the systems are written in, you could run them on the same server, either a windows or linux server - PHP runs well on windows, and with the use of Mono, you can get most . Net apps running under Linux too.
I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.