If you don't know, this : http://www.ubuntu.com/products/whatisubuntu/810features/ is what I'm talking about. I'm sure there are plenty of haters, but if you've had it with Windows, can't afford a machine that can run Vista decently, or just are curious about what else is out there, I encourage you to try it out. You can download the torrent of the OS, burn it to CD, and boot directly from it so you can try it out before you install it. If you have questions, the folks at ubuntuforums.org are super nice and answer any and all questions. I'll also offer assistance if requested.