[SamF]

Installing Ubuntu rather than maintaining a Windows box is a case of 30 minutes now to save hours upon hours in the future.

All software updated automatically, just type in your password and everything is done.

All software is in one place, can be installed with a single click.

No annoying firewall pop-ups.

Significantly greater protection against viruses and some social engineering attacks.

Unity can be frustrating to linux old-boys but the non-techies I've shown it too find it way more intuitive than they ever did gnome.

I've put my "in-laws" on Ubuntu to give them a shiny, working, quicker-than-windows box that I don't have to go over and fix every time they click on something they shouldn't.

The idea of buying a new laptop or paying over £100 to get Windows 7 rather than spending 30 minutes to put Ubuntu on the box first is a decision made by someone who must have plenty of cash to spare.

Oh, and Entwi - if you go for Mint let me know how it gets on - I've tried to put it on three different boxes and I've never been able to get it to install from a flash drive.