Windows to Ubuntu

I have been a MS Windows user since the products were first launched back in the 1980's. About a month ago I got so annoyed at the time taken to boot my laptop into XP and the constant disk thrashing and lockups that I decided to make the change to Linux.

My laptop is old and relatively slow (800 Mhz) so I suppose that it is not all Microsoft's fault that it was running like a scooter with two twenty stone passengers. The choice I faced was simple, buy a new laptop and continue with Windows or try Linux. The download and or the CD for Ubuntu are free but I needed a printer which was recognised by Linux; mine was a Lexmark X1150 and I knew from the web that it just wont work with Ubuntu. I took the plunge and bought the cheapest HP I could find, the D2560. It cost me about £30.

The first thing I did was to copy to CD all my photos and any music I had stored from downloads (legally of course). I then put the Ubuntu CD into my drive, switched on and selected install. This, of course blows away everything on the hard disk and loads Ubuntu and a huge range of totally free software, easily a match for MS Office. I then downloaded the latest HP printer drivers for Linux from HP's website and I was in business.

My laptop now loads up in under 2 minutes, doesn't sit there disk thrashing, doesn't get viruses, I check it every so often with a free antivirus package I downloaded, and does not crash every hour or so! That is what I call a result.

One of my favourite 'Windows' packages was Google's Picasa. Lo and behold, they do a Linux version! It works just fine. The same is true for Skype. Sure, I have had some 'challenges' but with the help of the Ubuntu community I have resolved all of them. I don't think I could be more pleased