My Linux laptop

XP had become unsustainable. Not the operating system as such, but the security software - it decided to block all browsers except Explorer, which behaved horribly. And meanwhile, Open Office has got so good that it is a perfect alternative to Microsoft Office. Since I mainly bought the laptop to run Word (and other stuff) a long time ago, the reason has disappeard. Time to try something different.
I tried out Xandros Presto, which was an excellent idea - a Linux distribution optimized for laptops which starts in less than five seconds. No, no joke. It really is that fast. But it costs money, and when money is tight, you do not want to spend 20 dollars on an old laptop you might have to throw away any year.
So I installed Ubuntu. And I am very pleasantly surprised. The Windows-based installer was smooth (although you have to make sure the ftp service has the installer in the same place as the distribution), and when you start it, it looks like Windows 98.
Now, that is a compliment: Microsoft was the last to the graphics game (Epson Taxi, anyone?), and they actually won by being the best of the bunch when graphics environments came (maybe some of you were not even born then). And Windows 98 was very easy to use - easier than the Mac, since they had got rid of the quirks.
Open Office came with it - great software, in a new version. Firefox too, still one of the best browsers (I like Opera, and have not yet tried Chrome - but it is better than Explorer). That meant everything I do most days, except for retrieving files from my Neo, and for that I can go to Windows now and then.
When you do not notice that you are using it is when consumer electronics works best, and in that regard, Ubuntu excels. Not as fast as Xandros, but fast enough. If you can choose, there is no reason to pay Microsoft for operating systems anymore. And by the way, time to sell their stock, if you have it. They still have to figure out how to get back on the curve.